--- description: Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl will fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. John McCain at least through the end of the year. title: Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl Will Fill John McCain's Seat image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f64428bddb558a1/69893965e76ad2082d632e7d/jon-kyl-mccain-arizona.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Congress](/tag/congress/) ## Congress Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Former Sen. Jon Kyl Will Fill John McCain's Seat at Least Through December by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 4, 2018 4:51 PM CUT  White House counsel Don McGahn, right, and former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., are seen on the Capitol's Senate steps as they escort Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Vice President Mike Pence to meetings with senators on July 10, 2018. White House counsel Don McGahn, right, and former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., are seen on the Capitol's Senate steps as they escort Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Vice President Mike Pence to meetings with senators on July 10, 2018.Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call,Inc. by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 4, 2018 4:51 PM CUT Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl will fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. John McCain at least through the end of the year, the [Arizona _Republic_ reports](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2018/09/04/jon-kyl-named-john-mccain-replacement-senate-appointment-ducey/1148030002/ "undefined"). Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has a close relationship with Kyl, is expected to make the formal announcement of his appointment of Kyl at 1 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday. Kyl, who was once the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, retired in 2013\. He is 76. McCain’s widow, Cindy, endorsed the decision, saying it was a “great tribute to John.” > [](https://twitter.com/cindymccain/status/1037016096136683526) Kyl is currently helping Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee , Brett Kavanaugh, [through the confirmation process](https://www.rollcall.com/news/hawkings/former-sen-jon-kyl-got-tapped-guide-brett-kavanaugh "undefined"), a job often referred to as a “sherpa,” for the guides who help climbers on Mount Everest. With McCain’s death, Republicans have [a razor-thin 50-49 advantage](https://www.wsj.com/articles/key-question-in-senate-hearings-would-kavanaugh-overturn-supreme-court-precedents-1536020011 "undefined") in the Senate, meaning they could not afford to lose a single member of their party on the Kavanugh vote. After Kyl is appointed, that will return to 51-49, which would allow a single Republican defection, since Vice President Mike Pence could still break the tie. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5386298/jon-kyl-john-mccain/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5386298/jon-kyl-john-mccain/"},"headline":"Former Sen. Jon Kyl Will Fill John McCain's Seat at Least Through December","datePublished":"2018-09-04T16:51:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:20:08.421Z","description":"Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl will fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. 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