Jon Kyl, a Republican from Arizona who served in both chambers of Congress for nearly 30 years, said on Tuesday that he was diagnosed with dementia.
Mr. Kyl, 83, was one of the Republican Party’s most consequential Senate leaders of his era. He began his Congressional career in the House of Representatives in 1987, won a Senate seat in 1994 and became a top Republican in the chamber.
In a statement released by his office, Mr. Kyl expressed gratitude for his political career.
“However, the time has come for me to withdraw from public life. I have been diagnosed with a neurological disease manifesting as dementia,” he said.
Mr. Kyl retired from the Senate in 2013 and became a lobbyist with the law firm Covington & Burling. He returned to Congress briefly in 2018 after he was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator John McCain.
Mr. Ducey, who left office in 2023, praised Mr. Kyl after the announcement, comparing him to Barry Goldwater, the former Arizona senator widely seen as the founder of the modern conservative movement.
When Mr. Kyl was chosen to fill Mr. McCain’s seat in 2018, he was viewed as acceptable to both those who admired Mr. McCain and those loyal to President Trump.
Born in Nebraska, Mr. Kyl moved to Arizona at 18 to attend the University of Arizona, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees. He was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in 1966. He also served as a lobbyist for a law firm in the state before entering politics.
The University of Arizona said after Mr. Kyl’s announcement on Tuesday that it had been chosen as the steward of his papers.
John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news.
The post Jon Kyl, Former Arizona Senator, Says He Has Dementia appeared first on New York Times.
