Former Arizona U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl to replace John McCain

John McCain's widow, Cindy McCain, says former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl will be named as his replacement in the U.S. Senate.

PHOENIX -- Sen. John McCain's widow on Tuesday said former Sen John Kyl will fill her late husband's seat.

Cindy McCain made the statement on Twitter minutes before Arizona's Republican Gov. Doug Ducey was due to make the formal announcement.

Kyl, a Republican, is currently shepherding Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. His appointment may make it possible for him to vote for the nomination.
MORE: John McCain memorialized at Phoenix service as hero, fighter and wiseacre

John McCain remembered as hero, fighter and wiseacre

He is expected to be a placeholder, not running in 2020, when voters will get to decide who fills the remainder of McCain's seat through 2022. Then the seat will be up again for a full six-year term.

PHOTOS: John McCain burial ceremony at U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery

Family members, including Cindy McCain, back center, follow a horse-drawn caisson that carries the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.AP

A horse-drawn caisson carries the casket containing the remains of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to his burial site at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Md.AP

A horse-drawn caisson carries the casket containing the remains of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to his burial site at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.AP

A horse-drawn caisson carries the casket containing the remains of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to his burial site.AP

A horse-drawn caisson carries the casket containing the remains of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to his burial site at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.AP

People watch as the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is brought to Annapolis, Md., Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018, for his funeral service and burial at the U.S. Naval Academy.AP

People watch as the funeral procession for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., arrives at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.AP

Kyl will be entering a narrowly divided senate where Republicans could gain or lose seats in November.

The GOP is hoping he'll be a more reliable partisan vote than McCain, whose opposition to a partial repeal of President Obama's health care law pitched the party into turmoil last year.

RELATED: Joe Biden on losing friend John McCain, son Beau to same disease

'Remember how they lived, not how they died': Joe Biden on losing friend John McCain, son Beau to same disease

The choice will also have political consequences for Ducey. He's up for re-election this November against Democratic challenger David Garcia. For Republican voters who are on the fence about Ducey, a choice they dislike could cause them to withdraw their support for the incumbent or stay home on Election Day.

Kyl is a well-respected Republican in Arizona who spent 26 years representing the state before becoming an attorney and lobbyist.

He was able to avoid many of the battles with activists that complicated McCain's career and that of the state's other senator, Jeff Flake. Flake is retiring because his feud with Trump made his re-election impossible.

Filling McCain's seat marks a turning point in Arizona political history. That seat in particular has been held by two men who were heralded as giants of the Senate: McCain took the seat once held by Sen. Barry Goldwater after he had served in the House of Representatives.
McCain's office said an estimated 15,000 people came to see the late senator as he laid in state in the Arizona state Capitol for a public viewing several days after his death. Nearly 3,500 people gathered at the North Phoenix Baptist Church the following day for a memorial service where former Vice President Joe Biden spoke.

MORE: Meghan McCain's emotional eulogy at John McCain's funeral: 'America was always great

Meghan McCain eulogizes her father at Washington National Cathedral memorial

Report a correction or typo