Arizona Statesman Carl Kunasek Passes Away at 94

Carl Kunasek, a name that still echoes through Arizona’s Capitol halls, slipped away just after midnight on July 20, 2026. He was 94 years old, having survived a stroke on July 18 while vacationing on Coronado Island, California, and a sudden heart attack that followed.

Born around 1932 and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Kunasek took a winding path to the desert. After serving as a medical‑service officer in the U.S. Air Force, he earned his pharmacy degree from Creighton University. In 1959 he and his wife packed up and moved to Mesa, Arizona – a decision that would set the stage for a half‑century of public service.

His political career began in the Arizona House of Representatives in 1972, where he stayed a decade. By 1983 he’d earned a seat in the State Senate, and two years later his peers elected him Senate President. It was in that capacity, in the late 1980s, that he presided over one of the state’s most dramatic moments – the impeachment trial of Governor Evan Mecham. The trial, which spanned 1988‑89, placed Kunasek at the center of a firestorm, and his steady hand earned him a reputation for calm under pressure.

But perhaps his most lasting legacy is less theatrical and more quietly transformative: he helped create Arizona’s Medicaid system, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Working alongside a handful of fellow legislators, he helped draft a managed‑care model that still provides health coverage to tens of thousands of Arizonans today.

After leaving the Senate in 1989, Kunasek didn’t retire. He served on the Arizona Corporation Commission from 1995 to 2000, overseeing utilities and business regulations. Throughout his public‑service years, family was a constant source of pride and purpose. His daughter, Karrin Taylor Robson, ran for governor in both 2022 and 2026, while his son, Andy Kunasek, spent nearly two decades as a Maricopa County supervisor. In a heartfelt tribute, Andy said his father was “a good dad, a good husband, a good grandfather and a good friend” – especially in the last twenty years, when the two became each other’s confidants.

Friends and colleagues remember Kunasek as a man who could both debate fiercely on the Senate floor and, later, sit quietly with a cup of coffee, listening to the concerns of ordinary Arizonans. He was looking forward to planning his 100th‑birthday celebration when a sudden health crisis cut those plans short.

He is survived by his wife of many years, his children Karrin and Andy, and several grandchildren. A public funeral is being arranged in Mesa, where his journey from pharmacy student to influential lawmaker began.