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Updated Dec. 30, 2025, 8:04 p.m. MT
- Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl has been diagnosed with dementia and will be stepping back from public life.
- The Arizona Republican served four terms in the House and three terms in the Senate, where he became the GOP minority whip.
- Known for his work on water policy, a center at Arizona State University was named in his honor.
Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, has been diagnosed with dementia and will step back from public life, he said in a statement.
Kyl, 83, was one of Arizona’s most powerful leaders on Capitol Hill for years. He served alongside the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, and is respected as a conservative workhorse and a statesman.
“I was blessed to represent the people of Arizona in Congress and to have numerous other opportunities to contribute to the political and civic life of our nation and state,” Kyl said in a statement. “However, the time has come for me to withdraw from public life. I have been diagnosed with a neurological disease manifesting as dementia.”
Kyl served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1987 to 1995, three terms in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2013, and made an unexpected four-month Senate comeback in 2018 after McCain’s death.
“My family and I now head down a path filled with moments of joy and increasing difficulties. I am grateful beyond expression for their love and support, in these coming days as in all the days of my life,” Kyl said.
“Despite this diagnosis, I remain a very fortunate man.”
Kyl served in Senate during turbulent time
Kyl’s Senate career spanned a turbulent time in American history, including former President Bill Clinton’s 1999 Senate impeachment trial, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the 2008 financial crash.
In late 2007, Kyl was elected by his fellow Republicans to the rank of minority whip, making him the highest-ranking Arizonan on the Hill since Rep. John Rhodes was House Republican leader from 1973 to 1981.
Kyl sat on the influential Senate Finance and Judiciary committees, where he was able to influence tax issues and judicial nominations.
A former attorney specializing in water law, Kyl also helped to negotiate and facilitate several landmark Indian water-rights settlements, including the historic Arizona Water Settlements Act that former President George W. Bush signed into law in 2004.
Bush had considered Kyl as a running mate in 2000 and praised him as a “highly intelligent man” when Kyl retired.
“Sen. Jon Kyl served the people of Arizona with distinction,” Bush said. “He is a highly intelligent man who was well-briefed on the key issues of our time. He earned respect not only in the Senate, but in the White House during my presidency.”
Kyl was named one of “America’s Best Senators” by Time in 2006, and he landed on the magazine’s “Time 100” list of the world’s most influential people in 2010. The Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill included him among the “25 Hardest Working Lawmakers.”
A focus on water stewardship
After he retired from the Senate, The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute was established in 2014. The center was named for Kyl, a leader in water law and policy. The center is part of Arizona State University and is focused on promoting water stewardship for Arizona and the West.
Kyl would return briefly to the upper chamber four years later, after McCain died from brain cancer in 2018. Kyl filled McCain’s seat for several months at the request of then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
Kyl was fiercely loyal to McCain and worked hard on the Arizona Republican’s 2008 presidential and 2010 reelection campaigns.
During his return to the Senate, Kyl voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s controversial nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Before his appointment, Kyl had served as Kavanaugh’s “sherpa,” helping him navigate the Senate’s confirmation process.
Kyl performed the same role in 2017 for then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, whom Trump had nominated to be attorney general.
Born in the Midwest, Kyl came to Arizona for college
Kyl was born in Nebraska and grew up in Iowa, where his father was a congressman.
Kyl came to Arizona at age 18 to attend the University of Arizona. He met his wife, Caryll Kyl, at the university. She worked as a nurse to support Kyl through law school. They later moved to Phoenix to raise their two children.
In his statement, Kyl quoted the late President Ronald Reagan’s letter announcing his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 1994.
Reagan had said that he was headed into the “sunset of my life” and “that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”
“I share Reagan’s confidence about the future, for the country and for our state,” Kyl said. “I am also comforted by knowing that my Redeemer lives. We will not be walking this path alone.”
Kyl is at home and resting, said Gordon James, one of his longtime public relations advisers.
Accolades pour in for former senator
Ducey called Kyl “a mentor, a friend and a confidant.”
Ducey, a Republican, said on X, “Not sure I would have been Governor without his counsel and encouragement. Senator Jon Kyl is a giant set forth in the tradition of Arizona’s own Barry Goldwater. All my deepest love and prayers to him and the entire Kyl family.”
Jeff Flake, Kyl’s successor in the U.S. Senate, echoed those words. Flake most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.
“Words cannot express the respect, admiration and love that my entire family has for Senator Kyl. Arizona and the nation have been so blessed to have his wise and steady leadership for so many years. May God bless Jon, Caryll and all of the Kyl family,” Flake, a Republican, said on X.
U.S. Sen Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, said on X, “I’m sorry to hear about Senator Jon Kyl’s diagnosis. He served Arizona for decades and played an important role in issues like water security that continue to shape our state. I thank him for his years of public service and wish him and his family strength.”
In a statement on X, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry said, “Jon Kyl represents the best of Arizona and the nation” and sent best wishes to the Kyl family.
“The Arizona Chamber is stronger today in large part because of Sen. Kyl’s leadership, advocacy, and long-standing commitment to this state,” the statement said. “While we are deeply saddened by this news, it comes as no surprise that he is handling his diagnosis with the same grace and dignity that he displayed throughout his career representing Arizona.”
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her via email at [email protected] and on social media @stephanie_murr.
Dan Nowicki is The Arizona Republic’s national political editor. Follow him on X.com at @dannowicki.
