Who will Gov. Ducey appoint to fill John McCain's senate seat?

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - John McCain and Donald Trump did not like each other, so Gov. Doug Ducey is walking a political tightrope.

Too moderate a replacement for Mr. McCain could anger Trump fans, and that could cost Doug Ducey votes as he seeks re-election this November.

But too Trumpian a pick and Ducey could lose support from voters who were big fans of Sen. McCain.

Some of the better-known choices analysts believe Ducey is considering include former Arizona Sen. John Kyl, who retired in 2013 and is now a lobbyist, former Congressmen John Shadegg and Matt Salmon, and John McCain's widow, Cindy.

Gov. Ducey says the decision could come this week. He talked with FOX 10's John Hook in Washington, D.C. for Sen. McCain's funeral service.

"Well of course I have been thinking about this, [I] don't want to be coy, only focus on McCain," he said. "I am going home for a reason. I have a job to do."

Whomever Gov. Ducey appoints will serve in McCain's seat until 2020. There will then be an election to serve out the rest of Mr. McCain's term, which ends in 2022.

Ducey has said that he wouldn't appoint himself to the seat, but it is possible he may decide to run in two years.

This is the first time in Arizona history a governor has to fill the seat of a United States senator who passed away while in office.

The only requirements are that Ducey must appoint a member from the same party as McCain and if he picks a serving congressional member, a special election to fill that person's seat would need to take place in the next 120 to 133 days.

Politics