Page 4 - aruba-today-20181215

A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 15 december 2018

McCain replacement Sen. Jon Kyl resigning at end of year

By BOB CHRISTIE and NICH- Barbara Barrett, a former
OLAS RICCARDI Ambassador to Finland
Associated Press and businesswoman who
PHOENIX (AP) — Sen. Jon unsuccessfully ran in a GOP
Kyl is resigning from the gubernatorial primary in
seat he was appointed to 1994.
less than four months ago Some Republicans have
following the death of John urged the appointment of
McCain, Gov. Doug Ducey McCain’s widow, Cindy, to
announced Friday, a de- the seat. Notably, Ducey
velopment which gives Du- did not select her in the
cey a second opportunity weeks after the senator’s
to fill the position. death, and there remains
Kyl, 76, had said he was widespread animosity to-
only committed to serv- ward the McCain family
ing through the end of the from the GOP’s conserva-
year, although Ducey said tive base.
he had hoped to persuade One of the most often-
him to serve through 2020. mentioned names is Du-
His resignation is effective cey’s chief of staff, Kirk
Dec. 31 and forces a piv- Adams, a onetime state
otal decision by the state’s lawmaker who resigned
Republican governor. from the governor’s office
That’s because voters in In this Sept. 5, 2018, photo, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., waits to be sworn in as a U.S. Senator by Vice on Nov. 26 and whose last
2020 will get to decide who President Mike Pence in at the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. day working for Ducey was
fills McCain’s seat for the fi- Associated Press Friday. Other names that
nal two years of its six-year Ducey to select a woman, nor must appoint a Repub- as a radical liberal. have surfaced include Bill
term. Democrats picked because the three most lican because McCain was Still, McSally only lost the Montgomery, who leads
up Arizona’s other Senate prominent possible Demo- elected as a member of race by two percentage the top prosecutorial office
seat in November and are cratic challengers are men. the GOP. points in a bad year for Re- in Maricopa County, the
already targeting the state U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, The most prominent Re- publicans, and she’s long state’s largest, and former
in 2020 as part of their pos- former astronaut and cur- publican politician whose been seen within the party Rep. Matt Salmon.
sible path to re-taking con- rent gun control advocate name has been floated as a possible senator. Other Ducey’s selection of the
trol of the Senate, increas- Mark Kelly and former state is Rep. Martha McSally, Republican women whose well-respected Kyl follow-
ing the pressure on Ducey Attorney General Grant who just lost a race for the names have been floated ing McCain’s Aug. 25 death
to select someone who Woods, who left the GOP state’s other Senate seat do not have her experi- allowed him to dodge
can hold the seat for the to become a Democrat to Democrat Kyrsten Sine- ence running in competi- the controversy over a re-
GOP. this year, have all mulled ma last month. A former tive elections, especially placement during his own
Ducey said he will pick a running for the seat in 2020. air force colonel who was statewide. They include Ei- re-election campaign. But
replacement “in the near Women voters are seen as mentored by Kyl, McSally leen Klein, a former health Kyl, who had previously
future.” His office has been key to both parties, and has drawn criticism from care executive appointed served in the Senate for Ari-
typically tight-lipped about Ducey took pains in his some Republicans for run- state treasurer by Ducey zona, made it clear he only
who might fill the seat, lead- state of the state address ning a campaign that fo- last year. She did not run for agreed to the appoint-
ing to frenzied speculation early this year to highlight cused on her closeness to re-election. Some Republi- ment out of a sense of duty
in Arizona and Washington. prominent women. President Donald Trump cans have also speculated and had no plans to stay in
There may be pressure on Under state law, the gover- and tried to portray Sinema about an appointment for the job for long.q

Republican drops recount request

in Maine congressional race

tossed out his challenge Poliquin said there are still its cessation. He added that
of the candidate-ranking “unanswered questions” on Poliquin has a right to ap-
system. Poliquin lost his re- the use of the new meth- peal Judge Lance Walker’s
election bid to Democratic od, which is often called federal court decision, but
State Rep. Jared Golden in ranked-choice voting . “the District Court’s ruling
November. He requested “Maine people continue makes it legally clear that
the recount, which had to write and approach me it is not unconstitutional to
been taking place in Au- with grave concerns over lose an election.”
gusta. But on Friday, Poli- rank voting,” he tweeted. “I But Poliquin wasn’t con-
In this Nov. 13, 2018, file photo, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, quin tweeted that he be- understand their concerns, ceding defeat. The state-
speaks at a news conference in Augusta, Maine. lieves it’s important to end and the need for our elec- ment insisted that he had
Associated Press the recount, in part be- tions to be transparent and “the largest number of
By PATRICK WHITTLE history held under a system cause of the coming holi- fair.” votes on Election Day.”
Associated Press by which voters rank can- days. He also said he’s still Maine Secretary of State He was referring to his first-
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — didates in order of prefer- evaluating the possibility Matthew Dunlap con- round lead of more than
A Republican incumbent ence. of appealing the judge’s firmed on Friday that the 2,000 votes over Golden,
dropped his request for a The announcement by decision on the constitu- recount is over, and “for but that lead did not hold
recount Friday in the first Rep. Bruce Poliquin came tionality of the candidate- all practical purposes this up after an additional
congressional race in U.S. a day after a federal judge ranking system. election is concluded” with round of vote tabulation.q