Keller @ Large: Patrick Dropping Hints About Interim Senator?

BOSTON (CBS) – On Wednesday, Governor Deval Patrick will name an interim Senator to replace John Kerry.

Earlier Tuesday, Senators confirmed Kerry as Secretary of State and he will be sworn-in later this week.

The Governor has been dropping big hints that a person of color might get the interim Senate job, and at the State of the City address, he did it again.

"It's a new world you know, the state, the city, the whole country is a more diverse place," said Governor Patrick. "And I think that recognizing there is talent in every community is enormously important for those of us in leadership."

On Beacon Hill, there's an emerging consensus that sentiment could lead the Governor to choose one of three candidates:

William "Mo" Cowan, a top attorney and the governor's former chief of staff; Carol Fulp, a well-known Boston business executive; And Jay Gonzalez, the former Patrick budget chief who would be the state's first Latino member of Congress.