Successor named to Byrd's Senate seat in W. Va.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin has tapped a former aide to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Robert C. Byrd.

Manchin said Friday that former chief counsel Carte Goodwin will serve in the post. Goodwin is expected to take the oath of office on Tuesday.

Goodwin, 36, served as Manchin's general counsel from 2005 until early 2009.

Goodwin would hold the seat until November, when the governor wants general election voters to decide who will serve the final two years of Byrd's term.

Byrd was the Senate's longest-serving member when he died last month at 92.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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