Leaders, family mourn John McCain

Politicians, pastors, and family members took to social media over the weekend to express their sorrow over the death of Sen. John McCain. The Arizona Republican, who served two decades in the U.S. Navy and six terms in the Senate and endured more than five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, died Saturday at age 81.

“My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!” tweeted President Donald Trump. Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, called McCain “a true patriot,” and urged people to pray for the McCain family.

“I take comfort in this: John McCain, hero of the republic and to his little girl, wakes today to something more glorious than anything on this earth.” McCain’s daughter Meghan said in a statement.

McCain will lie in state Wednesday at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix, and on Thursday, a funeral service will take place at North Phoenix Baptist Church. McCain’s body then will be transported to Washington, D.C., where he’ll lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday. On Saturday, a memorial service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral, where former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush are expected to deliver eulogies. McCain will be buried at the U.S. Naval Academy cemetery in Annapolis, Md., on Sunday afternoon.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, said he will wait until after McCain is buried to appoint someone to his Senate seat. That person would serve until a special election is held in 2020 for someone to finish out the remaining two years of McCain’s six-year term.