Governor Doug Ducey (R-AZ) announced on Tuesday that former Senator Jon Kyl (R) would serve the remainder of this Congressional session as the replacement for the late Senator John McCain.
John McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain issued her blessing via twitter for this appointment.
Jon Kyl is a dear friend of mine and John’s. It’s a great tribute to John that he is prepared to go back into public service to help the state of Arizona.
— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) September 4, 2018
Retiring Senator Jeff Flake (R) has also issued his support via Twitter
Governor Ducey has selected Senator Jon Kyl as Senator McCain’s replacement. What an excellent choice! There is no one more qualified and Arizona is well served. Kudos to Senator Kyl for his willingness to serve once again.
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) September 4, 2018
AZ Central reports that Senator Kyl served in the “U.S. Senate from 1995 through Jan. 3, 2013. There, he served as minority whip, the second-highest position in the Republican conference. Before ascending to the Senate, he served in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995.”
The article goes on to say that Kyl hasn’t been away from Washington D.C. in fact he helped “sherpa” for Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirmation process. A sherpa is a person that guides the nominee through the confirmation process. He is once again helping “sherpa” President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, whose confirmation hearing started on Tuesday morning.
During the brief announcement Governor Ducey told those gathered that Kyl could be sworn in as Senator as early as Tuesday night, but cautioned Wednesday was more likely.
Kyl explained that he has agreed to serve for this year, but is undecided if he will serve until 2020 when the special election will be held to determine McCain’s elected replacement. Kyl states he has no intention of running for the seat.
The announcement presser starts at the 12:00 minute mark and lasts about fifteen minutes.
