Arizona gov to wait until after McCain’s burial to name successor

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) will wait until the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is buried before naming his successor.

“Out of respect for the life and legacy of Senator John McCain and his family, Governor Ducey will not be making any announcements about an appointment until after the Senator is laid to rest,” Ducey’s senior adviser Daniel Ruiz II said in a statement provided to The Hill. “Now is a time for remembering and honoring a consequential life well lived.”

McCain died Saturday at 81 after a fight with brain cancer. His death came after his family announced Friday that they would be discontinuing treatment for the longtime senator.

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Ducey is tasked with appointing McCain’s successor under Arizona state law. The successor will fill McCain’s seat until 2020, when a special election will be held to finish the term through 2022. There will then be an election for a full six-year term in 2022.

The Arizona Republic listed potential appointees on Friday including Cindy McCain, McCain’s wife, and Kirk Adams, the chief of staff for Ducey.

“He was a giant. An icon. An American hero. But here at home, we are most proud to call him a fellow Arizonan,” Ducey wrote in a statement after McCain’s death. “Like so many of us, he was not born here, but his spirit, service and fierce independence shaped the state with which he became synonymous.”