Kevin DeMenna

DeMenna was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April 2026, according to his son Joe. He was preparing to begin another round of chemotherapy on November 2, 2026, when a doctor told the family the cancer had progressed too far. He died the next day, Election Day, November 3, 2026, at the age of 67. Where he died has not been made public.

DeMenna Public Affairs announced his death on X on November 4, 2026, writing that it was sharing "the passing of our father and senior advisor, Kevin DeMenna" with "profound sadness and heavy hearts." The family wrote that Kevin "was much more than a father. He was our mentor, business partner, and closest friend," and said details of a memorial service would be shared soon.

The family noted the irony that a Republican operative died on the day of a Democratic "blue wave" that he had predicted. Tributes came from across the political spectrum, including Representative Andy Biggs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, the Arizona Senate Democrats, former congressman Matt Salmon and Fred DuVal. As of November 2026, funeral and memorial arrangements had not been announced publicly.

Kevin DeMenna grew up on a ranch near Prescott, Arizona, where, as the Arizona Society of CPAs later put it, he was surrounded by nature, horses and cowboys. His exact birth date and birthplace have not been made public; he was 67 when he died in November 2026.

He attended Prescott High School at the same time as Ken Bennett, the future Arizona Senate President and Secretary of State. Bennett described himself as the "nerdy guy" of the two, while DeMenna was a rodeo and gymnastics "star." Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes later called him "a fellow Prescottonian."

DeMenna attended junior college, where he competed on the rodeo circuit and entered roping contests, winning a few. He then moved to Phoenix to continue his studies and attended Arizona State University. He originally planned to become an economist, but economists were not in demand at the time, so he kept studying and landed an internship at the Arizona Senate, which became the start of his career. The specific degree he earned has not been made public.

DeMenna joined the Arizona Senate staff in 1979 and, according to his firm, was involved in every legislative session from 1980 onward. After an internship he became a research analyst for the Senate Finance Committee. His LinkedIn profile lists a period as a lobbyist for the Phoenix chamber of commerce in the mid 1980s, and Fred DuVal later recalled that Robert Robb recruited DeMenna "from the chamber." From 1988 to 1990 he served as chief of staff to the Senate Republican majority.

Robb, then the leading Republican campaign consultant in Arizona, brought DeMenna and Democrat Fred DuVal together in a bipartisan firm, Robb, DuVal and DeMenna. DeMenna led its government and public affairs work and managed public relations and grassroots campaigns. One of its high profile clients was the Phoenix 40, the group of civic leaders who shaped Phoenix from 1975 to 1993.

In 1998 he founded DeMenna and Associates with two clients, a child care association and the Arizona Society of CPAs, which had first approached him in 1997. For the CPAs he worked with the State Board of Accountancy to protect the CPA credential from misuse and on reciprocity legislation allowing CPAs to practice in multiple states. Over the years his clients included the American Cancer Society, accounting and health care firms, medical marijuana dispensaries, the Arizona Opera, General Motors and Southwest Ambulance, and he consulted for some of the most powerful Republicans in the state.

His son Ryan joined the firm after a Senate internship, and son Joe joined in 2013. In 2017 the sons rebranded the practice as DeMenna Public Affairs, and Kevin became senior advisor. He continued to testify before legislative committees, and the firm posted many of those appearances to its YouTube channel. Fred DuVal said the two kept finding ways to partner on projects until 2025.

DeMenna married his girlfriend, Melissa, and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The couple had three sons. Two of them, Ryan and Joe DeMenna, became his partners in DeMenna Public Affairs, and Melissa also worked in the family business. The family lived close together in Phoenix and took vacations together. "It isn't a struggle. We have good chemistry," he told the Arizona Society of CPAs in 2026. "It was never the plan to become a family business, but it works, and it's a wonderful life."

He was a longtime friend of Ken Bennett, who would sometimes sleep in a spare room at DeMenna's Phoenix home during legislative sessions after driving down from Prescott. His son Joe said in 2025 that his father lived with pancreatitis, a condition that was widely known around the Capitol. His X biography described him as "Counsel to sons Ryan & Joe at DeMenna Public Affairs," adding "No socks. Arizona is home."

DeMenna was a Republican and spent much of his career advising Republican lawmakers, but he was known for working across party lines. He began his consulting career in a firm deliberately built with a Democratic partner, and Ken Bennett said he "worked hard to maintain relationships with members of both parties."

Fred DuVal said DeMenna drew strength from his faith and took the long view of politics: "nothing's ever over, nothing's ever settled. There's always next session." DuVal added that DeMenna was protective of the Legislature as an institution, especially the Senate, and respected the sacrifices lawmakers made to serve. Matt Salmon recalled that DeMenna always told him to follow his heart, do what the people who elected him asked, and keep his promises.

In the months before the November 2026 election, DeMenna predicted a Democratic "blue wave" in Arizona. His son Joe said he told his father he was crazy, and his father replied, "no, this is different."

DeMenna's influence came mostly through relationships and long tenure rather than headlines. He took part in more than four decades of Arizona legislative sessions and built a firm that his sons continue to run. Fred DuVal said hundreds of elected officials from "the far right, MAGA, to the far left" used the same words about him: "Loved the guy."

He was also known as a mentor. Lobbyist Ryan Anderson said working for DeMenna right out of college was his first "big break" in politics. Arizona Republican Walt Blackman said DeMenna was "a big part of my journey into politics," and others said he introduced them to lobbying. DuVal said legislators often came to DeMenna to learn how the Legislature really worked, and that his conference table was a regular gathering place.

DuVal said DeMenna would most want to be remembered "as a loving dad who was loved."

On May 7, 2026, the Arizona Society of CPAs presented DeMenna with its Honorary Member Award at its Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon, recognizing nearly three decades of advocacy for the CPA profession. ASCPA President and CEO Oliver Yandle said his "steady leadership, strategic insight and deep understanding of Arizona's policy landscape helped ensure the voice of the CPA profession was heard and respected at the Capitol from the very beginning."

In 2018 the Phoenix New Times named DeMenna Public Affairs the best family business, an honour his son Joe called one of his proudest accomplishments.

DeMenna was a regular guest on KJZZ's The Show, where he discussed goings-on at the Capitol and his ideas for making the Legislature run more efficiently. He was quoted in many news stories about the power of lobbyists at the Arizona Capitol. DeMenna Public Affairs posted videos of his testimony before legislative committees to YouTube, covering bills on property valuation, professional regulatory boards, occupational regulation, guest ranches and tourism. After his death, KJZZ aired a remembrance with Fred DuVal and former congressman Matt Salmon paid tribute to him on KTAR radio.

On October 24, 2014, DeMenna was stopped near Eloy after motorists on Interstate 10 called 911 to report a BMW driving erratically. According to police reports, officers tracked the car for about 30 minutes, and he failed a field sobriety test. Officers recommended felony drug charges and two misdemeanor DUI counts, but Pinal County prosecutors allowed him to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor DUI, and he served 48 hours in jail. The deal drew criticism from commentators who said he had received favourable treatment.

The Arizona Republic published a long front-page story on the case on August 28, 2015. DeMenna told the paper he had been addicted to prescription drugs and quit "cold turkey" after the arrest. His son Joe later said the medication had been prescribed for pancreatitis and that the episode was a difficult moment for the family and the firm. A 2018 letter in the Arizona Capitol Times described his professional recovery as a comeback story.