Mass. Congressman Michael E. Capuano formally announced his bid for the vacant Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy ’54-’56 at the Omni Parker Hotel in Boston last Friday.

The six-term congressman represents the 8th Congressional District of Massachusetts, which is comprised of Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, and Chelsea. He joins the race against fellow democrats Attorney General Martha Coakley, Boston Representative Stephen F. Lynch, Boston Celtics owner Stephen G. Pagliuca, and City Year co-founder Alan Khazei ’83.

State Senator Scott P. Brown and Canton Selectman Robert Burr are seeking the republican nomination.

In his opening speech, Capuano praised Kennedy’s long years of service to Mass. politics and said he would announce his entrance into the senate race “with the greatest respect for [Kennedy’s] legacy.”

Capuano called himself the only candidate in the race who is “ready to champion the same progressive ideals that Senator Kennedy fought so long for,” and warned against those seeking to steer the senate in a more conservative direction. Aligning himself with the former senator’s views on war, the struggling economy, and health care, Capuano also stressed his position as a seasoned politician who already has extensive legislative experience.

Capuano was introduced by fellow Democratic Congressman Barney Frank, who also emphasized Capuano’s close mirroring of Kennedy’s voting record. Frank added that while the US recently lost the “greatest senator in history,” Capuano is the ideal candidate to continue his legacy.

“Michael [Capuano] has a sustained, principled irreverence, and I cannot think of anything the United States Senate needs more at this time,” said Frank.

Claiming that neither of the current challengers for the democratic nomination adequately represented Kennedy’s liberal values, both Capuano and Frank criticized early frontrunner Martha Coakley for dodging controversial issues such as the Iraq War and drawing attention to Steven Pagliuca’s friendship with Republican Mitt Romney.

Capuano has previously served as Mayor of his hometown of Somerville.

He is currently chairman of the Sub-Committee on Capitol Security, and a member of the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and House Administration. His senate-bid announcement was crowded by press from both local and national outlets.

Ted Kennedy’s death on August 25th piqued media interest in the problem of succession, including whether Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78 would be allowed to appoint an interim senator before formal elections are held. The democratic primary will take place December 8 this year and general elections on January 19 in 2010.

Alison Mills, Capuano’s press secretary, could not be reached for comment.

—Staff writer Shan Wang can be reached at wang38@fas.harvard.edu.