Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl is being nominated to fill the remaining term of Sen. John McCain, who died last month after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, Arizona Central reported
In a news conference at the Arizona Capitol, the Republican governor said he expected 76-year-old Kyl to “hit the ground running” when he arrived in Washington, D.C., Tuesday evening.
“It’s not the time for newcomers, and now is not the time for on-the-job training,” Ducey said, adding that he’d “kept coming back to one name and one person” as he weighed appointment options.
Arizona state law requires that the governor of the state appoint someone to fill a vacant U.S. Senate or U.S. House seat. In the case of a Senate seat, the governor, currently it is Republican Doug Ducey, appoints an interim senator. That person, who by state law must be of the same party as the person who resigned or died, would serve through the next scheduled statewide general election. That is Nov. 6 in this case.
Whoever wins the election in November would serve the remainder of the term. In this case, McCain’s term goes through 2022.