Republican Senator for Arizona, Jon Kyl, was sworn in Wednesday as a replacement for deceased Senator John McCain, who died of brain cancer late last month.
Kyl, a former senator, was sworn in on the Senate floor. GOP Senator Jeff Flake escorted Kyl through the chamber, where Vice President Pence delivered the oath.
According to Reuters, Pence and Kyl are expected to reenact the swearing-in ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Kyl from the Senate floor on Wednesday, saying Kyl was “as well equipped as you can imagine” to follow in McCain’s footsteps.
“Our friend and former colleague, Sen. Jon Kyl, is one of the most serious, most expert, most effective legislators with whom I’ve had the pleasure of serving,” McConnell said.
Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey unveiled McCain’s replacement at a news conference on Tuesday.
“There is no one in Arizona more prepared to represent our state in the U.S. Senate than Jon Kyl,” Ducey said in a statement reported by the Arizona Republic.
“He understands how the Senate functions and will make an immediate and positive impact benefiting all Arizonans,” he added. “I am deeply grateful to Senator Kyl for agreeing to succeed his friend and colleague of so many years.”
McCain’s wife, Cindy McCain, offered praise for Kyl on Twitter, calling him “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 wrote.
“Jon 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,” Cindy McCain wrote on Twitter.
Kyl was working alongside McCain in the Senate for 18 years before announcing in 2011 that he would not seek reelection and would retire from the upper chamber.
With Kyl now in office, the Senate is back up to 100 senators and renews the Republicans’ 51-49 majority. McCain, who announced in July 2017 that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer, had been absent since late last year and had effectively capped Republicans at 50 votes.
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