GOP may get its 53rd senator before 2018

By Thomas Lifson

A plot seems to be unfolding to appoint Senator Joe Manchin, D-WV to the position of Energy Secretary currently held by Rick Perry. West Virginia’s newly-Republican Governor Jim Justice would then appoint of Republican to fill out the term, and switch one seat to the GOP. Under this scheme, the “skinny repeal” of Obamacare could pass, for instance. Deplorable Don Surber knows the state and explains............... Read more

My Take - Politics is ugly, and these W.Va. politicans fit right in because they have some ugly baggage.  But there might be another new Senator soon.  If John McCain's disease runs the typical course - he's probably got less than two years left.  The average is 14 months. 

Currently the Governor of Arizona is Doug Ducey, a conservative, and if McCain did the descent thing he would resign as he becomes more ill, and I would think he would want to resign now to spend as much time with his family as possible....but he won't.  If he did resign now Ducey could appoint someone like the woman who ran against McCain in the 2016 Republican primaries, Dr. Kelli Ward, also a conservative, which would be a substantial change from the strange rantings of McCain, who now sides with Maxine and Keith Ellison on Trump and Korea.  Birds of a feather.

However, Ducey is up for re-election in 2018 and whoever is elected will probably appoint a Senator to take McCain's place.  That makes Ducey's victory critical.