Jon Kyl
| Jon Kyl | |
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| 1995–Present | |
| Political party: | Republican |
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| Preceded by: | Dennis DeConcini |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2013) |
| Born: | April 25, 1942 Oakland, Nebraska |
| Spouse: | Caryll Collins |
| 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 (born April 25, 1942) is a Republican U.S. Senator, representing Arizona.
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Background
Kyl was born in Oakland, Nebraska, the son of John Kyl, a United States House of Representatives U.S. Representative for Iowa. Kyl earned a bachelor's degree in 1964 from the University of Arizona, graduating with honors. There he became a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He then earned a law degree in 1966 at the University of Arizona, 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. Kyl is married to Caryll Collins, with whom he has had two children, Kristine Kyl Gavin and John Kyl, as well as four grandchildren.
Political career
Kyl served in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995. He was first elected to the Senate in 1994, easily defeating Samuel G. Coppersmith(D), then an Arizona member of the House of Representatives.
Kyl was re-elected in 2000, without major-party opposition. He is considered to be a staunch conservative. [1]
Kyl is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security. He is also a member of the Finance Committee, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight.
As chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, he is one of six members of the Senate Republican Leadership.
In February 2006, Kyl joined Senator Lindsey Graham in filing an amicus brief in the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case, which appears to have been an attempt to mislead the Supreme Court by presenting an “extensive colloquy” added to the Congressional record but not included in the Dec 21st debate as evidence that "Congress was aware" that the Detainee Treatment Act would strip the Supreme Court of jurisdiction to hear "pending cases, including this case" brought by the Guantanamo detainees..[2]
In April 2006, Kyl, along with the state's senior senator, John McCain, was selected by TIME as one of "America's 10 Best Senators"; the magazine cited his successful behind-the-scene efforts as head of the Republican policy committee.[3]
2006 re-election campaign
On November 7, 2006, Kyl defeated real estate developer and former Arizona Democratic Party chairman Jim Pederson in the race to claim Arizona's junior Senate seat [4].
The race was one of the most expensive in Arizona history. As of May 7th, Kyl's campaign had raised over $9 million primarily from private donations and large fundraising dinners. Pederson's campaign raised over $5 million primarily through a dinner event with former President Clinton and a $2 million donation from Pederson himself.
A major issue in the campaign was combating illegal immigration. While in the Senate, Kyl co-sponsored 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.[5] Since this legislation was opposed by Senator McCain, Pederson has tried to use the issue as a way of allying with McCain and dividing the Republicans in Arizona.[6] 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. [7]
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. [8]
When the Senate resumes January 3, 2007, Kyl will have the added responsibilites as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, making him the No. 3 Republican in the Senate.
References
- ^ Nelson, Robert. Stealth Zealot. Phoenix New Times. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
- ^ Invisibile Men : Did Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl mislead the Supreme Court?, by Emily Bazelon -- Slate Magazine
- ^ Jon Kyl: The Operator, an April 2006 TIME magazine article
- ^ http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/155007
- ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190550,00.html
- ^ http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/148147
- ^ http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0919kyl-amnesty0919.html
- ^ http://news.com.com/2102-1028_3-6129719.html?tag=st.util.print
External links
- Kyl's official Senate website
- Jon Kyl's official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| Preceded by: Eldon D. Rudd | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 4th congressional district 1987–1995 | Succeeded by: John B. Shadegg |
| Preceded by: Dennis DeConcini | United States Senator (Class 1) from Arizona 1995 – present Served alongside: John McCain | Incumbent |
Categories
1942 births | Arizona lawyers | Living people | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona | People from Nebraska | Pi Kappa Alpha brothers | American Presbyterians | United States Senators from Arizona | University of Arizona