Assembly Speaker Silver says he will support Caroline Kennedy if she's appointed to the Senate

New York, Jan 2 (ANI): New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has said that he will support Caroline Kennedy if she's appointed to the Senate seat of Hillary Clinton by state Governor David Paterson, according to the New York Post.

"I have determined there's a good possibility she will be the appointee of the governor," The Post quoted Silver, as saying.

"If she is the appointee of the governor, I will certainly be supportive of her. I will work for her and will work strenuously for her election."

The comments mark a significant change of position for Silver, the state's second most powerful Democrat. Just last week, he said he was unhappy with Kennedy's less than perfect support the Democratic candidates who will run against Mayor Michael Bloomberg this year.

He also said he was unhappy with Kennedy's less than 100 percent commitment to support the Democratic candidate who'll run against Bloomberg, who was twice elected as a Republican, this year.

Asked if he was now more favorably inclined toward Kennedy then he was last week, Silver responded, "Yes, it's true."

The speaker insisted he had no inside information - from the governor or anyone else - that Kennedy would be named to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be secretary of state, The Post reported.

But he said he reached the conclusion that her appointment was likely because of "public opinion polls, which are not negative, and because the governor, I think, wants to run in 2010 with a strong candidate, and I'm sure . . . having a well-known woman on the ticket will be helpful."

While a national poll earlier this week showed a majority of Americans view Kennedy as qualified to be senator, a survey of New York voters last week found that 41 percent felt she was not qualified and 40 percent thought she was. (ANI)