Cindy McCain, the wife of Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain, will reportedly succeed her husband if he should die in office.
Veteran journalist John Gizzi reported that multiple sources in the Grand Canyon State have been almost unanimous in their view that Republican Gov. Doug Ducey will appoint Cindy McCain.
A former Republican senator who served with John McCain told Newsmax‘s Gizzi, “I don’t know if this (succession) has been formalized, but that’s what people who know John tell me.”
“One source close to the McCain family said supporters of the senator have quietly let Gov. Ducey know Cindy is the choice of ‘Team McCain,’” Gizzi wrote.
An Arizona Republican strategist told The Western Journal that choosing Cindy McCain, 64, would be a safe choice for Ducey and may help his re-election bid this fall.
“She would certainly be a feel-good pick now,” the strategist said. “Though some of the more conservative elements of the party would probably not be pleased that another McCain was taking the seat, I think since it would occur after the death of Sen. McCain, the feel-good nature of it would surpass any negative feelings, at least in the short term.”
The strategist added if Cindy McCain votes like a moderate once assuming office, it could hurt Ducey should he decide to run for the seat later down the road.
Wednesday, May 30 is considered a key date, as it will determine how long a Ducey appointee will hold the seat, The Washington Post reported.
Arizona law requires that if John McCain should die in office before the end of his term, a special election must be held on the date of the next general election.
May 30 is seen as the unofficial deadline for a special election to take place this year, because it marks the date by which candidates must file for a November run. If McCain should pass some time thereafter, the election to fill his seat would likely happen no earlier than 2020.
“If there was a vacancy today and we made a decision on ‘yes, call a special election’ or ‘no, (don’t) call a special election’ … there is a 99.9 percent chance that litigation would ensue,” Eric Spencer — election services director in the office of Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan — told The Post last week.
In other words, the result could have been the Republicans having to defend not only retiring Sen. Jeff Flake’s seat in November (which has been rated a toss-up race), but McCain’s as well.
After May 30 — at 5 p.m. to be precise — successful litigation by Democrats leading to a special election this year diminishes greatly.
The Republican strategist told The Western Journal that Cindy McCain appears to want the appointment in the eventuality that her husband — who is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer — dies before the end of his term in 2022.
“I definitely noticed an uptick in Cindy McCain’s social media over the last couple of months,” he said. “So it sure feels like she’s angling for the seat.”
Former Arizona state Sen. Lori Klein told The Western Journal, “Cindy McCain is probably a safe bet for (Ducey) in the sense that it’s highly unlikely that she’ll run” at the end of her appointed term.
“The problem is you’re going to keep the McCain tentacles that control this party and are destroying this party in place,” Klein added. “That is my problem with a Cindy McCain nomination.”
“I don’t think we want a dynasty here is Arizona, especially not a McCain dynasty.”
Other potential Ducey choices who have been mentioned include former Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, former Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives and current top Ducey aide Kirk Adams, recently appointed state treasurer Eileen Klein (no relation to Lori) and businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson, who serves on the State Board of Regents for Arizona’s public universities. (For more from the author of “Report: John McCain’s Wife to Succeed Him in the Senate” please click HERE)
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