Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is appointing former U.S. Sen Jon Kyl to take the Senate seat of the late John McCain, CBS News has confirmed.
Kyl and McCain served together for a time in the Senate. Ducey is expected to formally announced McCain’s replacement in a news conference in Arizona shortly.
“John 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 tweeted Tuesday.
Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, who succeeded Kyl, called him an “excellent choice.”
Kyl, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1995-2013, has been one of the “sherpas” escorting Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh through the Senate confirmation process. He also spoke at the brief ceremony at the Arizona Capitol last week before the public was invited in to see McCain lying in state.
