The Kentucky General Assembly passed a bill Thursday that strips Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of the power to temporarily appoint people to vacant U.S. Senate seats.
Kentucky’s senior U.S. senator is currently Mitch McConnell, aged 82, who has announced his intention to retire from the Senate in 2027 when his current term expires. On Thursday, the Kentucky Senate passed House Bill 622, which would prevent the governor from making a temporary appointment to fill McConnell’s seat should he resign, be expelled or die in office — sending it to Beshear’s desk for his signature.
