Should a McCain Replace McCain?

Geraldo Rivera, of Fox News, says John McCain’s wife Cindy should succeed him in the Senate.

On Sunday, Geraldo Rivera suggested that Sen. John McCain‘s widow, Cindy McCain, should fill the vacated Senate seat.

“Cindy McCain is well-qualified & should be appointed to fill Senate seat now vacated by death of hero husband John McCain,” Rivera wrote…

Arizona paper AZCentral notes that Cindy McCain has already been filling in for her husband at events, but has had her own projects.

Cindy McCain, 64, philanthropist, businesswoman, spouse, military mom, and grandmother, would be an obvious choice to fill her husband’s seat. The senator’s wife of more than 37 years, she was at his side at their home in northern Arizona as he battled brain cancer. . .

In recent years, Cindy McCain has been an outspoken advocate against human trafficking. . .She also is a former chairwoman of HALO USA, a humanitarian organization focused on clearing war-torn communities of land mines and other unexploded bombs and devices.
In recent months, she has represented the senator at public events.

In February, Cindy McCain accepted the Munich Security Conference’s Ewald von Kleist Award on behalf of her husband. In March, she read a statement on his behalf at a ceremony unveiling the Salt River development he has advocated for. Later, she appeared on his behalf at a ceremony honoring her husband and the late U.S. Rep. Morris Udall at Grand Canyon National Park.

People says it’s not just Geraldo who wants Cindy to take the seat.

“Rumors are circulating that Cindy could step in, but other names are being floated too,” the insider says. “Some are more or less qualified than others.”

There are a number of prospects to fill the seat. Most have maintained a low profile, but former Arizona Secretary of State has sort of made a fool of himself, openly campaigning for the seat while McCain was on his deathbed. In addition, he has worked to try to undercut Cindy McCain, according to Phoenix New Times.

Former Secretary of State Ken Bennett’s much-ridiculed contention that Governor Doug Ducey plans to appoint Cindy McCain to replace her ailing husband in the U.S. Senate suddenly seems tantalizingly prescient. . .

Commentators gave Bennett plenty of guff for it, with many labeling it a desperate sop to the right of the party, which has never much cottoned to the so-called “maverick,” largely for McCain’s flip-flopping on immigration, border security, and other issues.

But Bennett refused to back down, pointing to speculation that Ducey had cut a deal with the McCains to allow Cindy to fill out the next two years of her husband’s term, till 2020, when a replacement would be picked in that year’s general election. (McCain’s term ends in 2022, you see.). . .

Neither Ducey’s office nor an aide to Cindy McCain responded to my requests for comment, but some Arizona GOP insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity, tell me that Cindy wants to be appointed to fill John’s shoes.

And what would have been unpopular in a GOP primary could prove popular in a general election, particularly since many Democrats admire John McCain for butting heads with President Trump.

The choice of Cindy is not coming out of nowhere. John McCain was considering resigning earlier in the summer, with Cindy replacing him.

Senator John McCain will resign his US Senate seat on July 4, 2018, says an aide who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press. . .

The Aide indicated that the Senator wanted to wait until June 1 to resign, so that his seat would not be on the ballot along with retiring Jeff Flake. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey will appoint a Senator to serve until the 2020 election.

The aide said that Ducey has quietly offered McCain’s seat to Cindy, but the 64 year old wife of Senator John McCain has made no decision as of yet. “Understandably, she doesn’t want to think about it,” he added.

One of the reasons Cindy has been suggested is that the nomination would only be for two years, with an election for the full term in 2020. Proponents say that it would allow Republicans to hold the seat while they look for a permanent replacement.

On the other hand, incumbents usually have a much easier job to be re-elected. So those who want to “keep the seat in the family,” are suggesting McCain’s daughter, Meghan.

The influential Washington Examiner says Meghan has a lot going for her.

First off, McCain is a person of high integrity. The best evidence for this is rendered by McCain’s television appearances on ABC’s “The View.” Surrounded by liberals with whom she fundamentally disagrees, McCain balances passionate argument and respect. . .

Second, McCain is a conservative of strong values. Whether pushing back against socialism, or politely interrogating guests, or arguing for social mobility and a strong national defense, McCain’s appearances on “The View” show that she is well-versed on the issues and well-placed to advance conservative interests. . .

Finally, McCain has a good sense of humor and a natural, unpretentious sense of class.

Meghan worked on her father’s presidential campaign in 2008, and has been active in the media, promoting the Republican Party. And she is a maverick, like her father. When she appeared on The View in 2008, she illustrated her ability to be outspoken.

“What do young women think when I speak my mind about politics and I want to have a political discussion about the ideological future of the Republican Party, and the answer is, ‘She’s fat, she shouldn’t have an opinion.’ What kind of message are we sending young women?” she asked.

“It infuriates me,” she said. “I’m a political writer on a blog, and all of a sudden I’m too fat to write?”

Elizabeth Hasselbeck, the conservative on the show, came to Daughter McCain’s defense, calling the remarks “a low blow.”

McCain said she felt like Tyra Banks when the model “went on her show in her bathing suit and said, ‘Kiss my fat ass.’”

“That’s what I feel right now,” McCain said. “I’m like, ‘Kiss my fat ass!’”