That is correct. Most states have the governor appoint replacements to vacant seats, but McConnell himself got that law changed in Kentucky in 2024. Now, in Kentucky, a vacancy triggers a special election unless it is within three months of a general election, which in Kentucky is the first Tuesday in August.

I just wrote a longer comment elsewhere more fully explaining the situation: it’s complex, and the Kentucky law is itself badly written apparently, so no one is even very certain if it’s (state) constitutionally valid.