Randy P. Kendrick

Industry: Conservative Donor, Lawyer, Think Tanks
Primary Company: Center to Protect Patient Rights (helped establish)
Age: Unconfirmed
Location: Paradise Valley, Arizona
Estimated Worth: Unconfirmed

Background

Randy Parris Kendrick is an influential Arizona-based conservative donor. She is married to Ken Kendrick, the founder of the software company Datatel. The Washington Post reported that Randy Kendrick strongly opposed Donald Trump‘s presidential bid in 2016, and made a “significant” donation to the Our Principles PAC, which was running ads against Trump.¹Matea Gold. “Randy Kendrick, wife of Arizona Diamondbacks owner, works to mobilize conservative donors against Donald Trump,” The Washington Post, March 7, 2016. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/PTez7

Many individuals in Kendrick’s network of conservative donors are members of Freedom Partners, the former financing arm of the political network tied to the billionaire Koch brothers, Charles and David Koch.²Matea Gold. “Randy Kendrick, wife of Arizona Diamondbacks owner, works to mobilize conservative donors against Donald Trump,” The Washington Post, March 7, 2016. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/PTez7

Randy Kendrick was influential in opposing President Barack Obama’s health insurance legislation, the Affordable Care Act. Kendrick worked with Sean Noble, an advisor to the Koch brothers, to create the Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR) (now American Encore),³Jane Mayer. “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right”, Penguin Random House, 2016. a think tank largely funded through contributions by entities and individuals within the Koch network. In an interview with the National Review, Noble said that when Kendrick and her husband attended a June 2009 Koch donor seminar in Aspen, Colorado, Kendrick delivered an “impassioned speech” on the topic, and spontaneously pledged $13 million to the cause.⁴Eliana Johnson.”Inside the Koch-Funded Ads Giving Dems Fits,” National Review, March 31, 2014.  Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/oxGfR

Randy Kendrick is a former board member of the “pro-growth” Arizona Free Enterprise Club⁵Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd and a board member of the Goldwater Institute.⁶“About the Goldwater Institute,” Goldwater Institute. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/kcMWm She has been a board member of the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF). ⁷“Board of Directors,” Independent Women’s Forum. Archived June 13, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7mXPI

Funding

Political Spending

The Center for Media and Democracy’s PR Watch reported in 2016 that Randy Kendrick had contributed roughly 10 percent of the funding behind an Independent Women’s Voice effort to support Scott Brown’s special election to the Senate.⁸Lisa Graves. “The Independent ‘Women’s’ Voice? Most Known Donors Are Men,” PR Watch, August 24, 2016. Archived July 19, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/DXABN

Press in Arizona described Randy Kendrick as in “a league of her own in her support for the political right, giving more than $130,000 to state political efforts in the 2014 election cycle, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, and, at the federal level, more than $290,000 to Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and other conservative political action committees, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.”⁹Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd

The Republic/AzCentral.com reported:¹⁰Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd

“A former board member of the pro-growth Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Randy Kendrick gave $25,000 to the campaign backing Proposition 122, a statewide ballot measure that ostensibly would let Arizona refuse to enforce U.S. laws that the Legislature or voters consider to be unconstitutional. She also donated at least $50,000 to the Arizona Republican Party.

“Her financial generosity also extended to candidates and organizations outside Arizona. She has donated to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a favorite of “tea party” conservatives and a possible 2016 presidential contender. On Oct. 6, she hosted a well-attended fundraiser at her Paradise Valley home to benefit Republican U.S. Senate candidates Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Monica Wehby of Oregon, and GOP U.S. House candidates Barbara Comstock of Virginia, Marilinda Garcia of New Hampshire and now-U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz.”¹¹Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd

Below is a partial summary of Randy Kendrick’s political spending, looking at expenditures of $1,000 or more,  via campaign finance data exported from the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC). Note that while efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of this data, errors may have been introduced in the original finance records.

View the attached spreadsheet for a complete list of Randy Kendrick’s political spending by year (.xlsx).

Koch Events

June 2010

Randy and Ken Kendrick attended the June 2010 meeting of the Koch network in Aspen, Colorado. A list of attendees and a schedule for the Aspen summit was obtained by ThinkProgress.¹²“MEMO: Health Insurance, Banking, Oil Industries Met With Koch, Chamber, Glenn Beck To Plot 2010 Election,” ThinkProgress, October 20, 2010. Archived July 10, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/KUNp3

June 2009

Randy Kendrick and Sean Noble attended a June 2009 Koch donor seminar in Aspen, Colorado.¹³Eliana Johnson.”Inside the Koch-Funded Ads Giving Dems Fits,” National Review, March 31, 2014.  Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/oxGfR

According to Sean Noble, Kendrick gave an “impassioned speech” before lunch on the third and final day of the seminar. “People were moved to tears by how invested she was in this,” Noble said, noting donors spontaneously pledged $13 million to the cause following her remarks.¹⁴Eliana Johnson.”Inside the Koch-Funded Ads Giving Dems Fits,” National Review, March 31, 2014.  Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/oxGfR

Affiliations

• Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR) — Helped establish.¹⁵Jane Mayer. “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right”, Penguin Random House, 2016.
• Goldwater Institute — Board member.¹⁶“About the Goldwater Institute,” Goldwater Institute. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/kcMWm
• Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) — Former board member. ¹⁷“Board of Directors,” Independent Women’s Forum. Archived June 13, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7mXPI

Other Resources

Resources

• 1
  Matea Gold. “Randy Kendrick, wife of Arizona Diamondbacks owner, works to mobilize conservative donors against Donald Trump,” The Washington Post, March 7, 2016. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/PTez7
• 2
  Matea Gold. “Randy Kendrick, wife of Arizona Diamondbacks owner, works to mobilize conservative donors against Donald Trump,” The Washington Post, March 7, 2016. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/PTez7
• 3
  Jane Mayer. “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right”, Penguin Random House, 2016.
• 4
  Eliana Johnson.”Inside the Koch-Funded Ads Giving Dems Fits,” National Review, March 31, 2014.  Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/oxGfR
• 5
  Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd
• 6
  “About the Goldwater Institute,” Goldwater Institute. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/kcMWm
• 7
  “Board of Directors,” Independent Women’s Forum. Archived June 13, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7mXPI
• 8
  Lisa Graves. “The Independent ‘Women’s’ Voice? Most Known Donors Are Men,” PR Watch, August 24, 2016. Archived July 19, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/DXABN
• 9
  Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd
• 10
  Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd
• 11
  Dan Nowicki. “Arizona sports executives now big political players,” The Republic/AZ Central.com. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/HPvAd
• 12
  “MEMO: Health Insurance, Banking, Oil Industries Met With Koch, Chamber, Glenn Beck To Plot 2010 Election,” ThinkProgress, October 20, 2010. Archived July 10, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/KUNp3
• 13
  Eliana Johnson.”Inside the Koch-Funded Ads Giving Dems Fits,” National Review, March 31, 2014.  Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/oxGfR
• 14
  Eliana Johnson.”Inside the Koch-Funded Ads Giving Dems Fits,” National Review, March 31, 2014.  Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/oxGfR
• 15
  Jane Mayer. “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right”, Penguin Random House, 2016.
• 16
  “About the Goldwater Institute,” Goldwater Institute. Archived July 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.vn/kcMWm
• 17
  “Board of Directors,” Independent Women’s Forum. Archived June 13, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/7mXPI