Arizona Governor Appoints Jon Kyl as John McCain’s Replacement

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey named former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl on Tuesday to fill Sen. John McCain’s Senate seat through 2020.

McCain passed away from brain cancer last month after about a year-long battle. Gov. Ducey, in a tough re-election fight this year himself, pledged to wait until McCain was laid to rest before naming a successor.

News broke Tuesday that Ducey will hold a 10:00 a.m. press conference in Phoenix, which is 1:00 p.m. Eastern:

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is holding a press conference in Phoenix at 10 a.m./ 1 p.m. eastern time.

— Jennifer Haberkorn (@jenhab) September 4, 2018

“Jon Kyl is a dear friend of mine and John’s. It’s a great tribute to John that he is prepared to go back into public service to help the state of Arizona,” posted McCain’s widow, Cindy, leading up to Ducey’s announcement:

Jon Kyl is a dear friend of mine and John’s. It’s a great tribute to John that he is prepared to go back into public service to help the state of Arizona.

— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) September 4, 2018

The tweet gave apparent confirmation to rumors that Kyl would receive the appointment to fill McCain’s seat in the U.S. Senate. The seat will be up for a vote next in 2020.

Updated at 4:08 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, September 4.

Michelle Moons is a White House Correspondent for Breitbart News — follow on Twitter @MichelleDiana and Facebook.