Former GOP Senate candidate Martha McSally will fill John McCain's vacated seat

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) is sending a failed candidate to the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), who narrowly lost her midterm Senate bid to Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), will now fill the seat vacated by late Sen. John McCain, Ducey announced Tuesday. Arizona had never sent a woman to the Senate before this year, and now it'll be represented by two.

After McCain's death in August, former Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.) rejoined the chamber, only promising to serve until the end of the year. Kyl formally announced his resignation last week, leaving Ducey to appoint another replacement. McSally will now serve until a special election can be held in 2020.

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McCain's wife Cindy McCain, who'd been loosely mentioned as a possible replacement, had a muted reaction to the announcement. Kathryn Krawczyk