The ‘President’ of the Senate is Karmela. As distasteful as it is to pray for her health I expect her to be a disaster as head of the rat party, if Biden goes we are winning in 2024, period.
Despite Leahy being half a corpse already and Bernie not being far behind, VT is out cause the Governor is a bastard. MA is out cause there would be a quickie special (and the Governor is a bastard). MD is out cause state law requires the same party (and the Governor is too much of a bastard to have conservative “registered democrats” on standby like I would).
Montana requires the same party, the Governor is NOT a bastard so maybe he would try to get around it OR leave the seat empty (Jon Tester). Arizona requires the same party, I think Ducey is too much of a Pucey. West Virginia requires the same party.
That leaves
GA: Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock
NH: Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan
OH: Sherrod Brown
That’s it. Brown or Ossoff (stolen race) would be the most useful, their seats not being up this year, not to mention revenge for Bob Taft (1953) and Paul Coverdell (2000). But you know, God forbid.
If I were the governor of one of those sttates that unconstitutionally limit the authority of the governor to appoint a temporary senator, I would tell the Democrats to KMA, appoint a conservative Republican. The Democrats would take me to court, but while I defend the Constitution against the legislative attack from a state legislature (which I think that I’d win), I’d send my appointee to DC, where the 50R-49D Senate can decide whether to accept his credentials. If Murkowski joins the Democrats in blocking him, then the Senate can stay 50R-49D, with McConnell as Majority Leader, until the next election.