Will Ducey Appoint a Moderate or a Conservative to Replace McCain?

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said he would name a Senate replacement for John McCain after McCains funeral proceedings. Insiders say it is likely to be McCains widow Cindy McCain 64. If she gave him any indication she wants the seat I think she gets it" a source told The Guardian. She is less conservative than her husband. She was an outspoken supporter of the NOH8 campaign. That was a gay rights project opposed to Californias Proposition 8 a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. Cindy McCain is not the only McCain reportedly being looked at. The McCains daughter Meghan McCain 33 may be a choice. She calls herself a Republican however she is quite liberal. She admits it on social issues. McCain supports gay rights and opposes abstinence-only education. She is worried about global warming. McCain says she is on the fence about the Occupy Wall Street movement. She supports government-funded embryonic stem cell research. McCain voted for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. She once said on the Rachel Maddow Show I didnt even take economics in college. I dont completely understand it so Id hate to make a comment one way or the other. Thats truly of all the things I keep reading and I just dont understand it." McCain praised Hillary Clinton for having pushed through many doors and shattered many glass ceilings for women in politics." Interest in Meghan McCain has risen recently due to her defending the GOP against four other women on the TV show The View. Also her well-publicized shots at Trump during her eulogy were a hit. She said"The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great" to great applause.

Conservative Choices

Adam Brandon president and CEO of FreedomWorks penned an op-ed for the Washington Examiner advocating former Congressman Matt Salmon 60 to replace McCain. Salmon has a lifetime rating of 95 from the American Conservative Union. This is far higher than McCains 80. The GOP base would be fine with him. Hes even done a pretty good job of not making enemies with the moderates. The GOP base would also love to see Ducey appoint Kelli Ward 49. She lost the GOP Senate primary election for former Arizona Senator Jeff Flakes seat last week. Moderate Congresswoman Martha McSally won. She has a dismal lifetime score of 71 from the American Conservative Union. McSally received millions from the GOP establishment. One of the Super PACs supporting her ran an ad full of misstatements about Ward. Conservatives are bitter about moderates beating up on Ward; they believe appointing her to this seat would resolve the unfairness. Another solid conservative name that has popped up is former Congressman John Shadegg 68. He has an impressive lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union of 98. He gets along with both the GOP base and the moderates.

Questionable Picks

Former Senator Jon Kyls name is also being circulated. The 76-year-old has a lifetime rating of 96 from the American Conservative Union but the GOP base dislikes him. They view him as part of the GOP establishment and a McCain crony. He angeredthem when he helped craft a compromise on immigration that they viewed as amnesty. Duceys chief of staff Kirk Adams 45 a former state legislator may be in the running. He has close ties to the wealthy Koch brothers. While his record in the state legislature was fairly conservative he has riled the GOP base with some of his heavy-handedness as chief of staff. A dark horse candidate is Eileen Klein whom Ducey recently appointed as state treasurer. She previously served as chief of staff for Governor Jan Brewer. Barbara Barrett 67 the first woman to run for governor in Arizona is another dark horse candidate. She has never held public office. Businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robsons name is also being thrown around.

Narrowing it Down

Ducey is likely to appoint someone who will run for office after the appointment ends. He is not likely to appoint a caretaker to merely serve out the term. It is doubtful that he will appoint a sitting member of Congress because that would force an election to find a replacement. Help us champion truth freedom limited government and human dignity. Support The Stream Ducey has to tread very carefully here. A large portion of the GOP base is upset with him for caving in on #RedForEd. He agreed to a 20 percent salary increase for teachers which has no guarantees it will be implemented. Although Ducey easily won reelection in the GOP gubernatorial primary election last week appointing a moderate Republican will destroy his reputation as a conservative. Follow Rachel on Twitter at Rach_IC Reprinted from The Stream