Kyl, 83, a former Republican senator from Arizona, announced that he is withdrawing from public life after receiving a dementia diagnosis, according to a statement he issued. He made the announcement in Phoenix, where he said his family and he are moving “down a path filled with moments of joy and increasing difficulties,” while also expressing gratitude for their support. Kyl said, “Despite this diagnosis, I remain a very fortunate man,” in remarks carried in an Associated Press report.
In Congress, Kyl spent nearly three decades representing Arizona, the AP said, including many years in the U.S. Senate. The report said those years included a term as Senate minority whip.
Kyl left the Senate in 2013 and later joined the lobbying firm Covington and Burling, according to the AP. In 2018, he was appointed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey, also a Republican, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of former Sen. John McCain; Kyl served for several months before returning to the lobbying firm.
Beyond his legislative career, the AP report described Kyl’s work on water policy as an area of policy influence even after he left the Senate. Sarah Porter of Arizona State University, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy named after him, said Kyl leveraged his expertise in Congress to help secure approval of tribal water-rights settlements.
The AP report also said Kyl “was an ‘important participant’” in negotiations that shaped Arizona’s water rules. It further described his role as a lobbyist in helping guide the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.