Jon Llewellyn Kyl ( ; born April 25, 1942) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a
United States Senator for
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
from 1995 to 2013 and again in 2018. A
Republican, he held both of Arizona's Senate seats at different times, serving alongside
John McCain during his first stint. Kyl was
Senate Minority Whip from 2007 until 2013. He first joined the lobbying firm
Covington & Burling
Covington & Burling LLP is an American multinational law firm. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the firm advises clients on transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters. In 2021, Vault.com ranked Covington & Burling as ...
after retiring in 2013, then rejoined in 2019.
The son of U.S. Representative
John Henry Kyl
John Henry Kyl (May 9, 1919 – December 23, 2002) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Iowa's 4th congressional district from 1959 to 1965 and again from 1967 to 1973. ...
and Arlene (née Griffith) Kyl, Kyl was born and raised in
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
and lived for some time in
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
. He received his bachelor's degree and law degree from the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...
. He worked in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
as an attorney and lobbyist before winning election to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, where he served from 1987 to 1995. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994 and continued to be re-elected by comfortable margins until his retirement in January 2013. In 2006, he was recognized by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine as one of America's Ten Best Senators. Kyl was ranked by ''
National Journal'' in 2007 as the fourth-most conservative U.S. Senator.
He has been a fixture of Republican policy leadership posts, chairing the
Republican Policy Committee (2003–2007) and the
Republican Conference (2007). In December 2007, he became
Senate Minority Whip. He was named one of the
100 most influential people in the world in 2010 for his persuasive role in the Senate.
Kyl did not seek re-election to the Senate in 2012 and retired at the end of his third term.
He expressly ruled out running for further office except, if offered, the
Vice Presidency. After leaving the Senate in 2013, he worked as an attorney and lobbyist and then worked to shepherd the
Supreme Court nomination of
Brett Kavanaugh
Brett Michael Kavanaugh ( ; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since O ...
.
In September 2018, Kyl was appointed by Governor
Doug Ducey to serve in the Senate seat left vacant by the death of
John McCain.
At a press conference accepting the appointment, Kyl stated that he would not run for the remainder of the term following the
2020 special election. Kyl is the first person to return to the Senate via appointment since
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
Republican
Norris Cotton
Norris Henry Cotton (May 11, 1900 – February 24, 1989) was an American politician from the state of New Hampshire. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Representative and subsequently as a U.S. Senator.
Early life
Cotton was ...
in 1975. Kyl resigned from the Senate effective December 31, 2018, and was succeeded by
Martha McSally.
Early life, education and career
Kyl was born in
Oakland, Nebraska, the son of Arlene (née Griffith) and
John Henry Kyl
John Henry Kyl (May 9, 1919 – December 23, 2002) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Iowa's 4th congressional district from 1959 to 1965 and again from 1967 to 1973. ...
, a teacher at
Nebraska State Teachers College. His father served as a
Congressman from Iowa after moving his family to
Bloomfield, Iowa
Bloomfield is a city in Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Davis County.
Geography
Bloomfield is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, near the Missouri border.
Bloomfi ...
. After graduating from high school in 1960, Kyl attended the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1964, graduating with honors. Kyl is a member of the
Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, as is Governor
Doug Ducey of Arizona. He then earned a
law degree in 1966 at the University of Arizona's
James E. Rogers College of Law, and served as editor-in-chief of the ''Arizona Law Review''. Before entering politics, he was a lawyer and
lobbyist with Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
.
He also worked as an attorney at
Mountain States Legal Foundation
Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) is an American conservative free market public interest law firm based in Lakewood, Colorado. Its lawyers argue cases on property rights and federal land management in the American West, as well as gun right ...
in Denver, Colorado, prior to running for office.
Kyl is a
Presbyterian. Kyl is married to Caryll Collins, with whom he has had two children. They also have four grandchildren.
U.S. House of Representatives
Kyl served in the
House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995. He was first elected in 1986 against
Democrat Philip R. Davis, 65% to 35%. He was re-elected in 1988 against Gary Sprunk of the
Libertarian party, 87% to 13%; in 1990 against Democrat Mark Ivey, Jr., 61% to 39%;
For his first six terms, Kyl represented most of the northeastern portion of the state, from heavily Republican northern Phoenix to the New Mexico border. Redistricting after the 1990 Census carved away all of Kyl's former territory outside the Valley of the Sun. The new 4th, however, was as safely Republican as its predecessor, and Kyl easily won reelection in 1992 against Democrat Walter R. Mybeck, II, 59% to 27%.
