Jon Kyl

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For his father, see John Henry Kyl. For other people, see John Kyle (disambiguation).

Jon Kyl
Official portrait, 2018
United States Senator
from Arizona
In office
September 4, 2018 – December 31, 2018
Appointed byDoug Ducey
Preceded byJohn McCain
Succeeded byMartha McSally
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byDennis DeConcini
Succeeded byJeff Flake
Senate Minority Whip
In office
December 19, 2007 – January 3, 2013
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byTrent Lott
Succeeded byJohn Cornyn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995
Preceded byEldon Rudd
Succeeded byJohn Shadegg
Personal details
Born
Jon Llewellyn Kyl

(1942-04-25) April 25, 1942 (age 81)
Oakland, Nebraska, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Caryll Collins
​
(m. 1964)​
Children2
Parent(s)John Henry Kyl
Arlene Griffith
EducationUniversity of Arizona (BA, LLB)
Jon Kyl's voice
Kyl reflects on his service with John McCain before his first retirement from the Senate
Recorded December 18, 2012

Jon Llewellyn Kyl (/ˈkaɪl/ KYLE; born April 25, 1942)[1] is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator for Arizona from 1995 to 2013. Following the death of John McCain in 2018, Kyl briefly returned to the Senate, leaving office after the appointment of Martha McSally in 2019. A Republican, he held both of Arizona's Senate seats at different times, serving alongside McCain during his first stint.[2] Kyl was Senate Minority Whip from 2007 until 2013. He first joined the lobbying firm Covington & Burling after retiring in 2013, then rejoined in 2019.[3]

The son of U.S. Representative

Senate Minority Whip until his retirement in 2013. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 for his persuasive role in the Senate.[6]

After leaving the Senate in 2013, Kyl worked as an attorney and lobbyist[7] and then worked to shepherd the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.[8]

In September 2018, Kyl was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to serve in the Class 3 Senate seat left vacant by the death of John McCain.[9][8] Kyl is the first person to return to the Senate via appointment since New Hampshire Republican Norris Cotton in 1975.[10] Kyl resigned from the Senate effective December 31, 2018, and was succeeded by Martha McSally.[11]

Early life, education and career

Kyl was born in

lobbyist with Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix, Arizona.[12] He also worked as an attorney at Mountain States Legal Foundation in Denver, Colorado, prior to running for office.[13]

Kyl is a Presbyterian.[14][15] Kyl is married to Caryll Collins, with whom he has had two children.[16] 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%;[17] in 1990 against Democrat Mark Ivey Jr., 61% to 39%;[18]

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

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%.[19]

U.S. Senate (1995–2013)

Kyl during his first tenure as US Senator

Committee assignments

Leadership

Kyl was elected by his fellow Senate Republicans to a succession of leadership posts:

Senate Majority Leader
from 1951 to 1953. Kyl is the only Arizona 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 state's Class 3 U.S. Senate seat that had been vacated due to John McCain's death until a 2020 special election could be held.[21]

Kyl is only the sixth person to return to the Senate via appointment since the ratification of the

New Hampshire
) 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.[23] He resigned from the Senate effective December 31, 2018,[24] and was succeeded by former congresswoman Martha McSally, a Republican.[25]

Committee assignments

Political positions

Kyl at an event in Phoenix in April 2017.

