With the passing of Senator John McCain, it fell to Arizona's governor, Doug Ducey, to appoint McCain's replacement. As many people deeply mourned, speculation also circled about who the new appointment would be. Much of the attention centered on McCain's widow, Cindy. But Ducey ultimately chose another familiar face in Jon Kyl, ABC News reported.
Kyl has a long political background
Jon Kyl's father, John Henry Kyl, started off the family's Congressional history. He served during six terms as a Republican from Iowa in the House of Representatives.
The younger Kyl later served four terms in the House from Arizona's 4th District.
Kyl was first elected to the U.S. Senate during the 1994 Republican wave. He was considered among the Senate's most conservative and most successful members. Kyl would hold key posts on the committees on finance and the judiciary.
Kyl was a key figure in the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The legislation was a major development in the regulation of online gambling. With California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, he co-authored the Crime Victims' Rights Act in 2004. The act was designed to protect the rights of federal crime victims.
Following the resignation of Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, Kyl was chosen to be the minority whip.
In 2012, Kyl did not run for a fourth term. He was succeeded in his Arizona seat by Jeff Flake. John Cornyn of Texas was chosen as his successor as the minority whip. Since then, Republicans have achieved a majority in the Senate, elevating Cornyn to majority whip.
After retiring from the Senate, Kyl began working as a lobbyist for the powerful law firm Covington & Burling.
His stay in the Senate is expected to be relatively brief
CNN reports that Kyl has only committed to hold the seat until early 2019. Likely his most high-profile duty in that time-frame would be voting on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Before his appointment, Kyl had been assisting Kavanaugh through the nomination process, according to ABC News.
A special election is to be held for it in 2020, and Kyl has ruled out running in it. The seat was last contested in 2016 and won easily by McCain. Its next regularly scheduled election is in 2022. If Kyl does not stay beyond 2019, it would likely lead to another appointed senator. It's not a guarantee that the same governor could be making the appointment. Though favored to win, Ducey is in a tough re-election race this year. However, Arizona law is specific on the matter. The new appointee must be of the same political party as their predecessor. Thus, even if the governor is a Democrat, they must appoint a Republican to the seat.