Jon Kyl: Remembering a lifelong friend and leader

Robert Robb

Submitted photo/Robert Robb

In Jon’s first campaign for reelection to the House, we coined the tagline: 'Honest, effective leadership.' I still think that well captures what made Jon so special, so successful and so missed by so many, even after he had been out of power for over a decade. No account of Jon’s public life would be complete without acknowledging the anchors in his private life that made the success in his public life possible. There were two: faith and family.”

OPINION — Jon Kyl was a close friend for all of my adult life. Prior to becoming a journalist, I was also part of his political team, serving, for example, as general chairman of his first campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1994.

Jon passed away on Sept. 17, 2026. Services were held for him at Valley Presbyterian Church, where he was a long-time member, Oct. 24. I was a eulogist. In my eulogy, I consciously avoided anything remotely touching on today’s politics. However, I will say this: This country desperately needs political leaders who conduct themselves in office the way Jon did. Below are my remarks:

A few years ago, Kim Wold told me that Jon had said that he wanted me to speak at his funeral.

Although 12 years my senior, at the time Jon seemed indestructible to me. When in town, he was still frequently climbing Camelback Mountain at a sprint and still making his annual ascent of Mount Baldy near his beloved cabin in Greer. I thought it far more likely that Jon would end up speaking at my funeral than I would at his.

But here we are. And I have to say: This is the most difficult thing Jon ever asked me to do. How to do justice to a man such as Jon Kyl or to the life he lived to the fullest?

In reflecting on what Jon might want me to say, I got a strong feeling that he would want me to remember and commemorate his public life.

And then, as news of Jon’s passing became known, the remembrances and tributes began pouring in, from all over the state and the country. And it was a torrent.

Jon was not a social media guy, to put it mildly. I don’t know whether becoming a trending topic on Twitter would have pleased or appalled him. But he became one.

Jon’s last year as an elected senator was 2012. Although he was appointed to briefly serve part of John McCain’s term after McCain’s passing, it has been 14 years since Jon was part of the congressional leadership. In a field, politics, in which yesterday can be a lifetime ago.

And yet, the flood of remembrances and tributes continued. And there was a consistency to them. What Jon had accomplished, but more importantly, how he had accomplished it. His expertise. The way he conducted himself. What motivated him. The way he treated people.

And I realized that my role as a eulogist was largely superfluous. Jon was remembered the way he would want to be remembered … the way he deserves to be remembered.

And that’s because Jon Kyl was authentic. He was the real deal.

Jon was what Margaret Thatcher called a “conviction politician.” Jon had a set of principles about what constituted good and sound governance. These were not political talking points for Jon. They were deeply held and rooted convictions.

The fullest expression I ever heard Jon give to these principles and convictions was in his farewell address to the Senate upon his retirement in 2012. It was quintessential Jon Kyl: short on sentimentality, getting right down to business. He identified what he regarded as the important challenges and issues before the country and the policies and principles he thought should guide the response.

If you haven’t seen or read the speech, and want to do something more to remember and honor him, watching or reading it would be a meaningful option. It was Jon’s own summation of the purpose of his public life.

Jon was not a natural politician. His only motivation for running for office was to be in a position to help move public policy in the direction he thought best for the country and the state. Electoral politics was the way to have that opportunity most directly. So, he became exceptionally good at it. He stood for election seven times and won comfortably each time, in election cycles that favored his political party and in ones that disfavored it.

Jon was a natural policy wonk. He immersed himself in the details of any issue he took on or that came before him.

If you found yourself in disagreement with Jon about some issue, you knew three things. First, he had studied the issue thoroughly. Second, with rare exceptions, he knew more about it than you did. And third, and most importantly, he made the decision he thought best for the country and the state.

Jon was also a natural policymaker. He mastered the art of legislating. He was skilled and resourceful at influencing executive branch policies and actions. He always knew his brief. His motivation was transparent. Those he interacted with didn’t have to peek around any corners in search of traps or hidden agendas. His interest was in governing, and he was universally respected and acclaimed for how productive and effective he was at it.

I was moved by the simple poignancy of something Susan Collins said in her tribute to Jon upon his Senate retirement in 2012. “None of us,” she said, “has ever heard Jon try to win an argument by belittling or berating an opponent. It is simply not in his character to do so.”

In Jon’s first campaign for reelection to the House, we coined the tagline: “Honest, effective leadership.” I still think that well captures what made Jon so special, so successful and so missed by so many, even after he had been out of power for over a decade.

No account of Jon’s public life would be complete without acknowledging the anchors in his private life that made the success in his public life possible. There were two: faith and family.

Jon was a deeply religious man. He didn’t make it part of his political persona, but it was the animating force in his life. He immersed himself in prayer groups in Washington and at home in Phoenix. He was a devoted member of this church. One of the last great causes of his life was leading the effort to enable this church to chart its future.

For a public figure, Jon was a very private man. His family was his sanctuary, the foundation of his life.

Jon was always well-centered, but never more so than when he was with his family. Jon was just a little bit different when he was with his family, or when he was talking about them.

Abraham Lincoln famously appealed to the “better angels of our nature.” Jon was always in touch with, and guided by, the better angels of his nature. And now, Jon is among the angels.

As he was making his transition from this life to the next, I am confident that he heard the words that would mean more to him than any other: Well-done, my good and faithful servant.

Retired Arizona journalist Robert Robb opines about politics and public policy. Reach him at robtrobb@gmail.com. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to azopinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.