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Updated Dec. 30, 2025, 8:04 p.m. MT
- Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl has been diagnosed with dementia and will be stepping back from public life.
- The Arizona Republican served four terms in the House and three terms in the Senate, where he became the GOP minority whip.
- Known for his work on water policy, a center at Arizona State University was named in his honor.
Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, has been diagnosed with dementia and will step back from public life, he said in a statement.
Kyl, 83, was one of Arizona’s most powerful leaders on Capitol Hill for years. He served alongside the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, and is respected as a conservative workhorse and a statesman.
“I was blessed to represent the people of Arizona in Congress and to have numerous other opportunities to contribute to the political and civic life of our nation and state,” Kyl said in a statement. “However, the time has come for me to withdraw from public life. I have been diagnosed with a neurological disease manifesting as dementia.”
Kyl served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1987 to 1995, three terms in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2013, and made an unexpected four-month Senate comeback in 2018 after McCain’s death.
“My family and I now head down a path filled with moments of joy and increasing difficulties. I am grateful beyond expression for their love and support, in these coming days as in all the days of my life,” Kyl said.
“Despite this diagnosis, I remain a very fortunate man.”
Kyl served in Senate during turbulent time
Kyl’s Senate career spanned a turbulent time in American history, including former President Bill Clinton’s 1999 Senate impeachment trial, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the 2008 financial crash.
In late 2007, Kyl was elected by his fellow Republicans to the rank of minority whip, making him the highest-ranking Arizonan on the Hill since Rep. John Rhodes was House Republican leader from 1973 to 1981.
Kyl sat on the influential Senate Finance and Judiciary committees, where he was able to influence tax issues and judicial nominations.
A former attorney specializing in water law, Kyl also helped to negotiate and facilitate several landmark Indian water-rights settlements, including the historic Arizona Water Settlements Act that former President George W. Bush signed into law in 2004.
Bush had considered Kyl as a running mate in 2000 and praised him as a “highly intelligent man” when Kyl retired.
“Sen. Jon Kyl served the people of Arizona with distinction,” Bush said. “He is a highly intelligent man who was well-briefed on the key issues of our time. He earned respect not only in the Senate, but in the White House during my presidency.”
Kyl was named one of “America’s Best Senators” by Time in 2006, and he landed on the magazine’s “Time 100” list of the world’s most influential people in 2010. The Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill included him among the “25 Hardest Working Lawmakers.”
A focus on water stewardship
After he retired from the Senate, The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute was established in 2014. The center was named for Kyl, a leader in water law and policy. The center is part of Arizona State University and is focused on promoting water stewardship for Arizona and the West.
Kyl would return briefly to the upper chamber four years later, after McCain died from brain cancer in 2018. Kyl filled McCain’s seat for several months at the request of then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
Kyl was fiercely loyal to McCain and worked hard on the Arizona Republican’s 2008 presidential and 2010 reelection campaigns.
During his return to the Senate, Kyl voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s controversial nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Before his appointment, Kyl had served as Kavanaugh’s “sherpa,” helping him navigate the Senate’s confirmation process.
Kyl performed the same role in 2017 for then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, whom Trump had nominated to be attorney general.
Born in the Midwest, Kyl came to Arizona for college
Kyl was born in Nebraska and grew up in Iowa, where his father was a congressman.
Kyl came to Arizona at age 18 to attend the University of Arizona. He met his wife, Caryll Kyl, at the university. She worked as a nurse to support Kyl through law school. They later moved to Phoenix to raise their two children.
In his statement, Kyl quoted the late President Ronald Reagan’s letter announcing his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 1994.
Reagan had said that he was headed into the “sunset of my life” and “that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”
“I share Reagan’s confidence about the future, for the country and for our state,” Kyl said. “I am also comforted by knowing that my Redeemer lives. We will not be walking this path alone.”
Kyl is at home and resting, said Gordon James, one of his longtime public relations advisers.
Accolades pour in for former senator
Ducey called Kyl “a mentor, a friend and a confidant.”
Ducey, a Republican, said on X, “Not sure I would have been Governor without his counsel and encouragement. Senator Jon Kyl is a giant set forth in the tradition of Arizona’s own Barry Goldwater. All my deepest love and prayers to him and the entire Kyl family.”
Jeff Flake, Kyl’s successor in the U.S. Senate, echoed those words. Flake most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.
“Words cannot express the respect, admiration and love that my entire family has for Senator Kyl. Arizona and the nation have been so blessed to have his wise and steady leadership for so many years. May God bless Jon, Caryll and all of the Kyl family,” Flake, a Republican, said on X.
U.S. Sen Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, said on X, “I’m sorry to hear about Senator Jon Kyl’s diagnosis. He served Arizona for decades and played an important role in issues like water security that continue to shape our state. I thank him for his years of public service and wish him and his family strength.”
In a statement on X, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry said, “Jon Kyl represents the best of Arizona and the nation” and sent best wishes to the Kyl family.
“The Arizona Chamber is stronger today in large part because of Sen. Kyl’s leadership, advocacy, and long-standing commitment to this state,” the statement said. “While we are deeply saddened by this news, it comes as no surprise that he is handling his diagnosis with the same grace and dignity that he displayed throughout his career representing Arizona.”
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her via email at [email protected] and on social media @stephanie_murr.
Dan Nowicki is The Arizona Republic’s national political editor. Follow him on X.com at @dannowicki.
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