(Image source from: Wall Street Journal)

Senator John McCain's death on Saturday laid bare the long-simmering Republican tensions regarding who will be appointed to fill his Arizona seat, pitting the pragmatic wing of the party that McCain delineated against the ascendant, hard-line forces loyal to President Donald Trump and aggressive to the late senator.

A day after the senator and former prisoner of war succumbed to brain cancer, on Sunday, Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona issued a statement through an aide indicating he will not appoint a replacement to McCain until after what is anticipated to be about a weeklong series of services in his honor - in Arizona, Washington and Annapolis, Maryland.

"Out of respect for the life and legacy of Senator John McCain and his family, Governor Ducey will not be making any announcements about an appointment until after the senator is laid to rest," said Daniel Ruiz II, an adviser to Ducey.

Gov. Ducey's choice carries tremendous implications in Washington, with Republicans clinging to a Senate majority of 50-49, hearings on the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh looming and Trump under aggravating legal scrutiny.

The governor's appointee will represent the state through most of 2020 when there will be a special election to fill the rest of McCain's term, and Republicans close to Ducey indicated he is likely to choose a substitution who intends to run again instead of being a caretaker to temporarily fill the seat.

According to Arizona Republicans, among the names under consideration are McCain's widow, Cindy; a former Arizona senator, Jon Kyl; and two former Arizona House members, John Shadegg and Matt Salmon.

Other possibilities include Kirk Adams, Ducey's top aide and a former state legislator; the state treasurer, Eileen Klein; a member of the state Board of Regents, Karrin Taylor Robson; and Barbara Barrett, a business executive and former United States ambassador to Finland.

By Sowmya Sangam