U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, (D-Malden) will run for the U.S. Senate seat that would become vacant if U.S. Sen. John Kerry is confirmed as U.S. Secretary of State, Markey's staff confirmed to WGBH News.
Markey, 66, is the first candidate to announce a run for the seat. Markey announced his candidacy in a report in the Boston Globe .
A call to Markey's campaign office was not returned.
If Kerry is confirmed as expected, a special election would be held in 2013. Several high-profile democrats, including Ted Kennedy Jr. and actor Ben Affleck, have announced they would not run.