Kerry confirmed as US secretary of state John Kerry was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday to take over from Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state, marking the first stage in a wholesale shake-up in the Obama administration's national security team. The Senate voted 94 to 3 in favour of Mr Kerry, who was approved unanimously earlier in the day by the Senate foreign relations committee. The votes against Mr Kerry were cast by Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Texas Republicans, and James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma. Mrs Clinton's last day at the state department is expected to be on Friday. The son of a foreign service officer, Mr Kerry, 69, was the chair of the same Senate committee and has been a member since he was first elected to the Senate in 1985, a position that has allowed him to build an extensive network of relationships with leaders around the world. "John's distinguished career has prepared him to guide American diplomacy in the years ahead," said President Barack Obama. John has earned the respect of leaders around the world and the confidence of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, and I am confident he will make an extraordinary secretary of state. Mr Kerry's smooth passage through the Senate could contrast with the more controversial confirmation hearings scheduled over the next two weeks for Chuck Hagel, the nominee for secretary of defence, and John Brennan for the Central Intelligence Agency. His confirmation opens up a potentially tricky election for his Massachusetts Senate seat, even though Mr Obama won the state comfortably in the November election. The state's Democratic governor, Deval Patrick, is expected to announce this week a temporary replacement for Mr Kerry in the Senate, with a special election likely to be held in the next six months. In former Senator Scott Brown, the Republicans have a potentially strong candidate, although he has not yet said whether he will run. Mr Kerry is expected to bring a more low-key style to the state department than Mrs Clinton, who tried to use her considerable celebrity to repair some of the damage to diplomatic relationships that the US suffered during the Iraq war. The already fierce speculation that Mrs Clinton will run for president in 2016 has intensified this week after she appeared in a joint interview on CBS's 60 Minutes with Mr Obama. In another interview on CNN, she played down talk of a presidential bid. I don't know everything I'll be doing. I'll be working on behalf of women and girls, hopefully writing and speaking, those are the things that I'm planning to do right now," she said.