Ariz. governor picks former senator to replace McCain
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday appointed fellow Republican Jon Kyl to return to the U.S. Senate and fill the late-senator John McCain’s seat, tapping a high-profile successor who has at times been critical of President Donald Trump.
Ducey said Kyl would serve through the end of the year and expressed hope he would stay in the seat longer. Kyl was close with McCain and once ascended to the top ranks of Senate leadership.
“As I contemplated who could best serve our state in the U.S. Senate, I kept coming back to one name and one person: Jon Kyl,” Ducey said at a news conference in Arizona. “There is no one in Arizona with the stature of Sen. Jon Kyl.”
The governor’s decision ensures that a Republican vote will join the Senate GOP ranks at a crucial moment when party leaders are aiming to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
“Now, Sen. Kyl can cast a vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation,” said Ducey. Kyl has worked closely with Kavanaugh, helping him navigate and prepare for meetings with senators leading up to his confirmation hearing this week.
When Kyl joins the Senate, Republicans will restore their 51-to-49 advantage over Democrats for the first time this year. McCain battled brain cancer at home in Arizona, missing all the Senate business since late 2017.
The battle over Kavanaugh’s nomination has sharply divided the two major parties. Most Democrats are expected to vote against him, and party activists are pressuring moderate Republicans to join them. Kyl’s presence in the Senate will give GOP leaders a more of a cushion as they whip votes.
Kyl, 76, served alongside McCain in the Senate from 1995 until 2013 and was a consistent conservative vote. Since his retirement, he has worked as a lobbyist for pharmaceutical and defense companies, among others, records show.
McCain was one of the GOP’s most vocal Trump critics. Although Kyl has not been as fiercely outspoken, he has registered more concern about the president than most sitting Republican senators.
In a February interview with Phoenix-based radio station KJZZ, Kyl described Trump as a “phenomenon that has to be dealt with” and took aim at his combative manner. “I don’t like his style. Much of it is boorish. I think he’s his own worst enemy,” Kyl said of Trump, adding that he “could be much more effective if he were more politic, more diplomatic.”
Kyl said Tuesday that he stood by his comment. He said he doesn’t “really have a relationship with President Trump” and only met him once, several months ago.
The ex-senator said he was willing to serve through at least the end of the current Congress “to make sure that the business that is currently ongoing is taken care of.” But he would not commit to staying in office beyond that time, explaining that when he left before, it was because he wanted to spend more time with his family.
His timeline stoked uncertainty about the future of the seat. Due to the timing of the vacancy, there will be a special election in 2020 and a general election in 2022, when the seat reaches its normal cycle. Earlier this year, a strategist familiar with the governor’s thinking said that Ducey was interested in finding someone who could keep the job, rather than serving as a placeholder.
On Tuesday, Ducey did not say what he would do if Kyl steps down after this year, beyond saying that he would not appoint himself. Ducey faces re-election in November and is favored to win a second term.
McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, praised the selection of Kyl, tweeting Tuesday that it was a “great tribute to John that he is prepared to go back into public service to help the state of Arizona.”
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also lauded Ducey’s selection of Kyl, calling it an “excellent choice.” Flake, a vocal Trump critic, is retiring this year.