The Source For News On Capitol Hill Since 1955
K Street Endorsements Chart
K Street’s top GOP donors and bundlers have been slow to commit themselves this time around, but that is starting to change. As in the primary at large, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the frontrunner in the influence industry. Romney and the remaining candidates are busy courting backers of Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) has former Hill aides scattered all over K Street, and many are helping him behind the scenes. Not all K Street’s GOP primary players are writing or rounding up checks; some are helping with debate prep or with strategic and policy advice. Many are lobbyists, but some are influential players not officially registered to lobby. And not all are on this list — please email Eliza Newlin Carney at elizacarney@cqrollcall.com with tips.
| CANDIDATE | LOBBYIST | BACK STORY |
|---|---|---|
| NEWT GINGRICH | Arne Christenson, senior vice president at American Express | Former Gingrich chief of staff |
| Jim Frogue, principal at FrogueClark LLC | ||
| Ralph Hellmann, top lobbyist at the Information Technology Industry Council | Former Gingrich staffer | |
| Rob Hood, vice president at CH2M Hill | One-time Gingrich staffer | |
| Jack Howard, vice chairman and chief operating officer at Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates | Worked for then-Speaker Gingrich on the Hill | |
| Missy Jenkins, BellAire Consulting | Ex-special assistant to then-Speaker Gingrich | |
| Kenneth Kies, managing director of the Federal Policy Group | Former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation | |
| Ex-Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.), founding partner of the Livingston Group | ||
| Clint Robinson, vice president of government relations for Research In Motion | ||
| Rachel Robinson, vice president of government relations for American International Automobile Dealers Association | Worked for Gingrich on the Hill | |
| Tony Roda, principal at Williams & Jensen | Former aide to then-Minority Whip Gingrich | |
| Ex-Rep. Bob Walker (R-Pa.), executive chairman of Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates | Gingrich campaign adviser | |
| Jon Huntsman | Ex-Rep. Tom Loeffler (R-Texas), co-chairman of Gray Loeffler | Leadership role in campaigns to elect and re-elect President George W. Bush |
| Rick Perry | Stanton Anderson, partner at McDermott, Will & Emery and senior counsel to U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue | Managed several GOP conventions |
| David Bass, president and CEO of Raptor Strategies | ||
| David Bockorny, chairman and CEO of the Bockorny Group | Worked on President H.W. BushХs campaign and served in Reagan White House | |
| Les Brorsen, partner and head of public policy in Washington for Ernst & Young | Was a top bundler for President George W. Bush | |
| Bobby Burchfield, partner at McDermott Will & Emery | ||
| Roy Coffee, lobbyist with Locke Lord Strategies | Deputy campaign manager for George W. Bush in his successful 1994 gubernatorial bid | |
| Brian Conklin, vice president at the United Services Automobile Association | ||
| Manus Cooney, lobbyist with American Continental Group | Advised the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008 | |
| Arnold Havens, partner at Jones Walker and strategic counsel at the Livingston Group | Treasury Department general counsel under President George W. Bush | |
| Graham Hill, founding member and CEO of Ice Miller Strategies | ||
| Chris Israel, lobbyist with American Continental Group | U.S coordinator for international intellectual property under President George W. Bush | |
| Aleix Jarvis, partner with Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock | Did grass-roots work on the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign | |
| Matt Keelen, founder and president of the Keelen Group | Longtime GOP operative and fundraiser | |
| Marc Lampkin, lobbyist and senior strategic adviser at Quinn Gillespie & Associates | Deputy campaign manager of Bush for President campaign in 2000 | |
| Jeffrey MacKinnon, partner at Ryan, MacKinnon, Vasapoli and Berzok | Former aide to Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) | |
| Matt Mackowiack, founder and president of Potomac Strategy Group | Former press secretary to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and worked on Bush/Cheney campaign in 2004 | |
| Fred McClure, partner at SNR Denton | Worked in the White House under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan | |
| David Metzner, head of ACG Analytics at American Continental Group | ||
| Keith Murphy, associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr | ||
| Kevin O'Neill, partner at Patton Boggs | A top fundraiser for the 2004 Bush/Cheney re-election campaign | |
| Patrick Raffaniello, principal at Raffaniello & Associates | ||
