Question: If Mitch McConnell dies while in the hospital. And since Andy Beshear has to replace him with someone

[LiberalArkie]

of McConnell's party (GOP), why can't Beshear just do a McConnell and not appoint anyone?

[moonscape]

1. Or get a Dem to

switch parties now in advance … to honor McConnell of course because that’s what he’d do.

[JBTaurus83]

7. This is what should be done

The GOP wanted to play games with that law. Do the same back to them.

[LiberalArkie]

10. From what I read, the candidates that he is to choose from is provided by the state GOP

[paleotn]

25. Choose not to.

Unless it's codified in law, ignore it.

[bluestarone]

17. YES, THIS is what they would do.

[sheshe2]

2. Works for me.

[Retrograde]

3. Sounds reasonable to me

after all, it's only about 9 months to the next election day, so why be hasty?

(I'm sure Mitch anticipated this and got his cronies in the state leg to put in a timeframe for naming a successor of the same party. Now if one of the people who ran against McConnell decides to switch parties for a while...)

[RockRaven]

4. Perhaps whoever wrote the law covering this matter thought of that?

I do not know the specific language used. There may be a secondary provision for how things proceed if the primary method is not performed in a timely manner. Someone familiar with the law can probably say.

Also probably covered, but worth asking about is: why not appoint an actual RINO?

[leftieNanner]

5. Maybe

Although I wouldn't be surprised if Beshear went ahead and nominated a Dem. Challenge the constitutionality of the law

[Buckeyeblue]

13. I think he has to do that

It's an untested law. Who knows if it's unconstitutional but there hasn't been real standing yet to test it.

[JHB]

20. If nothing else, it would tie things up in the courts for quite a while, denying the seat to the Republicans

For many months, minimum. They've played this sort of game (it took months to seat Al Franken), so why can't we?

[a kennedy]

6. Will NEVER forgive him for no Supreme Court Justices when Barack Obama was POTUS.

EVER!!!!! 🤬 🤬 🤬

[ITAL]

16. It wasn't zero

Obama got two on the court. He should had three.

[paleotn]

26. If his tenure as AG is any indication

I'm not sure I'd want Garland on SCOTUS. Better than Gorsuch? Sometimes I wonder. I also wonder which team Garland is actually on.

[Captain Zero]

28. I don't think Garland knows.

nt

[murielm99]

8. A new Kentucky law would require

the governor to call a special election to fill the vacancy. The winner would serve out the remainder of the term.

Beshear could ignore this new, untested law, inviting a lawsuit. It would eat up time. We shall see!


https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/20/how-a-vacant-kentucky-senate-seat-is-filled-if-mitch-mcconnell-leaves/79318824007/

Either way, I hope this is good riddance to Moscow Mitch.

[BluesRunTheGame]

9. He will have to choose from a list of 3 given to him...

…by the Kentucky Republican Party.

I think he has 21 days from the time the list is provided.

[LiberalArkie]

11. From what I remember the Senate had to approve a SC judge when the position is vacated. Unless a black democrat

is president.

[Alpeduez21]

12. Mitch McConnell, purveyor of weapons to mass murderers,

Got a law passed in Kentucky that a congressman that left office HAD to be replaced with the same party. The governor chooses a person from a list of three some repuke committee would formulate. I don’t know the timeframe. Governor Basheer has called the law unconstitutional so it might be delayed due to a court case

[malaise]

14. That is some serious flu

That is all

[ChicagoTeamster]

15. Or just drag it out as long as possible and pick the least MAGA person

But the assholes will probably kick any non MAGA repugnant out of the party.

[onenote]

18. Brasher doesn't get to pick

Senate vacancies are filled by a mandatory special election, not by gubernatorial appointment. The governor must call a special election within 95 days to fill the seat for the remainder of the term, eliminating the previous requirement for the governor to choose from a list of party nominees.

[Wiz Imp]

19. In Kentucky, the Governor has NO power to appoint anyone.

It would be filled by special election.
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF11907

Special Election Only

Five states currently require Senate vacancies to be filled only by special elections; their governors are not empowered to fill a vacancy by appointment. They are Kentucky, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Typically, these states provide for an expedited election process in order to reduce the period during which the seat is vacant. If the vacancy falls late in the term, the seat is filled at the regularly scheduled general election.

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-seat-vacancy-20151642.php
Special election required in event of Mitch McConnell's senate seat vacancy

[Skittles]

21. even if he could (he can't), the reason would be because Democrats are not assholes

at least, not in normal times they aren't

[Buddyzbuddy]

22. So if McTurtle can be kept "alive" via machines for at least 4 months

then November is doable. Is it possible he infected, oh, I don't know, maybe 5 other Republican Senators? Five, because we can't rely on Fetterman.

BTW, I'm aware I'm speaking of McTurtle's demise prematurely but he shouldn't have been such a horrible person. It's not just the "R" because I mourned the war hero, McCain.

[33taw]

24. Too bad he can't appoint Massie.

[jgmiller]

27. Beshear won't test the law because he's going to run for president

If he is the nominee he stands a decent chance of winning KY if he were to try something like that I think he would lose a lot of centerist supporters. It's not worth it in the longer term, also it probably is a constitutional law. States have had some pretty screwed up ways over the decades of picking interim senators.

[flashman13]

29. I am going to repeat what I said earlier. We would be far better off for Mitch to remain in office as a place holder.

We could get stuck with a flaming MAGAt otherwise. I really don't see him doing any further harm (we all agree he has done enough). I think if a really important vote were to come up, say impeachment, he would vote with the Democrats just to stick it to Trump as McCain famously did. If we can wring even the slightest advantage from Mitch it is worth it to have him stay in his seat and just veg until the mid terms.

[bucolic_frolic]

30. If the Governor has the power to appoint, he really doesn't have the power to appoint

if he must choose from a list provided by someone else.

Guess it depends what the KY Constitution says. If there's conflict between law and Constitution they should challenge the law.

[marble falls]

31. After all, it'd be a lame duck appointment, anyways.

[murielm99]

32. Beshear is also a guest on The View tomorrow.

I like the ladies of The View.