(Bloomberg) -- Republican U.S. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, who was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator John McCain in August, said he will resign on Dec. 31.
In a letter to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey released Friday by the governor's office, Kyl said he always intended to serve temporarily and decided to resign at the end of the month "so that your new appointee can begin the new term with all other senators in January 2019."
Ducey said he'll announce a replacement “in the near future.”
The appointment of Kyl had prevented the GOP from having to defend two Senate seats on the election ballot in November. The state's other seat, now held by Republican Senator Jeff Flake, was won by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. GOP Representative Martha McSally, who lost to Sinema in November, is a candidate to be appointed to succeed Kyl.
“Senator Kyl didn't need to return to the Senate. His legacy as one of Arizona's most influential and important political figures was already without question," Ducey said in a statement. "But he did return, and I remain deeply grateful for his willingness to step up and serve again when Arizona needed him.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Erik Wasson
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