Mitch McConnell is acknowledging his hand in restricting Gov. Andy Beshear’s ability to fill a vacancy in the event that one of the state’s U.S. Senators dies or leaves office early.
During a stop in Bowling Green on Tuesday, Sen. McConnell said he’s “not going anywhere,” but suggested legislative leaders change Kentucky law to limit the governor's power to appoint someone to temporarily take over for a senator until voters can elect a successor. Lawmakers over-rode Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s veto of the bill.
While his office previously said McConnell supported it, the 79-year-old senator said on Tuesday he actually recommended the rule change.
“I had watched over the years the way Senate vacancies are filled in different states," McConnell told WKU Public Radio. "I thought the worst way to fill it was the way Kentucky law set it up so the governor alone picks somebody who can serve a fairly lengthy period of time before there’s an election.”