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Jon Kyl Announces Dementia Diagnosis, Steps Back From Public Life

The 83-year-old former Arizona senator framed the disclosure with gratitude, expressing faith, with a request for privacy.

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2018, photo, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., waits to be sworn in as a U.S. Senator by Vice President Mike Pence in at the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
FILE - Former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, left, and Bruce Babbitt, right, former Arizona Republican governor and secretary of the Interior, wave to the crowd as they are recognized during Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's state of the state address Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin,File)
Former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., vice chair, Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, testifies during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the "findings of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States," in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 19, 2023.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (left) and Sen. Jon Kyl

Overview

  • Kyl disclosed he has a neurological disease manifesting as dementia in an official statement released by his office via PR Newswire.
  • He said he will withdraw from public life immediately, and the family requested no additional comment.
  • The Arizona Republican served nearly three decades in Congress, including a stint as Senate minority whip.
  • He left the Senate in 2013, briefly returned in 2018 after Gov. Doug Ducey appointed him to fill John McCain’s seat, then rejoined Covington & Burling.
  • Reporting highlights his work on Arizona water policy, his help with the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, and his post-Senate lobbying portfolio.