Article I, Section 3, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution gives state governors the power to appoint a replacement senator when a vacancy arises. This usually follows a resignation, death, or removal from office.
The governor picks someone to serve the rest of the term. The next scheduled election will eventually decide who holds the seat permanently. State laws dictate the details. Some states require the appointee to match the outgoing senator’s party. Others have no such rule.
Legislatures get involved too. In some states, they confirm or reject the governor’s choice. In others, they organize a special election.
FINAL: The state governor appoints a replacement senator upon a vacancy, per constitutional authority and state law.
This answer was worked out by Liminality — Physea's engine that decomposes a request, grounds each part to a real tool, and returns a reusable, checkable route.
Connect it over MCP: https://mcp.physea.ai/mcp · physea.ai