Jon Kyl

Jon Kyl
United States Senator from Arizona
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1995 Serving with John McCain
Preceded by	Dennis DeConcini
25th United States Senate Minority Whip
Incumbent
Assumed office  December 19, 2007
Leader	Mitch McConnell
Preceded by	Trent Lott
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 4th district
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Eldon D. Rudd
Succeeded by	John Shadegg
Born	April 25, 1942 (1942-04-25) (age 68) Oakland, Nebraska
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Caryll L. Collins
Children	Kristine Kyl Gavin John Kyl
Residence	Phoenix, Arizona
Alma mater	University of Arizona
Occupation	Attorney
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Presbyterian

This page is about the current Arizona Senator; for his father, a U.S. Representative from Iowa, see John Kyl; for a U.S. Representative from Mississippi with a similar name, see John Kyle.

Jon Llewellyn Kyl (pronounced /ˈkaɪl/) (born April 25, 1942^[1]) is the Republican junior U.S. Senator representing Arizona. He is currently the Senate Minority Whip, tasked with maintaining party discipline. Jon Kyl was born in the Midwest and moved to Arizona for college and law school. He later married and launched his career in Arizona. He ran for the House of Representatives in 1986 and then the United States Senate in 1994. He has been in the Senate since 1995.

In 2010, Sen. Kyl was recognized as one of the 2010 Time 100^[2] most influential people in the world.

Background

Kyl was born in Oakland, Nebraska, the son of Arlene Pearl (née Griffith) and John Henry Kyl,^[3] a teacher at Nebraska State Teachers College. His father served as a Congressman from Iowa after moving his family to Bloomfield, Iowa. After graduating from high school in 1960, Kyl attended the University of Arizona where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1964, graduating with honors. Kyl is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. 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.^[4]

Kyl is married to Caryll Collins, with whom he has had two children, Kristine Kyl Gavin and John Kyl. He has four grandchildren, Frances Kyl, Christopher Gavin, Jonathan Kyl, and Alicia Gavin.

U.S House of Representatives

Kyl served in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995. He won his initial election in 1986 against Democrat Philip R. Davis, 64.5% to 35.5%; won in 1988 against Gary Sprunk of the Libertarian party, 87% to 13%, and won in 1990 against Democrat Mark Ivey, Jr., 61% to 39%.

U.S. Senate

Elections

1994 and 2000

Kyl was first elected to the Senate in 1994, 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 reelected in 2000 without major-party opposition, with 79.3% of the vote. Independent William Toel got 7.8%; Green Party candidate Vance Hansen also got 7.8%; and Barry Hess of the Libertarian Party got 5.1%.

2006 re-election campaign

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.^[5] Kyl won with 53.3% of the vote; Pederson received 43.5%; and Libertarian Party candidate Richard Mack received 3.2%.

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.[1]

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.^[6] Since fellow Arizona Senator John McCain opposed this legislation, Pederson tried to use the issue as a way of allying with McCain and dividing the Republicans in Arizona.^[7] 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.^[8]

Kyl appeared in the U.S. national news near the end of the campaign as an example of a case where some bloggers were attempting to influence search engine results for searches on Kyl's name, using Google bombs.^[9]

Leadership positions

Kyl has been 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.^[10] 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 Republican to hold such a powerful leadership position.

Political positions and actions

Kyl is considered to be a conservative,^[11] and was ranked by National Journal as the fourth-most conservative United States Senator in their March 2007 conservative/liberal rankings.^[12]

Senator 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, Senators 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.^[13] The act also offered sanctions against government officials who wantonly and willfully refused to comply with the Crime Victims' Rights Act. Senators Kyl and Feinstein described their collaboration as a high point of bipartisan collaboration in their careers. In front of the Senate, Senator Kyl said "This legislation would not be before us today without Senator Feinstein. That is simply a fact. For all of the hard work we have put in with her cooperation and her commitment to this, I thank Senator Feinstein deeply. She knows that bond of trust will continue to exist between us."^[14] Senator Kyl continued his support for victims rights, proposing, on June 29, 2007, a bill revising the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to enhance procedures for victims, guaranteeing a right to be free of delay and procedures to protect victim privacy.^[15]

In February 2006, Kyl joined Senator Lindsey Graham in filing an amicus brief in the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case. The brief presented to the Supreme Court of the United States an "extensive colloquy" added to the Congressional record. It was not, however, included in the December 21st 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.^[16]

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.^[17]

In September 2006, working with then-Congressman Jim Leach, Jon 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, the gambling provisions had not been debated by any Congressional committee, although the general issue had been debated in multiple times in the past.^[18] When the Obama administration delayed publication of the associated regulations 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.^[19]

In February 2009 Kyl invited the Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders to show his film Fitna in the Capitol building in Washington.^[20]

In April 2009, Kyl opposed the nomination of Kathleen Sebelius for Secretary of Health and Human Services because of the Obama administration's support for research on the comparative effectiveness of various disease treatments^[21].

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship
• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
  • Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-Term Growth (Ranking Member)

See also

• Matt Latimer, staffer for Kyl 2001-2004

References

External links

• United States Senator Jon Kyl, U.S. Senate site
• Jon Kyl for US Senate 2006, Campaign site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia

United States Senators from Arizona Class 1: Ashurst • McFarland • Goldwater • Fannin • DeConcini • Kyl Class 3: Smith • Cameron • Hayden • Goldwater • McCain

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