What John McCain’s Death Means for Republican Control of the Senate
After the late Arizonan’s prolonged absence, the appointment of a replacement by Governor Doug Ducey will temporarily bolster the GOP’s advantage.
John McCain’s death will deprive the Senate of one of its longest-serving members, its leading military hawk and champion of interventionist U.S. foreign policy, and a Republican who regularly sought—and often struck—significant accords with Democrats.
But in the short term, the loss of the Arizona senator and elder statesman is likely to bolster the GOP’s majority in the chamber, as well as its party unity.
McCain had not voted on the floor since December as he underwent treatment for brain cancer in Arizona—an absence that reduced the already narrow Republican advantage of
