On Aug. 25, 2018, Senator John McCain passed away from brain cancer at the age of 81. A senator, congressman, and a Navy lieutenant commander during Vietnam, McCain was regarded as a “maverick” on the floor of the Senate and a war hero.

Captured as a prisoner-of-war (POW) in Vietnam, McCain became the “embodiment of courage” to many Americans according to the New York Times. He was disabled from his five years as a POW.

“Few of us have been tested the way John [McCain] once was, or required to show the kind of courage that he did,” said former President Barack Obama, according to the NY Times.

After recovering from his experience as a POW, McCain would go on to serve in the House of Representatives (two terms) and Senate (six terms). He claimed the title of chairman of the Armed Forces Committee in 2015, one of his longtime goals.

McCain lost the Republican presidential nomination to George W. Bush but won the nomination in 2008. However, he lost to Barack Obama, yet would continue his Senate career to work with Obama on some matters.

“I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties but to believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here,” McCain said in his 2008 concession speech, according to CNN.

A vocal senator, he earned his title “maverick” several times over from bipartisan politics to vocalizing his disapproval of Donald Trump since he made his bid for president. Taking an individual route, he divided from Republicans with his sense of morality to his conservatism.

“If John saw an issue the same way you did, you knew you’d just found your most stalwart ally, you would thank your lucky stars.

“Because when you found yourself on the other side of that table, as I think all of us learned, you were in for a different kind of unforgettable experience,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to the Washington Post.

McCain’s body now lays in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capital, a high honor and so that the public may pay their respects before he is buried in Annapolis, Maryland.

Replacing the irreplaceable

Selection of the senator that will serve until a special election in 2020, will wait until after Sun., Sept. 1 when McCain is buried. Doug Ducey, the Republican Governor of Arizona, is in charge of selecting the new senator.

McCain was known for challenging the Republican mold, famously turning tail on the party to block the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). He did reach across the aisle, an element that is expected to be missing from the replacement.

Additionally, as McCain was absent from Senate voting since December this tightened the Republican majority to 50-49. Only one Republican would have to get cold feet in order to stop a measure.

Now, with the replacement about to claim the seat immediately, Republicans will return to the more comfortable majority of 51-49.

Honoring the maverick

“I was surprised and upset when he died because he was a great leader and he served our country,” said Sia Sindhwani, 10.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, called to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after McCain. Plans have been stalled on this, but Senators are still looking for ways to honor McCain’s legacy.

“I see now that I was part of something important that drew me along in its wake even when I was diverted by other interests. I was, knowingly or not, along for the ride as America made the future better than the past,” McCain said, during the Liberty medal speech, according to CNN.