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Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of slain U.S. president John F. Kennedy, has withdrawn her name from consideration for the New York U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Kennedy issued a brief statement Thursday saying she informed New York Governor David Paterson that she was withdrawing her name "for personal reasons."
Governor Paterson will appoint Clinton's successor. He is expected to announce his decision Saturday.
It is not clear what prompted Kennedy's decision to withdraw, after declaring her interest in the seat late last year.
As a child, Caroline Kennedy lived in the White House from 1961 until her father's assassination in 1963. Her uncle Robert Kennedy held a New York Senate seat from 1965 until his assassination in 1968.
A poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, released last week found that only 24 percent of voters surveyed wanted to see Kennedy fill the vacant Senate seat.
Her bid was criticized because she has never held public office before.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
