Poll: 45 Percent Of Americans Want Caroline Kennedy Named To Hillary's Senate Seat

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A majority of Americans favor Caroline Kennedy appointed to the Senate seat of incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton but many also would rather see someone else named to the post, according to a new Gallup poll.

The 51-year-old Kennedy, the only surviving child of John F. Kennedy and a key figure in President-elect Barack Obama's campaign, has been citing her credentials in recent weeks in response to criticisms that she has no experience serving in government.

Forty-five percent of all Americans would like to see her nominated by New York Gov. David Paterson to Clinton's seat, Gallup said. Thirty-six percent prefer someone else, while 19 percent had no opinion.

Among Democrats, 63 percent want Kennedy to get the appointment, but only 28 percent of Republicans feel the same way. Thirty-eight percent of independents are rooting for Kennedy.

The poll was conducted nationwide, and Gallup said, "Interestingly, Americans in the East are the least likely of any region to favor Kennedy's appointment, a noteworthy finding considering the seat in question represents New York and the Kennedy family hails from Massachusetts."

Only 38 percent of those from the East favor Kennedy being nominated, in contrast to 46 percent in the West.

"It is possible that the attitudes in the East are affected by the views of those living in New York (about 25% of the Eastern region as defined by Gallup), who, as at least one poll has shown, have become more negative toward Kennedy while being heavily exposed to news coverage of her efforts to be appointed to the Senate seat," the poll also said.

The survey was conducted among 1,000 adults on Monday. Its margin of error is 3 percent.

A slew of critics have appeared since Kennedy expressed interest in Clinton's Senate seat last month. They have cited her "zero" experience in government, spotty voting record, and "sense of entitlement." Many of the critics have been Republicans, but a 13-term Democrat from New York, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), likened her to pop star Jennifer Lopez. The critics have also included some Internet and grassroots groups, collectively called Netroots, a powerful voice in Kennedy's own party.

Reported contenders for the post include New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

Kennedy, one of three members of Obama's vice presidential search committee, granted her first interviews about Clinton's seat after Christmas. In an interview with NY1 she confessed she had long ago thought of one day entering politics and said that her "visibility" would help her work as senator from New York.

"I think it's a unique moment in our nation's history and it's a special moment in my own life. I've grown up in New York,I've live here my whole life," she said. "People who know me are not as surprised as people who don't. This is something I---in our family, you know, you always think about going into politics. I think there are many ways to serve, and I think I have been contributing and trying to serve my community up 'till now."

Asked about criticisms that she had no experience at all in government, Kennedy said, "There are many qualified people for this position and its the governor's choice. I would be an unconventional choice. I haven't followed the traditional path. But I think I bring a lifetime of experience to this. In my family, public service is the greatest honor anyone can have. It's a legacy that I cherish and that I've tried to live up to my whole life."

She then enumerated her credentials, saying she had raised three children as a mother, written books as a lawyer about the Constitution that are being used in schools across the nation, and worked to help improve the New York City's public schools.

Paterson, who has said that he will only name a replacement when Clinton officially steps down, sent a 28-page questionnaire last week, including Kennedy. The paperwork, which are due late this week, asks about candidates' finances, criminal record and job history.