Seat’s up for grabs
Widow on the list
Arizona’s governor gets to handpick Sen. John McCain’s successor and will choose from a group of Republican contenders — including the late politician’s widow, Cindy.
An aide to Gov. Doug Ducey said Sunday that McCain’s replacement would not be announced until after the senator is buried next week “out of respect for the life and legacy of Sen. John McCain and his family.’’
Ducey’s pick will fill the post until 2020 because McCain didn’t leave office by May 30, the deadline for the seat to be on the ballot in November’s election.
Nothing in the state Constitution calls for a special election after May 30.
Arizona law simply mandates the seat has to remain in the hands of the party that last occupied it, so Ducey, a Republican, must pick another GOPer.
The fill-in senator could then run again in 2020 to serve out the final two years of McCain’s six-year term — and run yet again in 2022 for a full six-year term.
Contenders include McCain’s widow, a humanitarian who has worked on issues including sex trafficking; Ducey’s chief of staff, Kirk Adams; former GOP gubernatorial candidate Barbara Barrett; and former Sen. Jon Kyl (RAriz.), according to The Arizona Republic.
The governor could appoint himself, but his spokesman said he won’t. Ducey is running in November for a second term.
The memorials scheduled for McCain over the next several days in different states, culminating with his burial at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Sunday, are buying Ducey some time to make his decision.
The next week also will afford him the opportunity to see who wins Tuesday’s primary in Arizona, where three GOP candidates are squaring off to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jeff Flake.
On the ballot are Rep. Martha McSally, the establishment pick, as well as Kelli Ward, who ran against McCain in the Senate GOP primary in 2016, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the immigration hardliner who earned President Trump’s first presidential pardon. A poll from last month had McSally up by 8 points.