Arizona: New Appointment Pending

​Appointed Sen. Jon Kyl (R), following through on his stated intention to only serve a short time when he replaced the late Sen. John McCain (R) in early September, announced that he will resign his position on December 31st.  During his career, Jon Kyl served three full terms in the Senate, choosing not to seek re-election in 2012, in addition to winning four terms in the House.
 
Gov. Doug Ducey (R) will now name a replacement for Mr. Kyl.  The new Senator will serve through 2020 and very likely run in a special election for the right to serve the balance of Mr. McCain’s final term.  The seat is next in-cycle for a full six-year term in 2022. 
 
Speculation is revolving around outgoing Rep. Martha McSally (R-Tucson), who lost the open Senate race this year to Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Phoenix).  Reportedly, some GOP leaders are urging Ducey to look elsewhere since McSally failed to win the statewide election.  Another name surfacing is Kirk Adams, the Governor’s former chief of staff and ex-state House Speaker.
 
Some believed that Gov. Ducey would appoint a caretaker so that he could run in the special election, but the Governor has already dispelled such an option.  Mr. Ducey reiterated this week that he will serve the entire second term he just won in November.