A McCain victory makes retaking the Senate almost impossible

[Democratic Hawk]

So if McCain's elected, Napolitano appoints his replacement, and the GOP loses another seat. This basically all but assures the Democrats hold the Senate.

I'm fairly sure Napolitano has to appoint a Republican under state law, so it's a moot point.

Yes, Arizona is one of a handful of Western states, which require the governor to make an interim appointment of a person with the same party affiliation as the previous incumbent

Dave