Kentucky lawmakers move to take power from governor

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky lawmakers gave final approval thursday to a bill stripping the state’s Democratic governor of any role in picking someone to occupy a US Senate seat if a vacancy occurred in the home state of 82-year-old Senate Republican leader mitch mcconnell.

The legislation calls for a special election to fill any Senate vacancy from the bluegrass State. the special election winner would hold the seat for the remainder of the unexpired term.

“So it would be a direct voice of the people determining how the vacancy is filled,” Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said while presenting the bill to his colleagues.

The state Senate voted 34-3 after a brief discussion to send the bill to governor Andy beshear. the governor has denounced the measure as driven by partisanship, but the GOP supermajority legislature could override a veto when lawmakers reconvene for the final two days of this year’s session in midapril.

The Bill’s lead sponsor is Republican House majority floor leader Steven Rudy. He has said the measure has nothing to do with mcconnell, but instead reflected his long-running policy stance on how an empty Senate seat should be filled.

Rudy refers to mcconnell as a “great friend and a political mentor,” and credits the state’s senior senator for playing an important role in the gop’s rise to dominance in the Kentucky legislature.

Rudy has said his bill would treat a Senate vacancy like that of a vacancy for a congressional or legislative seat in Kentucky — by holding a special election to fill the seat. the bill includes an emergency clause, meaning it would take effect immediately if enacted into law.