U.S. Senate (1995–2013)
Committee assignments
*
Committee on the Judiciary
**
United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism (Ranking Member)
**
**
United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
*
Committee on Finance
**
United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight (Ranking Member)
**
United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care is one of the six subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Finance.
Members, 117th United States Congress
External linksCommittee on Finance, Subcommittee pagefrom the U.S. Senate website
Refe ...
**
*
Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
Leadership
Kyl was elected by his fellow Senate Republicans to a succession of leadership posts:
Policy Committee chairman (2003–2007),
Conference chairman (2007), and most recently (in December 2007),
Senate Minority Whip. Kyl's ascension to Minority Whip makes him the first Arizonan to hold such an influential Senate leadership post since Democrat
Ernest W. McFarland served as
Senate Majority Leader from 1951 to 1953. Kyl is the only
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
Republican to hold that leadership position.
U.S. Senate (2018)
Appointment
On September 4, 2018, Kyl was appointed by Republican
Arizona governor Doug Ducey to the U.S. Senate seat that had been vacated due to
John McCain's death.
Kyl is only the sixth person to return to the Senate via appointment since the ratification of the
Seventeenth Amendment (mandating the direct election of U.S. senators) in 1913. The last preceding case had been
Norris Cotton
Norris Henry Cotton (May 11, 1900 – February 24, 1989) was an American politician from the state of New Hampshire. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Representative and subsequently as a U.S. Senator.
Early life
Cotton was ...
(
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
)
who in 1975 was appointed back to the Senate after the
disputed election of 1974.
Kyl voted in favor of the
confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He resigned from the Senate effective December 31, 2018 and was succeeded by former congresswoman
Martha McSally, a Republican.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Armed Services
**
Subcommittee on Airland
**
Subcommittee on Seapower
**
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
*
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland s ...
*
Committee on Indian Affairs
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 19 ...
Political positions
Kyl is considered to be a
conservative and was ranked by ''
National Journal'' as the fourth-most conservative United States Senator in their March 2007 conservative/liberal rankings.
In addition, in April 2006, Kyl was selected by ''
Time Magazine'' as one of "America's 10 Best Senators"; the magazine cited his successful behind-the-scene efforts as head of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Senator Kyl has earned a 96.58% Lifetime Score from the
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded o ...
.
Kyl is a signer of
Americans for Tax Reform's
Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
Crime victims' rights
Kyl was one of the original sponsors, along with Democratic Senator
Dianne Feinstein, of an effort to
amend the United States Constitution to protect crime victims' rights in the criminal justice system. When in 2004 it appeared that the constitutional amendment would not receive the requisite 2/3 support to pass the Senate, Kyl and Feinstein authored the Crime Victims' Rights Act, which listed a victims' bill of rights and provided
mandamus relief in appellate court for any victim denied those rights. The act also offered sanctions against government officials who wantonly and willfully refused to comply with the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
Arms control
In November 2010, Kyl opposed the
New START arms control treaty
Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Arms control is typically exercised through the ...
's ratification in the
lame-duck session. Nevertheless, the treaty passed 71–26, clearing the constitutionally mandated two-thirds threshold by the narrowest margin of any nuclear arms control treaty ever ratified by the United States.
Internet gambling
Kyl and
Bob Goodlatte were among the first in the United States to draft legislation on online gambling. In the late 1990s they introduced bills to the Senate that would curb online gambling activities except for those that involved horse and dog races and state lotteries. The bill by Kyl, known as the Kyl bill, was not passed in the end due to certain loopholes. Attorney Jorge Van, at the time principal investigator of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission on Internet Gambling, pointed out that under the Kyl bill "state lotteries would be able to offer a variety of games under the guise of a lottery, including slot machines", which ultimately would allow "interactive wagering at home on the internet which the law aimed to prevent in the first place".
In September 2006, working with then-Congressman
Jim Leach, Kyl was a major Senate supporter of
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The Act was passed at midnight the day Congress adjourned before the
2006 elections. Prior to it being added to the
bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Pla ...
, the gambling provisions had not been debated by any
Congressional committee, although the general issue had been debated in multiple times in the past. When publication of the associated regulations was delayed until June 2010, Kyl responded by denying unanimous consent to confirm the appointment of 6 nominees to the
US Treasury Department, none of whom specialized on gambling issues.
