Senator Jon Kyl remembered

For Tucson and Southern Arizona, the death of former Senator Jon Kyl removes a political figure whose work reached into some of the region’s most consequential challenges, from water supply and public lands to trade with Mexico. Kyl, who died at 84, was remembered as a leader who helped Arizona address the demands of building and sustaining modern communities in a difficult desert environment.

Those who worked with Kyl described him as a politician guided by a consistent sense of responsibility rather than by political theatrics. Jake Logan, who spent more than 30 years around Kyl as a campaign manager and later as a senior staffer, said Kyl’s guiding principle was to do what he believed was right. That approach, Logan said, shaped both Kyl’s decisions and his ability to work with people across political lines.

That reputation for cooperation was especially significant in Congress, where Arizona’s needs often required agreement among lawmakers with different priorities. Congressman Juan Ciscomani recalled working with Kyl after the death of Senator John McCain. Then Governor Doug Ducey appointed Kyl to return to the Senate and complete part of McCain’s term. At the time, Ciscomani was working on border matters as head of the Arizona-Mexico Commission.

Ciscomani said Kyl showed how negotiations could produce results without turning political disagreements into personal attacks. His approach, as remembered by Ciscomani, relied on working privately with members of both parties, treating opponents respectfully and avoiding public criticism of those he was trying to persuade. That combination of patience, courtesy and persistence left an impression on people in Washington, Ciscomani said.

For Arizona, one of Kyl’s most important areas of expertise was water. Before entering Congress, he worked as a water attorney, giving him a background in the legal and policy questions surrounding the state’s limited supply. In a desert state where population growth and development depend on securing dependable water resources, that experience informed his work on an issue central to Arizona’s future.

Logan identified Kyl’s work on water as one of the senator’s most lasting contributions. The issue was not simply another legislative concern for Kyl, Logan said. His earlier career gave him an understanding of the complicated laws and competing interests involved in ensuring that Arizona could continue to grow and function in an arid environment.

Kyl was also remembered for his attention to Arizona’s public lands. Logan said Kyl worked to protect places including the Grand Canyon and the state’s national forests. Those landscapes are important to Arizona’s identity and economy, but they also involve difficult debates over development, conservation and public access. Kyl’s record, as described by those who knew him, included an effort to balance the state’s need for growth with the responsibility to preserve its most significant natural areas.

His work also had a direct connection to Southern Arizona’s relationship with Mexico. Logan pointed to Kyl’s role in improving the port of entry in Nogales, a project that helped support commerce across the border. For residents and businesses in the region, the border is not an abstract national policy question. It is part of daily life, affecting trade, employment and the movement of people and goods. The Nogales project was one example of Kyl’s involvement in practical infrastructure with regional consequences.

That range of concerns, from water and conservation to border commerce, helps explain why Kyl’s influence was remembered as extending well beyond Washington debates. He was involved in issues that shaped how Arizona communities live, work and connect with neighboring regions. His supporters viewed him as someone who understood the state’s particular challenges and brought that knowledge to national office.

The tributes also raised a broader question about the kind of political leadership Arizona may see in the future. Ciscomani said Kyl’s negotiating skills, his respect for people on the other side of an issue and his willingness to work quietly for an outcome were still discussed in Washington. Those who knew Kyl believe that style remains possible in politics, even as public debate becomes more combative. For Tucson and the rest of Arizona, his death marks the loss of a statesman remembered not only for the offices he held, but for the manner in which he represented the state.