Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is the first major candidate to take out nomination papers to compete in a Jan. 19 special election to replace the late Senator Edward Kennedy.

The paperwork was picked up today by a campaign staffer at Secretary of State William Galvin’s office, according to Kevin Conroy, a Coakley campaign official.

Coakley’s move comes before two Kennedy family members mentioned as possible successors, nephew Joseph P. Kennedy II, a former congressman, and the senator’s widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, have disclosed their intentions.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Moroney in Boston at tmorrone@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 1, 2009 15:07 EDT