PHOENIX, AZ — Gov. Doug Ducey will announce former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl as John McCain's successor at a news conference Tuesday morning. Ducey tweeted Tuesday that he was deeply grateful Kyl agreed to succeed his longtime friend and colleague. An aide to the governor told the Arizona Republic that Kyl, who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position, agreed to serve at least through the end of 2018.

A conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. PST at the Arizona State Capitol building in Phoenix. Kyl served with McCain in the Senate for 18 years and spoke at a ceremony last week honoring McCain. He retired five years ago. The newspaper said he plans to fly to the nation's capital after the announcement. The New York Times reported that Ducey called Kyl following McCain's death and asked whether he would accept the appointment. Kyl told the governor he wanted to talk it over with his wife and sleep on it. A day later, he accepted. Ducey reportedly did not talk it over with President Donald Trump.

"Every single day that Jon Kyl represents #Arizona in the U.S. Senate is a day our state is well-served," Ducey wrote in a tweet. Among the candidates previously floated as possibilities for the appointment: McCain's widow, Cindy; Ducey's own chief of staff Kirk Adams; and Barbara Barrett, the first Republican woman to run for governor in Arizona.

Cindy McCain wrote in a tweet that Kyl was a dear friend. "It's a great tribute to John that he is prepared to go back into public service to help the state of Arizona," she wrote. The McCain family had no say or influence on Ducey's decision, The Times reported.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, called it an "excellent choice."

"There is no one more qualified and Arizona is well served," he tweeted. "Kudos to Senator Kyl for his willingness to serve once again."

The governor is up for re-election this year and will become the first governor in the state's history to appoint someone to a U.S. Senate seat, the Republic reported.

McCain died on Aug. 25 after a battle with an aggressive brain cancer. He was honored in Arizona and Washington, D.C. last week before being buried at the the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Thousands of people paid their respects to the former Republican presidential nominee and war hero.