CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Gov. Joe Manchin is tapping former chief counsel Carte Goodwin to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, Democratic officials told The Associated Press on Friday.
Three people familiar with the governor's pick spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment ahead of an official announcement.
Manchin is scheduled to present his appointee at a press conference this afternoon at the Capitol.
The Charleston Gazette reported earlier this week that Goodwin had become the front-runner for the appointment.
The 36-year-old Goodwin, a Charleston lawyer, would hold the seat until November. That's when the governor wants general election voters to decide who will serve the final two years of Byrd's term. The Legislature has begun a special session to consider a proposal from Manchin to allow for a fall vote.
Byrd was the longest-serving senator in history when he died last month at 92. Goodwin, the youngest among those considered potential choices, worked on Manchin's 2004 campaign for governor before becoming his chief lawyer. He served in that post until shortly after Manchin began his second term in 2009, leaving for his family's law firm.
Last year, Manchin tapped Goodwin to lead an extensive review of the state's judiciary amid complaints from business groups and conflict-of-interest scandals involving state Supreme Court justices. Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor served as the study commission's nonvoting honorary chairwoman.
While Manchin's general counsel, Goodwin was considered key in drafting mine rescue and safety measures passed after fatal accidents at West Virginia's Sago and Aracoma coal mines in early 2006.
Goodwin already has ties to West Virginia's Senate delegation: his wife, Rochelle, is state director for Byrd's Democratic colleague, Sen. Jay Rockefeller.
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