Former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., will soon be appointed to replace his former colleague and fellow Republican, the late Sen. John McCain.
The announcement of Kyl's appointment by the Grand Canyon States' Republican Gov. Doug Ducey is expected Tuesday.
Kyl was reportedly recommended for the appointment by McCain's widow Cindy, who also signaled to reporters she herself was not interested in succeeding her husband in the Senate.
A Member of the House from 1986-94 and then U.S. Senator until retiring in January 2013, Kyl, 76, is expected to serve until 2020 and then not run in a special election to fill the remaining two years of McCain's final term.
While a close friend of McCain and his family, Kyl was considered more conservative than his late colleague and rarely — if ever — cast the "maverick" votes that were McCain's trademark.
The son of the late Rep. John H. Kyl, R-Iowa, Jon Kyl served as Senate GOP Whip and was reportedly a key player in former President George W. Bush's decision to withdraw the controversial appointment of Harriet Miers and instead name conservative jurist Samuel Alito to the high court in 2006.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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