Paul Kirk, who was named Thursday as the late Ted Kennedy's replacement in the U.S. Senate, once defeated North Carolina's Terry Sanford in the race for Democratic National Committee chairman.

Kirk, a former Kennedy aide, was the frontrunner to become party chairman in 1985, when Sanford entered the race, reports Rob Christensen.

At the time, Sanford was nearing the end of his tenure as president of Duke University. But he was political veteran, having served as North Carolina governor (1961-65) and having run for president in 1972 and 1976.

Sanford tried to put together a coalition of Southern and western Democratic party chairs.

"A great many people in the South feel it is time for the Southern Democratic Party to exert greater national leadership," Sanford said. "The Democratic party cannot do without a strong base in the South."

More after the jump.

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Former Sen. John Edwards, right, arrives with his wife Elizabeth, for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's memorial service at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, Friday, Aug. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Sen. Kay Hagan plans to attend the funeral of Sen. Ted Kennedy in Boston on Saturday.

Sen. Richard Burr told reporters Friday that he has scheduling conflicts including an anniversary dinner with his wife that would make it difficult to get there in time.

Elizabeth Edwards, speaking today in Chapel Hill, had a few words to say about the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy.

"It's an enormous loss for the country," Edwards, 60, said. "His absence [in the Senate in recent months] has been a hardship to health care reform. I hope... his death will be an impetus."

Edwards, the wife of former Sen. John Edwards, spoke at UNC-Chapel Hill today to promote her appearance next month at the N.C. Literary Festival, reports Anne Blythe.

The statements on U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy's death continue. U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan released the following comments about her fellow Democrat:

"Ted Kennedy went out of his way to make me feel welcome, giving me incredible advice about how to work in a bipartisan and congenial manner with all of our colleagues in the Senate. He truly cared about fostering a sense of community and connecting with his fellow Senators, regardless of any political disagreements they might have. Ted Kennedy devoted his entire life – nearly 47 years of it in the Senate – to helping America's working families. Last night, our country lost a true public servant. My family and I want to extend our thoughts and prayers to his wife Vicki, his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews during this extremely difficult time."

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, issued the following statement Wednesday on the death of fellow Sen. Ted Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat:

"I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Senator Ted Kennedy's passing. While we did not always see eye to eye on the issues of the day, he was a devoted and ardent champion of the causes he believed in. I enjoyed the opportunities I had to work with him on issues that we shared a passion for, particularly our ongoing efforts to strengthen our nation's public health system. Brooke and I extend our thoughts and prayers to Vicki and the Kennedy family."

During his 2004 campaign, Burr routinely used Kennedy's name as a device for criticizing Burr's then-opponent, Democrat Erskine Bowles. A Burr radio ad accused Bowles of working with his "good buddy Ted Kennedy" against tobacco farmers' interests. 

"We can count on Richard Burr to stand up to liberals like Erskine Bowles and Ted Kennedy and fight for our farmers," the ad declared.

Sen. Kay Hagan this morning told critics to "stay tuned" to the health care debate in Washington.

Hagan, a Democrat, talked to reporters after a visit to Charlotte's Shelter Health Services, a free clinic that provides medical services to residents of an adjacent shelter for homless women and children. Some in her own party have criticized her for appearing to take a so-called "public option" in health care reform off the table, the Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill reports.

Many, including Democratic leaders such as Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, have put forward what's known as a "public option" provider, a federally run insurer. Hagan told the Greensboro News & Record this week that a federally run insurance program could cause companies to drop their private insurance plans and destabilize the insurance market.

"We haven’t taken a 'public option' off the table," she told reporters today. She said it depends on what that means. A member of a key Senate health committee, she said she’s working with colleagues to find a way to expand coverage, ensure quality of care and be fiscally accountable.

Critics, she said, "need to stay tuned." "People are so centered on the word 'public'," she said. "And it really depends on what’s (involved) in that."

The U.S. Senate moves this morning toward a procedural vote that could diminish the hopes of U.S. Sen. Richard Burr to stop tobacco regulation by the Food and Drug Administration.

Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, hails from the hometown of R.J. Reynolds, producer of Camels and the nation’s second-largest tobacco manufacturing company, Barb Barrett reports.

He has vowed to do anything possibly to prevent passage of S.B. 982, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

Burr's threat has been widely interpreted as including a pledge to filibuster the bill — engaging in an endless debate or launching a series of procedural motions that can only be cut off by a 60-vote margin in the Senate.

That cloture vote is scheduled for 11 a.m. today.

More after the jump.

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