Sen. Kyl Gives Farewell After Short Senate Appointment

By Will Stone
Published: Wednesday, January 2, 2019 - 5:17pm
Updated: Thursday, January 3, 2019 - 10:12am

Arizona’s outgoing Senator Jon Kyl said he kept busy during his brief tenure in the U.S. Senate.

Kyl made his parting comments about four months after he was appointed to fill the late Sen. John McCain’s seat.

Kyl said he had focused on what was important to Arizona like national defense spending, border security, and regional land and water issues.

“I tried to do as much as I could to carry out the things that McCain had an interest in and wanted to do, as well as deal with new problems that were cropping up,” Kyl told reporters on Wednesday.  

He emphasized the need for incoming Senators — and former rival candidates — Krysten Sinema and Martha McSally to overcome the partisan divide and advance Arizona’s interests.

“They both have made a commitment to try to work together. If you can work together, you can accomplish a lot, a lot more certainly than when you’re working across purposes,” Kyl said.

Kyl had been serving as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C after retiring from the Senate in 2012.

Gov. Doug Ducey appointed McSally to the seat last month.