NY Times: Caroline Kennedy Says No to Hillary Clinton’s Senate Seat

Citing the need to focus on health concerns regarding her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy reportedly has decided not to seek appointment to a U.S. Senate seat.

"On Wednesday she called [New York] Gov. David A. Paterson, who will choose a successor to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton," recounts the New York Times. "Her concerns about Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s deteriorating health [he was hospitalized after suffering a seizure during President Obama’s inaugural lunch Tuesday] prompted her decision to withdraw, this person said."

Reportedly, Paterson had told the 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy the seat was hers, if she wanted it. However, polls showed that many voters preferred state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for the Senate seat, the newspaper article notes.

Although Caroline Kennedy is a graduate of Columbia Law School, she has never practiced law and has virtually no political experience. At the same time, she has had significant involvement in civic affairs, and her earlier interest in winning the Senate appointment struck a chord with many women who, like her, took time away from their careers to focus on family life then re-entered the workforce as their children approach adulthood, as an Associated Press article written earlier this month discusses.

A statement from Kennedy concerning Clinton's seat is expected later today.