Jon Kyle, who was appointed in September by the governor to fill John McCain’s seat, says he’s going to resign at the end of this month. Which means the governor will need to appoint another Republican in that seat:
AZCENTRAL – U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl will resign from the U.S. Senate on Dec. 31, The Arizona Republic has confirmed, setting up a second appointment by Gov. Doug Ducey to the seat once occupied by the late John McCain.
Ducey is required under law to name another Republican to the seat. A replacement to the Senate seat “will be announced in the near future,” according to the Governor’s Office.
Kyl wrote a letter dated Dec. 12 to Ducey, informing him of his resignation. The letter was hand-delivered to the Governor’s Office late Thursday afternoon.
“Thank you for appointing me to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by John McCain’s death,” Kyl wrote. “It has been an honor and a privilege to again serve the people of Arizona.
“When I accepted your appointment, I agreed to complete the work of the 115th Congress and then reevaluate continuing to serve. I have concluded that it would be best if I resign so that your new appointee can begin the new term with all other Senators in January 2019 and can serve a full two (potentially four) years. Therefore, I will resign from the U.S. Senate effective 11:59 p.m. EST December 31, 2018.“
The big name in contention for Kyl’s replacement is Martha McSally, who lost an extremely close race to a code-pinko in November:
The governor and his aides have been tight-lipped about who may be under consideration to replace Kyl.
There is intense interest from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, for Ducey to appoint outgoing Rep. Martha McSally, the Republican who lost to Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema for
Arizona’s other U.S. Senate seat. Sinema will be sworn into office Jan. 3.
Republican donors spent millions of dollars McSally’s election effort and likely want to see that investment pay dividends. Ducey and McSally met recently, but it is unclear if there was discussion about a Senate appointment.
Other names have been mentioned as well, including Ducey’s former chief-of-staff, Kirk Adams, and state Treasurer Eileen Klein.
I’d be surprised if McSally didn’t get the nod. It would also mean she’s gotta campaign all over again for the seat in two years, but I suspect she wouldn’t have any issues running in 2020.