Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) announced Friday that he is endorsing Rep. Mike Capuano (D) in the special election to fill the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) seat. “I cannot think of anything the United States Senate needs more than a strong dose of the commitment, energy and appropriate skepticism of established traditions that Mike Capuano has shown in his 10 years in the House,— said Frank, who introduced Capuano on Friday at his campaign kickoff in Boston. State Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) announced her Senate campaign two weeks ago, plus Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca and City Year co-founder Alan Khazei have also announced their intentions to run in the Dec. 8 Democratic primary. State House legislators passed a bill Thursday that would allow Gov. Deval Patrick (D) to make a temporary appointment to fill the Senate seat before the Jan. 19 special election. The bill is in a holding pattern in the state Senate, where legislators are reportedly expected to resume debate on the issue on Monday.