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."