Sources say Kennedy wants wife in Senate

BOSTON, Miss., May 22 (UPI) -- Sources close to ailing U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., say he would like his wife, Victoria, to inherit his Senate seat.

"There's no question that he'd like Vicki to continue in his seat," a Massachusetts Democrat told the New York Daily News. "She's smart, and smart politically."

The seat has been in the Kennedy family almost continuously for more than 50 years. President John F. Kennedy held it from 1953 to 1961, and it was occupied by a placeholder for two years until Kennedy won in 1962.

Kennedy, now 76, was barely old enough to serve in the Senate when he first ran.

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, 54, married the senator 16 years ago after his divorce from his first wife, Joan. She was a Washington lawyer before her marriage.

If Kennedy passed the torch to his wife, he would bypass his nephew, Joe, a former congressman and son of his brother, Robert.

Kennedy has been diagnosed with a potentially fatal brain tumor. He has made no announcement about his plans and is waiting for test results to determine the best course of treatment.