Arizona has lost one of the finest public servants it has ever known, and Center for Arizona Policy has lost a dear friend.
Senator Jon Kyl dedicated nearly three decades of his life to representing the people of Arizona in Congress — first in the House, then in the Senate, where he rose to become one of the most respected and effective leaders of his generation. Time magazine named him one of America’s Ten Best Senators, and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle looked to him for wisdom, integrity, and steady conviction. Yet for all his influence, Jon Kyl never sought the spotlight. He sought to do what was right.
At Center for Arizona Policy, we knew Senator Kyl as more than a political leader. We knew him as a principled ally in the work of defending life, strengthening marriage and family, and protecting the religious freedom of every Arizonan. He championed the confirmation of constitutionalist justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. He used his farewell address on the Senate floor to deliver one of the most stirring defenses of marriage and family we have ever heard from an elected official. And throughout his career, his door was always open to those working in the trenches of state-level policy. CAP was honored to create the Jon Kyl Statesman Award in his name — because no one better exemplified what it means to lead with both courage and character.
When Senator Kyl shared news of his dementia diagnosis last December, he reminded us who he was one final time. He did not complain. He did not waver. He expressed gratitude for his family, confidence in Arizona’s future, and faith in his Redeemer. “I am also comforted by knowing that my Redeemer lives,” he wrote. “We will not be walking this path alone.”
Today, we take comfort in the same promise. Senator Kyl walks now in the presence of the Savior he confessed.
On behalf of Center for Arizona Policy and the thousands of Arizona families who are freer today because of his service, we extend our deepest gratitude and our prayers to his wife, Caryll, their children, and their grandchildren.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.”
— 2 Timothy 4:7–8
Jon Kyl fought the good fight. He finished the race. And we are confident he has received his crown.
Well done, good and faithful servant.