PHOENIX — Arizona Governor Doug Ducey will wait to appoint a successor for Sen. John McCain's Senate seat until after he is laid to rest, according to a statement from his office.
The long-term Arizona senator died Saturday after a 13-month battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 81 years old.
Under Arizona law, Ducey is required to appoint a replacement.
Ducey's Spokesperson Daniel Ruiz told 12 News' Brahm Resnik Sunday that "out of respect for the life and legacy on Sen. John McCain and his family," no announcements about an appointee will be maid until after the funeral.
"Now is a time for remembering and honoring a consequential life well-lived," Ruiz said.
Whoever is appointed will serve in the Senate until the 2020 election. Then the seat will be up again in 2022, when McCain's original term would have ended.
Ducey has given no clue as to who he will appoint to fill McCain's seat. He has only said he will not appoint himself.
There will be several services, both in Phoenix and in D.C., leading up to McCain's burial at U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis on Sunday. It is uncertain when Ducey will announce his decision.