submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by to c/politics@lemmy.world
 

*Edit: found a better picture to accompany this post.

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[–] 11 points 8 months ago

In most states, if a Senator leaves office for any reason, the state's governor would be empowered to appoint a replacement until a special election can be held. Kentucky, however, has two powerful Republican Senators, and a Democratic Governor. So after some back and forth, the legislature passed a bill (over the Governor's veto) that said the Governor could not appoint anyone, but could only schedule the special election, letting the seat remain vacant.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/05/how-are-us-senate-vacancies-filled-in-kentucky/78253161007/

However, it is possible the governor might ignore the law and appoint someone anyway, and let the Senate deal with accepting the appointment.

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