Jon Kyl
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| Jon Kyl | |
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Junior Senator
from Arizona |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 1995– Serving with John McCain |
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| Preceded by | Dennis DeConcini |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Incumbent (2013) |
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| Born | April 25, 1942 (age 64) Oakland, Nebraska |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Caryll Collins |
| 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 (born April 25, 1942) is the Republican junior U.S. Senator, representing Arizona.
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[edit] Background
Kyl was born in Oakland, Nebraska, the son of John Kyl, a United States Congressman 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'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. Kyl is married to Caryll Collins, with whom he has had two children, Kristine Kyl Gavin and John Kyl, as well as four grandchildren.
[edit] 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 a member of the House of Representatives from Arizona.
Kyl was reelected in 2000, without major-party opposition, and in 2006, defeating challenger Jim Pederson by just under ten points. He is considered to be a staunch conservative, [1] and was ranked by National Journal as the fourth-most conservative United States Senator in their March, 2007 conservative/liberal rankings[[1]].
Kyl is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security. He is also a member of the Finance Committee, where he is the ranking member on 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 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]
[edit] Online Gambling Ban
In September 2006, working with former congressman Jim Leach, Jon Kyl was a major House supporter of Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 picking up on his father John Kyl's pet cause. 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.[4]
[edit] 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 [5].
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.[6] 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.[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]
Kyl is the Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, making him the No. 3 Republican in the Senate.
[edit] 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
- ^ Nelson Rose: The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 Analyzed
- ^ 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
[edit] External links
- United States Senator Jon Kyl official Senate site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission - Jon L Kyl campaign finance reports and data
- New York Times - Jon Kyl News ongoing collection of news stories and commentary
- On the Issues - Jon Kyl issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org - Jon Kyl campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Jon Kyl (AZ) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Jon Kyl profile
- Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Jon Kyl voting record
- Jon Kyl for US Senate 2006 official campaign site
| 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 |
| Preceded by Rick Santorum |
Senate Republican Conference Chairman 2007 – |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress |
|---|
| Senators: John McCain (R), Jon Kyl (R)
Representative(s): Rick Renzi (R), Trent Franks (R), John Shadegg (R), Ed Pastor (D), Harry Mitchell (D), Jeff Flake (R), Raúl Grijalva (D), Gabrielle Giffords (D) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
