Yahoo News explains: Who is filling John McCain’s Senate seat?
On Tuesday, Ariz. Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, announced his pick to fill John McCain’s Senate seat. He said in a statement, “I’ve asked Sen. Jon Kyl to step forward once again in the spirit of service to aid our state and serve in the seat vacated by Arizona’s most beloved adopted son, John McCain.”
Former Sen. Kyl responded saying he was “grateful for Gov. Ducey’s confidence” in him and was “honored to accept this appointment.”
Who is Jon Kyl?
The 76-year-old Republican is a veteran of D.C. politics, having served a total of 26 years in Congress. From 1987 to 1995, Kyl served as a member of the House of Representatives from Arizona. Kyl then served as a U.S. senator for Arizona alongside Sen. John McCain for 18 years. He rose to become the Senate minority whip, the second-highest-ranked Republican in the U.S. Senate, in December 2007. Kyl retired at the end of his third term in January 2013 and now works as a lobbyist at the law firm Covington & Burling and is highly regarded on both sides of the aisle.
He has recently been working behind the scenes to help shepherd U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh through the confirmation process. President Trump expressed his support for the former senator on Tuesday, while Kyl said at a news conference that he doesn’t “really have a relationship with President Trump” and met him only once.
Jon Kyl will be an extraordinary Senator representing an extraordinary state, Arizona. I look forward to working with him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2018
Kyl is expected to fulfill the remainder of McCain’s term and said he would not be a candidate in the 2020 special election.
