Arizona Governor Doug Ducey appointed former US Senator John Kyl to fill in the vacated seat of recently-deceased John McCain in the US Senate, the Republican official confirmed at a press briefing on Tuesday.
McCain's widow, Cindy McCain went to her social media to make an earlier announcement of Kyl's appointment, the report from Fox Business said.
A staunch Republican figure, the newly-appointed politician is currently overseeing the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court, a move which was spearheaded by the office of the US president in the person of Donald Trump.
Kyl's appointment in the Senate could further bolster Kavanaugh's chance in getting the seat of the country's highest court.
As further specified in the report from the New York Times, this would be 76-year-old's third term in Washington, first on 1995 to 2013 with McCain and second as Senate Minority Whip.
The Nebraskan native spoke at a service held in honor of the late Senator in Arizona State Capital last week, NYT added.
Basis For Selection
As stated in a previous report from this site, the Arizona law gives Gov. Ducey the option to hold the replacement order until the State will hold a special election in 2020.
However, it appears that the GOP leader may already have Kyl's nomination for the vacated seat in mind and the choice could have never been more perfect.
In a statement quoted by the NYTimes, Ducey implied that Kyl was definitely the right choice for the job.
In his own words, Ducey said that in these trying times, the government cannot afford to try the so-called "newcomers" or those who still have to gain experience in the political arena.
According to the terms of his appointment, Kyl will serve in place of McCain until the start of the next Congress, which would be earlier in January.
The former Senator, however, is considering the opportunity to hold the seat for much longer until the 2020 Arizona special election. Although, he clarified during a separate press briefing that he will not seek to run for the said office again after his stint ends in 2022.
By the end of Kyl's term in 2022, the Arizona Senatorial seat will once again be made available on the ballot wherein the winning contender will serve for a full six-year term, according to CNN.
A product of a political family, Kyl held the reputation as one of the Senate's most conservative members.
