Who will succeed McCain?

Monica Showalter  "With the passing of Senator John McCain, all eyes are going  to be on Arizona's Republican governor, Doug Ducey, who was a friend of McCain's, to appoint a successor.

"McCain's death comes three days before a primary in Arizona, but that's not a big deal, because Ducey himself is expected to win the GOP nomination for the gubernatorial election handily, Arizona Republic reports. Farther out, the House looks more in danger than the Senate of falling into Democrat hands, according to political strategists, so again, another bullet is dodged.

"But there is intense interest in a new appointee, particularly in light of McCain's tendency to declare conservative principles, yet disappoint, at voting time. It was the idiosyncracy of his being a maverick. Will it be a reliable conservative that voters expect when they pull the lever next time? Or will it be someone just as chancy as McCain?

"The Wall Street Journal has this list of possibilities:

Among the names that have been mentioned recently are Barbara Barrett, a former U.S. ambassador to Finland and the wife of retired Intel Corp. Chief Executive Craig Barrett, as well as Kirk Adams, chief of staff to Mr. Ducey. A name that has been floated as a long shot is former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods, who was close to Mr. McCain.

Three other names have circulated: Michael Bidwill, president of the Arizona Cardinals and son of the team’s principal owner; Karrin Taylor Robson, who runs a land-use firm in Arizona and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents in 2017 by the governor; and Mr. McCain’s wife, Cindy. Her name is often mentioned, though conservatives have bristled at the prospect—a factor that could weigh on Mr. Ducey.

. . . "It's not a certainty that she would be an awful Senator if she is appointed, but on the other hand, she has made many liberal statements, so there's a significant chance she would swing to the left on critical votes, as well as fight with Trump. Ducey himself seems to be a solid conservative and will in turn be pressed by conservatives to appoint a more reliable conservative. The press will beat back with the emotional factor, and that will be the kind of pressure he is under." . . .