I suppose that’s one way to look at it. Another might be that they wanted someone with experience to fill the seat at least until January who will vote with the republicans and President Trump.
A lot can change after the midterms. Hopefully not but it can’t be ruled out so Kyl is a good choice for a place holder. It also allows for more time to find a good long-term person who is electable in the 2020 election which is when McLame’s replacement will have to run to hold the seat.
Let’s just see how the midterms play out for the entire country. Arizona is 1/50th of the big picture. Yes, they say all politics is local, but there’s still that larger mosaic to consider.
Electable in 2020? Kyl is not that person so there is no incumbency advantage applied.