On Friday, a super-majority of Republican lawmakers in Kentucky overrode Democrat Governor Andy Beshear’s veto of a law that strips the state’s executive of any authority to appoint future U.S. Senate vacancies. The new law’s supporters claimed it was unrelated to recent concerns about the health of Republican Mitch McConnell, the state’s 82-year-old senator and minority leader of the U.S. Senate. With the Senate narrowly divided on partisan lines, the procedure for filling a vacancy has become increasingly crucial.
In 2021, Kentucky’s GOP lawmakers curtailed the governor’s independent authority to appoint a successor. Now, they have completely excluded the governor from any role in filling such vacancies. Under the new law, the state would hold a special election, and the winner would then serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
During a brief debate, Republican House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy said,
The people should decide who a United States senator is by election always.
In his veto message, Governor Beshear wrote,
Prior to these maneuvers, the same system had been in place since 1942. This administration deserves the same authority as previous administrations.
The state’s change in the Senate succession process comes during a season of change for McConnell, who in February announced that he will step down from his longtime Senate leadership position after the November election, concluding his leadership term. He didn’t specify a reason for his decision other than to point to the recent death of his wife’s youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection.
McConnell’s announcement came after two incidents where he appeared to “freeze” and looked disoriented during press briefings.