Kyl is considered to be a

conservative[26] and was ranked by National Journal as the fourth-most conservative United States Senator in their March 2007 conservative/liberal rankings.[5] 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.[27] Senator Kyl has earned a 96.58% Lifetime Score from the American Conservative Union.[28]

Kyl is a signer of

Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[29]

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.[30] 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

arms control treaty's ratification in the lame-duck session.[31][32]
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.[33] 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".[34]

In September 2006, working with then-Congressman

Congressional committee, although the general issue had been debated in multiple times in the past.[35] 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 U.S. Treasury Department, none of whom specialized on gambling issues.[36][37]

Healthcare

Kyl voted against the

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in December 2009,[38] and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[39]

Other

Kyl and Senator Tom Cotton speaking at the Hudson Institute

In February 2006, Kyl joined Senator

Guantanamo detainees.[40]

In the spring of 2009, Kyl invited

American Muslim protests.[41]

In 2011, Kyl said that the GOP had abandoned opposition to defense cuts.[42]

In 2012, Kyl voted against ratification of the UN Treaty Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.[43]

He opposed the

FIRST STEP Act. The bill passed 87–12 on December 18, 2018.[44]

Activism

Zadroga Act

In 2010, Democratic Senate Leader

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."[45] 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."[46]
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".

Politifact noted that Planned Parenthood's numbers (from their most recent Annual Report, year ending June 30, 2009[47]) 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.[48] A political science professor writing at National Review 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.[49] 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."[50]

Political campaigns

See also: 2006 United States Senate election in Arizona, 2000 United States Senate election in Arizona, and 1994 United States Senate election in Arizona

Kyl was first elected to the

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

Barry Hess
of the Libertarian Party got 5%.

On November 7, 2006, Kyl defeated real estate developer and former Arizona Democratic Party chairman Jim Pederson to win his third term in the Senate.[51] Kyl won with 53% of the vote; Pederson received 44%; and Libertarian Party candidate Richard Mack 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.[52]

A major issue in the campaign was

permanent residence or be guest workers.[53] 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.[54] 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.[55]

