Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was grievously wounded in a 2011 shooting, is taking to the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris, as Harris’ nascent presidential campaign gets off the ground and a parallel campaign to be Harris’ running mate takes shape.
All the other signals seemed kind of questionable, but the wife of a VP contender putting stump time in definitely looks like a sign he's at a later stage of selection. She's not a major figure on her own anymore. Her primary draw right now is as the politically gifted wife of Mark Kelly.
Crazy that so much has insane shit has happened that her story is consigned to such a diminished status. Speaking of fucking assassination attempts. Actually that's kinda poignant in itself.
The governor will appoint a replacement to fill the seat until.a special election in 2026. The winner will occupy the seat until the next regular cycle for that seat.
Arizona law actually stipulates that special appointments like a vacant Senate seat must go to someone from the same party as the person who vacated the seat. So even if AZ had a Republican gov, the seat would still have to be appointed to a Democrat.
2026 will be a midterm, which traditionally does not favor the party in the White House. The senate has been on a razor thin margin. A special election in Arizona with an unproven candidate is a legit concern.