Last Updated Sep 4, 2018 1:37 PM EDT
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has appointed former U.S. Sen Jon Kyl to fill the Senate seat vacated by the passing of Sen. John McCain. Ducey formally announced his selection in a news conference in Arizona.
Ducey said there is “no replacing” McCain, but the law requires him to find a replacement, and the people of Arizona deserve someone who can represent them well. Kyl and McCain served together for a time in the Senate.
“We’re all aware of the size of the void John McCain leaves,” Ducey said.
It’s unclear how long Kyl will serve in the Senate. Ducey said he hasn’t received an assurance from Kyl to serve the remainder of McCain’s term through 2020, but Kyl has agreed to serve at least through the current term in Congress, “and it’s my hope that he serves longer.” Legally, the appointment could last through 2020. Kyl said he doesn’t intend to run for the seat in the future, or for any other seat.
“There is no one in Arizona with the stature of Senator Jon Kyl. He’s a man without comparable peer,” Ducey said.
Kyl has expressed concerns with the president’s temperament in the past, saying at one point the president is his “own worst enemy.” Kyl said he stands by remarks he’s made in the past.
“I don’t really have a relationship with President Trump,” said Kyl, who has been working to support the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“I think sometimes his desire to jump into the middle of the fight … sometimes that can be detrimental to what he’s trying to achieve,” Kyl added Tuesday.
Many speculated that Ducey might pick a McCain family member, either his wife, Cindy, or daughter Meghan, to fill the seat. Cindy McCain expressed her support for Kyl in a tweet ahead of Ducey’s announcement.
“John Kyl is a dear friend of mine and John’s. It’s a great tribute to John that he is prepared to go back into public service to help the state of Arizona,” she tweeted.
Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, who succeeded Kyl, said there is “no one more qualified.”
“Jon Kyl is an excellent choice to fill John McCain’s Senate seat. There is no one more qualified. Arizona will be well-served by Jon’s willingness to once again serve his country,” Flake said.
Kyl, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1995-2013, has been one of the “sherpas” escorting Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh through the Senate confirmation process. He also spoke at the brief ceremony at the Arizona Capitol last week before the public was invited in to see McCain lying in state.
— CBS News’ Christina Ruffini, Ed O’Keefe and Nancy Cordes contributed to this report
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
