Jim Kolbe, a Republican Congressman who represented Arizona for more than two decades, has passed away at 80 years old.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement that Kolbe died Saturday. Ducey ordered flags lowered until sunset Sunday.
Kolbe served in the Arizona Legislature before being elected in 1984 to Congress to represent a Democrat-leaning region of the state.
According to Politico, Kolbe started his political career at 15 as a page for the late U.S Sen. Barry Goldwater in Washington and later served on the board that oversees the page program. He attended Northwestern University and then Stanford, earning a master’s degree in economics.
“He once said he was ‘born for the job,’” Ducey said in a statement. “He certainly was and Arizona is better for it.”
Others praised Kolbe for mentoring aspirants to political office and environmental advocates.
“Pima County and southern Arizona could always count on Jim Kolbe,” Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bronson said in a statement.
Kolbe retired from Congress when his 11th term ended in 2006. Separate outlets reported that Kolbe left the Republican Party in 2018 and became an independent because of then-President Donald Trump.
This is a breaking news story. Check back with American Liberty News for the latest updates.
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