BOSTON (CBS) – President Obama will nominate Massachusetts Senator John Kerry for the Secretary of State position on Friday, according to CBS News correspondent Major Garrett.

An official announcement is expected shortly.

Sen. Kerry currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He became the presumed frontrunner for the position after U.N. ambassador Susan Rice officially withdrew her name from consideration.

Rice had been considered a top contender for the position before finding herself at the center of a controversy surrounding her account of the attack on the American Embassy in Libya.

If Kerry is confirmed, Mass. Governor Deval Patrick will be required to appoint an interim senator until a special election can be held.