Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl has died. He was 84. Kyl announced his withdrawal from public life late last year, after being diagnosed with dementia.
Kyl served two stints in the U.S. Senate. he retired in 2013, but was later appointed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey to fill the remainder of Sen. John McCain’s term after he died.
In a statement, Kyl’s family says he “belonged to all of Arizona, a state he loved and explored with vigor, curiosity, and wonder.”
Former Sen. Jeff Flake, who also served as ambassador to Türkiye during the Biden administration, joined The Show to talk about Kyl’s life and legacy.
Full conversation
MARK BRODIE: Ambassador Flake, good morning.
JEFF FLAKE: Good morning.
MARK BRODIE: Do you remember the first time you met Jon Kyl?
JEFF FLAKE: Oh, yes. That would have been in the 1990s —
MARK BRODIE: And what was that like?
JEFF FLAKE: Well, I respected him greatly. I was chairman or director of the Goldwater Institute at that time and had not yet gone to Congress. But Jon Kyl was just going to the Senate at that time. And he had already served Arizona in the House. And let me just say, there has been no more committed public servant for Arizona and for Arizona’s needs than Jon Kyl over the years.
Arizona has lost a giant. Jon Kyl was one of the most diligent and effective public servants Arizona has ever had. I was honored to follow him in the U.S. Senate, where his example of seriousness, integrity and devotion to public service was known to all. Cheryl and I send our…
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) September 17, 2026
MARK BRODIE: What stood out to you working alongside him? Because, as you referenced, you did go to the House while he was in the Senate. What was that working relationship like? What were some of the issues that you guys worked together on?
JEFF FLAKE: Well, Jon never sought the limelight, ever. He was always the workhorse. He did, I think it was nine Indian water settlements during his years. Those are tough, intricate negotiations that went on to make sure that the Indian tribes had the water that they deserved and that Arizona could also grow as a state. And that just personified him, working on those issues that weren't, you know, sexy or anything, but just required a lot of work. That was Jon.
MARK BRODIE: OK. So you mentioned the phrase “workhorse,” and there’s often, you know, sort of a conventional wisdom that states can have senators can be workhorses or showhorses. Did Sen. Kyl acknowledge the workhorse title? Because that was something that a lot of people used to describe him. How did he feel about that?
JEFF FLAKE: Yeah, well, he would never admit to anything that praised him. He was just a humble man who worked hard and was extremely effective and well-respected. I had the difficulty of ... going and following him in the Senate and trying to fill those shoes, and that was a difficult thing.
And then, as you mentioned in the intro, he came back after Sen. McCain passed away and served for another few months, and I got to serve with him again. And I can tell you, it was just a pleasure all the time. And I talked to him just late last year when he was withdrawing from public life, and we had a wonderful conversation talking about some of the work that he had done. And I made sure that he knew how appreciative that all of us are for his hard work.
MARK BRODIE: Did you go to him for advice? You mentioned that you replaced him in the Senate. Did you ask him for any kind of advice before you joined that chamber?
JEFF FLAKE: You bet. And when I went to the House, before I was elected to the House, he gave me the best advice I ever got. He told me, he said, “When you get there,” he said, “make sure your family is involved.” He said, “They will either resent your service, or they will revel in it.” And that, I made sure to do that. My wife, Cheryl, you know, I commuted back to D.C., but she made sure the kids were there for the important events, and we did it as a family ... because that would be something that the family would resent if they weren't involved and didn't know of it. And that was the best advice I ever got.
MARK BRODIE: So you mentioned you had the opportunity to speak with him late last year. Do you have a sense of maybe what he is most proud of or what issues he was most glad to have been able to work on?
JEFF FLAKE: Oh, certainly. All Western states have similar kind of issues: public lands issues, water issues. And those, you know, it takes a workhorse and somebody who isn't interested in the limelight to get down in the weeds of. And I think that that would be what he’s most proud of, that Arizona has been able to grow responsibly and sustainably. And it’s his adopted state, and we’re sure glad that he decided to move to Arizona when he did.
MARK BRODIE: One of the other things that he was kind of known for was, sort of in the legal world, being involved in helping nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court. I’m wondering if you can sort of speak to his legacy in terms of what the court looks like now and his role in who’s there and who’s not.
JEFF FLAKE: Yes. Well, Jon Kyl was very much a conservative, and he was, as you mentioned, he was instrumental, always on the Judiciary Committee. And afterward being asked by the White House to be the sherpa to bring certain nominees through. And there was nobody more effective than Jon Kyl in doing that, because he had so much respect from his colleagues and his former colleagues. And so he was very effective in that, and he would be proud that it’s a conservative court.
/ kyl.senate.gov
MARK BRODIE: So when you think back on what Jon Kyl has meant to both the U.S. Senate — an institution I know that you also care deeply about, and the state of Arizona — what comes to mind for you?
JEFF FLAKE: Well, I mean, the Senate and the entire U.S. government relies on public servants who are there to serve a cause greater than their own self-interest. And he certainly personified that. He was the consummate public servant. In it, you know, he could have made a lot more money and been a lot more comfortable doing something else, but he was a true public servant, and Arizona benefited significantly.
MARK BRODIE: All right. We’ll have to leave it there. That is former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, also ambassador, helping us remember former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, who has passed away at the age of 84. Ambassador Flake, thanks so much for your time and your insights. I appreciate it.
JEFF FLAKE: Thank you very much.
