Report: Cindy McCain Likely to Succeed Husband John McCain in Senate

Cindy McCain, wife of ailing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), is likely to succeed the longtime lawmaker, a new report says.

John Gizzi, Newsmax’s chief political correspondent, reports:

As Arizonans prepare for their final salute to Sen. John McCain, Republicans and political pundits in the state privately tell Newsmax they expect the appointment of his wife, Cindy, to succeed him in the Senate.

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Those who did agree, almost unanimously, that Cindy McCain following John in the Senate through appointment by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey is a near-certainty.

One longtime friend of the McCain family told Newsmax he long thought Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey would appoint Cindy McCain to the Senate after her husband became too ill to serve.

During her husband’s 2008 presidential run, Cindy McCain, who has described herself as pro-life, told CBS she does not believe Roe v. Wade should be overturned.

Cindy McCain joined her daughter Meghan McCain in supporting gay rights, appearing in a 2010 “NOH8” campaign with duct tape over her mouth.

Kirk Adams, a top aide of Gov. Ducey, is also under consideration for the seat.

McCain, who has held his seat since 1986, was diagnosed last summer with an aggressive and incurable form of cancer called glioblastoma.

In his new book, The Restless Wave, the Arizona lawmaker takes aim at President Donald Trump and nationalist-populism, claiming U.S. leadership under the current administration is at risk.

“It is hard to know what to expect from President Trump, what’s a pose, what’s genuine,” McCain wrote.

McCain expressed his hopes that Trump’s character revealed through foreign policy will demonstrate a “growing recognition that ‘leader of the free world’ is more than an honorific. It is a moral obligation more important than the person who possesses it.”

In the past year, McCain famously voted twice to save Obamacare, first in July and against the Graham-Cassidy Obamacare repeal effort in September.