Healthcare
Kyl voted against the
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in December 2009, and he voted against the
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
Other
In February 2006, Kyl joined Senator
Lindsey Graham in an
amicus brief in the ''
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld'' case. The brief presented to the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...
an "extensive colloquy" added to the
Congressional Record. It was not, however, included in the December 21 debate as evidence that "Congress was aware" that the
Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 would strip the Court of jurisdiction to hear "pending cases, including this case" brought by the
Guantanamo detainees.
In the spring of 2009, Kyl invited
Geert Wilders to show his film ''
Fitna'' to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
, which led to
American Muslim protests.
In 2011, Kyl said that the GOP had abandoned opposition to defense cuts.
In 2012, Kyl voted against ratification of the UN Treaty
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
He opposed the
FIRST STEP Act. The bill passed 87–12 on December 18, 2018.
Activism
Zadroga Act
In 2010, Democratic Senate Leader
Harry Reid wanted the Senate to return to work on the week between Christmas and New Year's in order to pass time-critical legislation including the
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (; ) is a U.S. law to provide health monitoring and aid to the first responders, volunteers, and survivors of the September 11 attacks. It is named after James Zadroga, a New York Polic ...
, which would ensure health coverage for
9/11 first responders. Kyl made a public comment that this would disrespect "one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians and the families of all of the Senate." First responder Kenny Specht appeared on ''
The Daily Show'' and replied, "You won't find a single New York firefighter who considers it a sign of disrespect to work in a New York City firehouse on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day." The Zadroga Act passed on December 22.
Planned Parenthood
During a Senate debate on April 8, 2011, Kyl said that performing abortions is "well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does".
Planned Parenthood responded that 90 percent of its services are to provide
contraception,
STD and
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
testing and treatment, and only 3 percent are abortion-related. A spokesperson for Kyl later claimed the senator's remark "was not intended to be a factual statement but rather to illustrate that Planned Parenthood, an organization that receives millions in taxpayer dollars, does subsidize abortions."
Politifact noted that Planned Parenthood's numbers (from their most recent Annual Report, year ending June 30, 2009) are the result of self-reporting and that there is no national audit on such claims, but stated their belief that Kyl "vastly overstated" the number. A political science professor writing at
National Review Online suggested that perhaps Kyl's comments were based on the pregnancy-related services provided to pregnant women, citing Planned Parenthood's 2009 annual report figures and claiming that 98% of those services were for abortion. The phrase "not intended to be a factual statement" was mocked by political comedians such as
Stephen Colbert, who joked, "You can't call him out for being wrong when he never intended to be right."
Political campaigns
Kyl was first elected to the
Senate in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
, defeating
Samuel G. Coppersmith (
D), then a member of the House of Representatives, 54% to 40%.
Libertarian Party candidate Scott Grainger got 6% of the votes.
Kyl was re-elected in
2000 without major-party opposition, with 79% of the vote. Independent William Toel got 8%;
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
candidate Vance Hansen also got 8%; and
Barry Hess of the Libertarian Party got 5%.
On November 7, 2006, Kyl defeated
real estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...
developer and former
Arizona Democratic Party
The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix.
Party organization
The Arizona Democratic Party is organized into three parts: the state committee, the executive ...
chairman
Jim Pederson to win his third term in the Senate. Kyl won with 53% of the vote; Pederson received 44%; and Libertarian Party candidate
Richard Mack
Richard Ivan Mack (born December 27, 1952) is the former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona and a political activist. He is known for his role in a successful lawsuit brought against the federal government of the United States which alleged that ...
received 3%. The race was one of the most expensive in Arizona history, with Kyl raising more than $15 million and Pederson raising just shy of that amount.
A major issue in the campaign was
illegal immigration. While in the Senate, Kyl cosponsored legislation that would give illegal immigrants up to five years to leave the country. Once there, they could apply for
permanent residence or be
guest workers. Since fellow Arizona Senator
John McCain opposed this legislation, Pederson tried to use the issue as a way of allying with McCain and dividing Republicans in Arizona. Controversy also arose when each candidate accused the other of supporting the
amnesty provisions in a 1986 immigration bill, although both candidates deny ever supporting those provisions.
References
External links
*
*
*
Jon Kylat
PolitiFact.com
PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times' ...
Truth-O-Meter
Profileat
SourceWatch
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyl, Jon
1942 births
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American politicians
American people of Dutch descent
American people of Welsh descent
American Presbyterians
Arizona lawyers
Arizona Republicans
Christians from Arizona
James E. Rogers College of Law alumni
Living people
People associated with Covington & Burling
People from Bloomfield, Iowa
People from Oakland, Nebraska
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona
Republican Party United States senators from Arizona
Conservatism in the United States