References

  1. ^ "Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ)". congress.org. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Jon Kyl sworn into office, giving Senate GOP 51 votes". September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Dayen, David (January 8, 2019). "Revolving Door on Steroids: Lobbyist Jon Kyl, Who Served Four Months in the Senate, Won't Disclose Some Clients". The Intercept.
  4. ^ "Jon Kyl: The Operator". Time. April 14, 2006. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2018 – via content.time.com.
  5. ^ a b "Political Arithmetik: National Journal 2006 Liberal/Conservative Scores". March 5, 2007. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  6. ^ McConnell, Mitch (April 29, 2010). "The 2010 Time 100". Time. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  7. ^ Ho, Catherine (March 5, 2013). "Sen. Jon Kyl joins lobby shop at Covington". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  8. ^
    New York Times
    . September 4, 2018.
  9. Arizona Republic
    . September 4, 2018.
  10. ^ "Jon Kyl Only 6th Former US Senator to Receive Appointment in Direct Election Era". Smart Politics. September 4, 2018. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  11. ^ Wingett Sanchez, Yvonne (December 18, 2018). "Martha McSally appointed to John McCain's Senate seat". AZ Central. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  12. ^ Darrin Hostetler (August 11, 1994). "Bland Ambition: He's Running for the U.S. Senate as an Outsider, a Boring Straight Arrow with the Common Touch". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  13. ^ "LAW: Foundation that launched Interior chiefs Watt, Norton doubles down on litigation". www.eenews.net. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  14. ^ "Jon Kyl on Principles & Values". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  15. ^ "RollCall.com – Member Profile – Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz". media.cq.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "Jon Kyl". Washington Post. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  17. U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  18. ^ Dendy, Dallas L. Jr.; Anderson, Donald K. (April 29, 1991). Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  19. ^ Dendy Jr., Dallas L.; Anderson, Donald K. (May 31, 1993). Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1992 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 23, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  20. CQ Politics. Archived from the original
    on December 23, 2007.
  21. ^ Polletta, Maria; Sanchez, Yvonne Wingett. "Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl will be John McCain's successor in the U.S. Senate". azcentral.
  22. ^ Ostermeier, Eric (September 4, 2018). "Jon Kyl Only 6th Former US Senator to Receive Appointment in Direct Election Era". Smart Politics. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  23. ^ Taylor, Jessica (December 14, 2018). "Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl To Step Down, Leaving McCain's Seat Vacant Again". NPR.org.
  24. ^ Zhou, Li (December 14, 2018). "Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl is officially stepping down on December 31". Vox.
  25. ^ Hansen, Ronald J. "Kyrsten Sinema, Martha McSally make history, face familiar problems". azcentral.
  26. ^ Robert Nelson (April 13, 2006). "Stealth Zealot". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2006.
  27. ^ Burnett, David (April 14, 2006). "Jon Kyl: The Operator". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  28. ^ acuratings.conservative.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/04/2018_ACU_ROC_Apr7.pdf
  29. ^ "The Taxpayer Protection Pledge Signers 112th Congressional List" (PDF). Americans for Tax Reform. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  30. ^ 18 U.S.C. § 3771 (West 2008).
  31. ^ Weber, Christopher (November 16, 2010). "Sen. John Kyl says Hell Block Vote on Arms Treaty with Russia". Politics Daily. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  32. New York Times
    .
  33. ^ Broder, John M. (July 14, 2000). "Measure to Curb Internet Gambling Gains in the House". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  34. ^ "Interview with Jorge Van: Legal Expert on Online Gambling". lildaveslife.com. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  35. ^ Nelson Rose (2006). "The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 Analyzed". Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  36. ^ "While Economy Burns, Jon Kyl Blocking Treasury Nominees Over Petty BS". Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  37. ^ "Senator Jon Kyl Blocks US Treasury Nominations Due to UIGEA Delays". Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  38. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress – 1st Session". www.senate.gov. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  39. ^ "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Archived from the original on August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  40. Slate Magazine. Archived
    from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  41. ^ O'Connor, Anahad (February 26, 2009). "Mr. Wilders Goes to Washington". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  42. ^ Hewitt. Hugh. "Senate GOP Whip Jon Kyl On The Choices On The Debt Ceiling Table." Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Amac, July 25, 2011.
  43. New York Times. Archived
    from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  44. ^ Levin, Marianne (December 18, 2018). "Senate approves Trump-backed criminal justice overhaul". Politico. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  45. ^ Weiner, Juli (December 16, 2010). "The Senate Debates the Meaning of Christmas". The Hive. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  46. ^ "9/11 First Responders React to the Senate Filibuster" (Video). Comedy Central. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. December 17, 2010. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  47. ^ Annual Report 2008–2009 Archived November 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
  48. St. Petersburg Times
    , April 8, 2011
  49. ^ In Senator Kyl's Defense Archived April 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Michael J. New, National Review, April 13, 2011
  50. ^ Nintzel, Jim (April 12, 2011). "Colbert: "You Can't Call Kyl Out For Being Wrong When He Never Intended To Be Right"". Tucson Weekly. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019.
  51. ^ Josh Brodesky (November 8, 2006). "Kyl clinches his third term in tough race with Pederson". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
  52. ^ "Congressional Elections: Arizona Senate Race: 2006 Cycle". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  53. ^ "GOP Senators Look for Compromise on Immigration Reform". Fox News. April 4, 2006. Archived from the original on April 8, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2006.
  54. ^ Josh Brodesky (September 25, 2006). "For both sides, McCain becomes all-purpose asset". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on September 27, 2006. Retrieved September 26, 2006.
  55. ^ "Pederson, Kyl trade barbs about amnesty". Arizona Republic.

External links

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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 4th congressional district
1987–1995 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Keith DeGreen
Class 1)
1994, 2000, 2006
 Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the
Senate Republican Policy Committee
2003–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference
2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Republican Whip
2007–2013 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 1) from Arizona
1995–2013
Served alongside: John McCain 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Minority Whip
2007–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 3) from Arizona
2018
Served alongside: Jeff Flake 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas former U.S. Senate Majority Whip Order of precedence of the United States
as former U.S. Senate Minority Whip 		Succeeded byas former U.S. Senator
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