Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Paul Kirk is scheduled to be sworn in as the interim Senator from Massachusetts at 3:15 p.m. Friday, according to a senior Senate leadership aide. A longtime confidant of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Kirk will serve until Bay State voters pick a permanent successor in the Jan. 19 special election. Gov. Deval Patrick (D) announced Thursday morning that he was appointing the longtime close friend and ally of the Kennedy family to fill the vacancy. He told reporters that he signed legislation hours beforehand that changed state law so that an interim appointee could serve until the special election. “Paul is well-known and respected by the men and women who will be his new colleagues,— the Kennedy family said in a statement. “When he is sworn in as the Junior Senator from Massachusetts, Paul will hit the ground running, and that’s an enormous benefit for the people of Massachusetts.—Kirk’s swearing-in also means Democrats will once again have a full caucus of 60 Senators and technically a filibuster-proof majority. Emily Pierce contributed to this report.