Yup, and his performative nonsense is going to make sure he gets to stay in the presidential race. Fucking sickening.

I wonder what they have on these governors. This comes on the heels of Colorado's governor just letting a literal traitor get off scot-free.

King of the Kentucky Cucks

Obstructionist to the end.

Going out doing what he loved, fucking democracy raw dog

Isn't this the same shit he pulled on Obama with the supreme Court nominations? While also violating it even a dem appointed one died

They are not cowards. They are complicit.

If Americans werent lazy cowards this wouldnt be a problem to begin with.

It avoids an election they are afraid of losing, which would leave them short one vote and the Democrats up one vote.

They know the score with an empty seat and it's still good enough.

They don't want to risk an unknown they didn't need to face.

It's not even an election, it's an appointment. Beshear would get to appoint a Senate seat.

The 2024 law taking that power away from him has already been ruled to violate Kentucky's constitution in another case.

Better one neutral than one opposed, I guess.

There's not one. This is all conspiracy nonsense.

All the answers are "because they're afraid to lose the seat to a democrat." In rural Kentucky? Get out of here with that nonsense.

The Occam's Razor answer is that he's just not dead. I'd bet the farm on it.

Logistical concerns based on horse and buggy era thinking.

Pretty sure the law would have to be challenged in court, which would undoubtedly be appealed, and then go to the state supreme Court.

And yet the spineless fucking governor won’t appoint a replacement right now. It isn’t 4D chess, it’s just cowardice.

I agree this whole controversy is attracting weird misinformation.

The state constitution gives the governor power to appoint replacements in the event of a vacancy.

The legislature passed a law in 2021 requiring the governor to choose an appointment from the list provided by the state party of the outgoing Senator's party.

Then, the legislature passed a law in 2024 prohibiting the governor from choosing a replacement at all, and requiring a special election as soon as possible, at least 56 days before the general election.

The governor has publicly stated his position that both laws are unconstitutional under the state constitution, and basically everyone believes that if McConnell's seat becomes vacant that he'll appoint a replacement as a Democrat.

McConnell's term expires at the end of this year, and the general election in November is already going to choose McConnell's full term replacement.

If both laws are unconstitutional: the fake deadline doesn't matter, because the governor can select a replacement without restrictions.

If only the 2024 law is unconstitutional (but the 2021 law is constitutional): hiding McConnell's death and delaying the vacancy is counterproductive for Republicans, because it just prevents the Republicans from filling McConnell's seat (where he's currently unable to vote) with a Republican who can vote.

If the 2024 law is constitutional: hiding McConnell's death and delaying the announcement doesn't do anything, because replacing a non-voting Senator with a vacancy doesn't change anything anyway, because the general election in November will determine who becomes Senator for the next term that starts on January 1.

Basically, the only way this date makes a difference is if it causes a special election to get the seat filled for the 3 months between September and December, and it's unclear which party would win that seat to basically tip the margin in the Senate up or down half a vote (and not enough to actually tip control of the Senate).

The timing of the Senate vacancy is a very low stakes issue, and doesn't clearly favor one party over the other.

I believe the rules vary from state to state. I had heard the special election thing was pushed for Kentucky by McConnell himself.