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U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl will resign from the U.S. Senate on December 31st, setting up a second appointment by Gov. Doug Ducey to the seat once occupied by the late John McCain.

Ducey is required under law to name another Republican to the seat.

A replacement to the Senate seat “will be announced in the near future,” according to the Governor’s Office.

Kyl wrote a letter dated Dec. 12 to Ducey, informing him of his resignation.

“Thank you for appointing me to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by John McCain’s death,” Kyl wrote. “It has been an honor and a privilege to again serve the people of Arizona. When I accepted your appointment, I agreed to complete the work of the 115th Congress and then reevaluate continuing to serve. I have concluded that it would be best if I resign so that your new appointee can begin the new term with all other Senators in January 2019 and can serve a full two (potentially four) years. Therefore, I will resign from the U.S. Senate effective 11:59 p.m. EST December 31, 2018.”

Kyl succeeded McCain to the seat in September, after McCain’s Aug. 25 death, with the understanding that he would serve at least until the end of the year and possibly until 2020, when the seat was on the ballot again. It became clear in recent weeks, as Kyl was hesitant to discuss his future in the Senate, that he would be leaving.

Ducey and his aides have been tight-lipped about who may be under consideration to replace Kyl.

The Arizona GOP is divided over the best choice for the appointment.

While Martha McSally brings experience, connections and name identification from her recent statewide campaign, she also became the first Republican to lose a Senate race in the state in three decades when Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema defeated her by 2.4 percentage points.

Some Arizona Republicans have questioned the McSally campaign’s decision-making and how far behind Ducey she ran as the governor coasted to reelection, casting doubts on whether she would be the best choice for an appointment.

Kirk Adams, who led the state House and narrowly lost a Republican primary for Congress before joining Ducey’s office, has strong connections with the donor community in Arizona. But he has never run a statewide campaign. And Montgomery, who has been Maricopa County attorney since 2010, has no federal or statewide campaign experience.

But Bill Montgomery has been elected multiple times in Maricopa County, where he turned aside a well-funded challenger in 2016 even as Republican Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio lost his reelection race.

Though Maricopa — Arizona’s largest county and home to Phoenix — is a traditional Republican stronghold, Sinema defeated McSally by more than 4 percentage points there, a significant factor in her victory.

Dan Eberhart, a Phoenix-based Republican donor, said there is “momentum” in the donor community for an “anybody but McSally” appointment to the seat.

“Donors are quietly whispering in Gov. Ducey’s ear that Martha McSally had her chance and came up a little short,” Eberhart said.

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