Carte Goodwin Sworn In as Senator to Replace Robert Byrd

Carte Goodwin was sworn into the Senate Tuesday, succeeding the late Sen. Robert Byrd.

Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath of office with West Virginia's senior senator, Jay Rockefeller, looking on. Goodwin then provided the key vote to end a Republican filibuster against a bill to extend unemployment benefits for long-term unemployed Americans, after which the Senate gallery erupted into applause.

Goodwin, 36, is the youngest senator and the 57th Democrat in the Senate. He'll also have one of the shortest terms, since West Virginia will hold a special election to fill the remaining years of Byrd's term in November.

Goodwin practices law in his family's West Virginia law firm, and served for four years as Gov. Joe Manchin's chief counsel. He attended Marietta College and Emory University Law School.

When he was named by Manchin last Friday to replace Byrd, Goodwin made it clear that he won't always vote with Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid during his short tenure, especially on a climate change bill that Reid and President Obama have championed.

"With regard to cap-and-trade, from what I've seen (of the bills)...they simply are not right for West Virginia," he said. "I will not support any piece of legislation that threatens any West Virginia job."

Sen. George LeMieux, a Republican from Florida who was appointed last year to fill the unfinished term of former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), had some words of advice for Goodwin before he was sworn in.

"Serve to the best of your abilities," LeMieux said. That's what I've tried to do. It's been almost a year since I've been here and every state just gets two (senators), so it's your job to do the best you possibly can. If you don't, your state's not being represented."