From 2000 to 2018, Kiehl worked as staff to Juneau-area members of the
Alaska State Senate. Until 2009 he worked for
Kim Elton, and began working for
Dennis Egan upon his appointment to replace Elton. In 2011, Kiehl ran for local office, beating Bradley Fluetsch by a large margin. He took office in October 2011. Kiehl was unopposed in his 2014 re-election campaign. In 2017 he won a third term in a three-candidate race against Chuck Collins and Loretto Jones, garnering more than 67% of the vote. He served as a member of the
Assembly of the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska Kiehl also served in a Juneau-specific seat on the board of directors of the Alaska Municipal League. Kiehl won the State Senate election on November 6, 2018, from the platform of
Democratic Party. He secured sixty-two percent of the vote while his closest rival
Independent Don Etheridge secured thirty-eight percent. ==Electoral history==