Kentucky GOP lawmakers remove Democratic governor’s role in filling US Senate vacancies

By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky have removed any role for the Democratic governor in filling a U.S. Senate vacancy. The GOP supermajority Legislature on Friday easily overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the measure. The legislation calls for a special election to fill any Senate vacancy from the Bluegrass State. The special election winner would hold the seat for the remainder of the unexpired term. How a Senate vacancy is filled carries greater importance at a time when the Senate is closely divided along partisan lines. Officials said the change was unrelated to recent scrutiny of the health of the state’s senior senator, 82-year-old Republican leader Mitch McConnell.