In McCain’s absence, will lions of the Senate be women?

WASHINGTON (AP) — John McCain is being remembered as a last lion of the Senate, with few others matching his stature. But the next generation of mavericks might come from the ranks of Senate women.

Senators like Republican Susan Collins of Maine, Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California and Democrat Patty Murray of Washington are positioned to have enormous influence.

Those senators show flashes of McCain-like independence. They buck their party and reach across the aisle to broker deals. And they’re providing a legislative check on the executive branch, including President Donald Trump’s White House.

The men of the Senate aren’t necessarily losing ground. They still make up the majority of both parties, hold most of the committee gavels and, in the GOP, hold the top five leadership jobs.