We have lost a great leader and a great man today. Senator Kennedy was not just a colleague but a friend who inspired me, as he inspired so many, to serve this great country, to seek justice, and to care for the least among us. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. He will be sorely missed.

Sen. Mark Udall:

The arc of Ted Kennedy’s life touched every progressive cause for nearly half a century. Whether it was civil rights or health care, eliminating poverty or pollution, Ted brought fire and passion to every cause he championed. What made him an effective Senator and a great leader, however, was his essential pragmatism. At its best, politics is a people business, where bridging differences matters. Ted Kennedy was not just a crusader for great causes, he was also a champion of compromise.

My thoughts and prayers are with Vicki, Senator Kennedy’s children, and his entire family.

Sen. Michael Bennet:

Ted Kennedy leaves a legacy of great accomplishment and extraordinary leadership. He was a dedicated public servant, a master legislator, and above all a fighter for economic and social justice. The Senate will miss the rare combination of idealism and pragmatism he brought to advancing the causes he held dear.

Gov. Bill Ritter:

Today Colorado joins the nation in mourning the loss of Sen. Ted Kennedy, a tireless advocate for those who live on the margins. His unparalleled dedication to improve civil rights, health care and the plight of working families has left an indelible mark on the country and Colorado. As one of America’s most eloquent, determined and intelligent leaders, Sen. Kennedy was an inspiration to public servants everywhere.

I will forever be inspired by the words he spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Colorado on Aug. 25, 2008, exactly one year before his death: “The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives one.”

Former Sen. Gary Hart, who served two terms in the U.S. Senate with Kennedy, from 1975-1987:

I had the great fortune to know Ted Kennedy as a friend and former Senate colleague. He was a voice for justice; he was a crusader for equal rights for all; he was a fighter for the poor and dispossessed; and he now joins his brothers in the best political heaven there can be. I miss his laughter.

Talking Points Memo rounds up more reactions from national and world leaders to Kennedy’s death.

CORRECTION: Ritter’s office sent out a revised statement Wednesday afternoon to correct his original statement, which “contained an incorrect quote from Sen. Kennedy’s speech at last year’s Democratic National Convention in Denver.” Ritter’s reaction has been corrected to reflect his new statement.

Got a tip? Freelance story pitch? Send us an e-mail. Follow The Colorado Independent on Twitter. And we’re hiring.

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, 91, also reportedly fell ill and was escorted from the luncheon.

ABC News says that Kennedy was at a table with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and that President Barack Obama left the room with Kennedy but later returned, according to reports received from some in attendance at the luncheon, which was closed to the press. An ambulance was also observed arriving at the Capitol, though there is a full medical suite in the Capitol.

Obama prefaced his remarks following the luncheon with words about Kennedy:

“While I was out of the room, concern was expressed about Teddy. He was there when the Voting Rights Act passed, along with John Lewis was a warrior for justice. So I would be lying to you if I did not say a part of me is with him. I think that’s true of all of us. This is a joyous time and this is also a sobering time. And my prayers are with him and his wife, Vickie.”

Kennedy had a seizure that lasted several minutes, according to witnesses at the luncheon, ABC is reporting. Byrd, the oldest member of the Senate and a longtime friend of Kennedy, was overcome and had to be taken from the luncheon in a wheelchair. Byrd is president pro tempore of the Senate and is third in the line of presidential succession, behind Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Kennedy made a surprise visit on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in August.

Last month Kennedy left a longtime position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to concentrate on passing health care reform legislation.

UPDATE 1:27 p.m. MST: Sen. John Kerry, who was seated with the senior senator at the luncheon, attributes Kennedy’s seizure to exhaustion. The ABC News blog writes “Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., a very close friend of Kennedy’s, could be seen laughing as Kennedy’s stretcher was put into the ambulance — a good sign.”

UPDATE 1:46 p.m. MST: BNO News reports that Sen. Byrd left luncheon on his own accord out of concern for his friend and colleague, Sen. Kennedy.

Daschle kicked off the Obama administration’s drive to bring meaningful health reform” to all Americans at a conference in Denver Friday.

According to a statement quoted in The Boston Globe:

“As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I expect to lead a very full agenda in the next Congress, including working with President Obama to guarantee affordable health care, at long last, for every American,” Kennedy said in a statement.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I intend to make the most of it,” Kennedy added.

Despite a diagnosis this spring of a lethal brain tumor, Kennedy has continued work preparing legislation to cover the nation’s uninsured. His staff has been meeting with interest groups and other senators to prepare a bill in time for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, the Globe reports.

Universal health care has been a goal for Kennedy since his election to the Senate in 1962 — the same year he joined the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the Massachusetts Democrat has played key roles in Supreme Court confirmation hearings over the decades. Kennedy, the second-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary, said in a statement that he departs with “with great confidence in Chairman Leahy and my current colleagues on the Committee — and in the newly elected Democratic senators who will reap new opportunities from my stepping down.”

The move is partly in response to a plea from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who asked veteran senators to make room on some key committees for newcomers, including at least seven Democrats elected to the Senate in 2008.

“I remain deeply committed to civil rights, equal opportunities and immigration reform, and I will always be involved in those important debates and discussions,” Kennedy said, in a statement quoted by Politico.

The president of Families USA, a liberal health-advocacy group, told the Globe that Kennedy’s move would “enable him to focus his enormous energies on that task which he has said is his first, second and third priority.” Noting that the Judiciary Committee spends a lot of time on judicial appointments, Ron Pollack lauded Kennedy’s priorities: “If one is really devoted to an enormous cause that has been difficult to achieve in the past, it really is helpful to have that extra time to devote to that effort,” he said.

Just 16 percent of Republicans and independents were aware of Dobson’s endorsement of Huckabee, and only 22 percent of respondents who self-identified as “very conservative” said the endorsement would make them more likely to support the former Arkansas governor for president. 

“Endorsements can provide signals about candidates’ stands on issues, about their ideological dispositions and about the extent to which a candidate’s positions coincide with those of an endorsing group,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and co-director of the National Annenberg Election Survey. “But this effect can’t occur unless the voter knows that the endorsement has taken place.”

Nearly 60 percent of Democrats and independents were aware that Kennedy had endorsed Obama for president, but three out of four said the endorsement would have no effect on how they vote. Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama captured the most public attention, with almost 75 percent of Democrats and independents aware of it. The survey did not ask whether the talk show host’s support would sway their vote.

Only 16 percent of Democrats and independents were aware that the United Farm Workers had endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Once aware, Hispanic voters were more than twice as likely as non-Hispanics to say they would support (deleted Sen.) Clinton as a result. Twenty-one percent of Hispanics and 8 percent of non-Hispanics said they would be more likely to support her after hearing of the endorsement.

Although the survey was conducted before the paper’s Feb. 21 article about John McCain’s ties to a lobbyist, the New York Times’ endorsement of the Arizona senator was found to hold little water among voters. Republicans self-identified as “very conservative” were 8 percent less likely to support McCain after hearing of the endorsement. A similarly small effect was felt among Democrats and independents regarding the paper’s endorsement of Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

Endorsements may not have much of an effect on voters who have already made up their minds, said Ken Winneg, managing director of the National Annenberg Election Survey.

“But in certain targeted cases, the effect, though small, may be just enough to provide a winning margin in a close race.”