Jon Kyl (as seen in Time magazine)

Sen. Jon Kyl has had something of a love/hate regard for a short Time magazine article that appeared on April 14, 2006. Rightly or wrongly, that three-paragraph piece has gone a long way toward defining his entire 21-year political career.

In fairness, it should be pointed out that Kyl himself is largely responsible for the article’s stature. It labeled him one of the “10 best” senators in the country, and Kyl repeated that line relentlessly in advertising during his multi-million-dollar re-election campaign against Jim Pederson last year.

Of course, the “10 best” line sits fine with him. But other lines in that article continue to irk him more than a year later. For example, the article also called him “The Operator” in reference to his mostly uncredited behind-the-scenes work in shaping legislation. In reference to immigration policy, Time commented, “Watch for Kyl to play a pivotal role – if not the most conspicuous one.”

Kyl argues that he never actively avoided the media’s glare during his time in the House and Senate. It just worked out that way. He told me he’s comfortable with the idea of becoming more of a high-profile public figure if he’s confirmed as the new Senate minority whip next week as expected. At a minimum, he will become a regular guest on the Sunday morning talking head TV shows and a sought-after interview for nightly newscasts.

Kyl said, “I have never avoided the media, but I’ve never sought it, either. I find I can be most affective if I’m just doing my job and not worrying about the publicity, so that’s the way I’ve tried to do my job. But of necessity, the job I have now, as conference chairman, is a position about messaging. It’s about meeting with the media and conveying the Republican message, so naturally, I’ve been out front a little bit more. And the position of whip or assistant leader, is likewise higher profile, so I’ll be, of necessity, a little bit higher profile, but it’s not something I necessarily sought.”

Kyl said, “None of the positions that I’ve had were the results of some grand plan. The opportunities presented themselves and they seemed like the right thing to do at the time. And in leadership, if you perform well, your colleagues turn to you naturally when other leadership positions open.”

And, um, a little personal recommendation here: Don’t even get Kyl started on the line in that same Time article that called him an “ultraconservative.”

President Bush with Trent Lott (left) and Jon Kyl (right)

Jon Kyl appears to have a short and easy path to become Senate minority whip, the No. 2 leadership position among Republicans. 

The Washington-based newspaper Roll Call reported today that Republican Senators will gather in a special conference meeting to conduct their leadership elections on Dec. 6. Roll Call cited an e-mail sent to members Tuesday night. 

Meanwhile, Jennifer Duffy, editor of The Cook Political Report, a Washington-based newsletter, told me this morning that no other GOP senators have appeared on the scene to challenge Kyl for the post. 

 “They’ve done a pretty good job of clearing the field for him and avoiding a contentious race, which frankly, the party doesn’t need right now,” she said.

For more on this, check out my story in the Thursday edition of the Tribune here: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/102936

Also, I will have one or two more items about Kyl here at Checking In later.

Lindsey Graham (left) and Jon Kyl (right), with Edward Kennedy

One reason Sen. Jon Kyl is getting plenty of juice for the Senate Republicans’ No. 2 post is that he knows how to work the system.

Consider this:

1) Newspapers from Arizona to Washington were onto the story that he was running for whip early Monday morning, even before the current whip, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi ,announced that he planned to retire before the end of the year. That’s evident because several newspapers, including the Tribune, posted stories before Lott’s public announcement.

2) When reporters from those same newspapers reached Kyl’s office in Phoenix, aides politely told them that Kyl was in the office, yet the third-term senator declined to discuss the topic. It’s understood that speaking about such things prematurely is against Washington protocol.

At this point, I’ll allow educated readers draw their own conclusions as to how all that occurred.

In contrast, one of Kyl’s close associates in the Senate, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, was available for comment.

“I’m a huge Jon Kyl fan. I think he’s one of the most talented people we have in the Republican conference,” Graham told me. “He’s one of our best strategic and tactical thinkers. I’ve enjoyed working with him. He possesses a real keen intellect. I think Jon is a very smart fellow that understands politics about as well as anybody I’ve met.”

Nobody was arguing that point Monday.

Jon Kyl (second from left) and Trent Lott (right) in the Senate

Sen. Jon Kyl’s likely ascension to the No. 2 leadership position among Senate Republicans finally will push Arizona’s junior senator out of Sen. John McCain’s shadow, according to Brooks Simpson, a history professor at Arizona State
University.

If Kyl suceeds Sen. Trent Lott in the position, and that seems to be a given at the moment, he’ll get plenty of prime-time air time.

“It does potentially a great deal for Kyl’s career because then he would become one of the talking heads all the time, instead of the second choice. He would become much more of the image of the Republican Party than he had been up to now. And I think this does allow him to establish nationally – not just among Republicans, not just in the Southwest – an identity apart from McCain,” said Simpson, who has studied the
U.S. presidency.

In fact, Kyl is better suited than McCain to become minority whip, because Kyl is widely viewed as a party loyalist.“Kyl wants to establish his own reputation independent of McCain, and that’s perfectly understandable. Kyl isn’t nearly as concerned about winning the label ‘maverick’ or attracting voters who are undecided, independent, or even some marginal Democrats, the way McCain is,” Simpson said.

“If you look at what we identify with McCain in terms of what he’s done as a senator, it’s stuff that’s bipartisan. What you want from your minority leader and whips and things like that are party loyalists who are negotiating always from a position of strength. It seems to me that McCain, since 2000, always has seen himself more of a national figure than as a representative Republican, whereas Kyl has embraced the image of party workhorse. And that’s what gets you rewarded in terms of party leadership positions,” Simpson said.

And not to be overlooked, the increased national stature that comes with the whip position will make Kyl more appealing for a GOP presidential nominee to tab him for the No. 2 slot on a presidential ticket in 2008 or 2012, Simpson said. In that scenario, Kyl could be expected to pick up the conservative branch of the party if a moderate ends up with the nomination; or he could be expected to attract Western voters if an Easterner wins the nomination. Or both.

One problem with the idea of Kyl as veep, at least from my observations covering Kyl’s 2006 Senate re-election campaign, is that he’s genuinely uncomfortable on the campaign trail. And that was just a statewide election. The job may appeal to him, but the process to get the job will not.

In the meantime, Kyl’s presumed new clout as whip will make McCain and Kyl the most influential pair of lawmakers from Arizona to serve together since the 1970s when John Rhodes Jr. served as House Republican whip while Barry Goldwater served in the Senate, Simpson said.

For more on Kyl’s flirtation with the whip post, read my story in the Tribune here: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/1…

Happy Thanksgiving

I’m checking out for a few days for the Thanksgiving holiday. Alas, unlike members of Congress who get two weeks off to count their blessings, I only get two days. I’ll just count faster.

Speaking of which, thanks for reading the blog. I’ll check in again on Friday, Nov. 23, with more news and notes about the people who want your votes.

John McCain

Matt Salmon’s observation last week that John McCain was going to have to fight to win the Republican presidential nomination in Arizona proved to be prophetic.

A Rocky Mountain Poll released Monday showed Rudy Giuliani has edged ahead of McCain among GOP voters. The margin was two percentage points, which is within the poll’s margin of error, but still…

Salmon is McCain’s Arizona campaign co-chairman.

The entire story about Giuliani leapfrogging Arizona’s favorite son ran in Tuesday’s East Valley Tribune. The article also can be accessed here: Posted in John McCain, Rudy Giulani, Surveys, polls and guesses | Comments Off