| Bob Rusbuldt, president and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America | ||
| Shawn Smeallie, lobbyist with American Continental Group | Was a top bundler for President George W. Bush and served in the Bush White House | |
| Alan Sobba, chief policy and communications officer at International Derivatives Clearing Group | ||
| Dennis Stephens, government affairs counselor at K&L Gates | Former senior aide to ex-House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) | |
| Jade West, senior vice president of government relations at National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors | ||
| Mitt Romney | Howard Adler, partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | |
| Justin Ailes, vice president of government and regulatory affairs at the American Land Title Association | ||
| Phil Anderson, president of Navigators Global | ||
| Bonnie Arthur, counsel at Hunton & Williams | ||
| David Beightol, managing principal at Dutko Grayling | Served on RomneyХs national finance team in 2008 and served as special assistant to President George W. Bush for legislative affairs | |
| Wayne Berman, chairman at Ogilvy Government Relations | A senior adviser to Bush/Cheney transition in 2001 | |
| Kirk Blalock, partner at Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock | Worked in White House under President George W. Bush as liaison to the business community; previously supported Rick Perry | |
| J. Caleb Boggs III, partner at Blank Rome | ||
| Brad Card, managing principal at Dutko Grayling | Helped with the George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush election efforts | |
| Amy Carnevale, government affairs adviser at K&L Gates | ||
| Kirsten Chadwick, partner at Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock | ||
| Jeff Choudhry, vice president at the Nickles Group | ||
| Brian C. Conklin, vice president of federal government relations for USAA | ||
| James Connaughton, executive vice president for corporate affairs and public and environmental policy at Constellation Energy | Directed White House Office of Environmental Policy under George W. Bush | |
| Renée Courtland, director of business development at the Jefferson Consulting Group | ||
| Mary Kathryn Covert, senior vice president of policy and government relations at FTI Consulting | ||
| Jay Cranford, partner at Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford | ||
| Lee Dunn, policy counsel, Google Inc. | ||
| Patrick Durkin, lobbyist for Barclays PLC | ||
| Don Fierce, partner at Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock | ||
| Robert Fisher, vice president of government relations at Verizon | Former aide to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on the Senate Commerce Committee; an adviser to McCainХs 2008 presidential campaign | |
| Sam Geduldig, partner at Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford | Was a supporter of former Gov. Tim Pawlenty | |
| Cindy Gillespie, managing director in Washington for McKenna Long & Aldridge | ||
| Emily Gombar, associate vice president at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications | ||
| Mark Isakowitz, president of Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock | ||
| Sanjeev Joshipura, senior vice president of policy and government relations at the Commodity Markets Council | ||
| Ron Kaufman, chairman of the executive committee at Dutko Grayling | RNC committeeman; White House political director under George W. Bush | |
| William Kilberg, partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | ||
| Karen Knutson, vice president of government relations at Oxbow Carbon | ||
| Former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), senior counsel at Patton Boggs | ||
| Kevin Madden, executive vice president of public affairs at JDA Frontline | Romney's national press secretary in 2008 | |
| Drew Maloney, CEO at Ogilvy Government Relations | Supported Romney in 2008; Congressional liaison | |
| Jessica Mandel, director of legislative affairs and operations at Tassey & Associates | ||
| Bob Marsh, principal at Ob-C Group | Was special assistant for legislative affairs to George W. Bush | |
| Greg Maurer, public affairs manager for UPS | ||
| Matthew McGinley, managing director for federal government affairs at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association | ||
| Marty McGuinness, vice president of government affairs at the Unum Group | ||
| Alex Mistri, managing director of the Glover Park Group | Was a special assistant working on legislative affairs to George W. Bush | |
| John O'Neill, senior vice president at Ogilvy Government Relations | ||
| Brendan Reilly, lobbyist for JPMorgan Chase | ||
| Ex-Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters | ||
| Robert L. Smith II, senior legislative adviser at Venable | ||
| Amos Snead, principal at Story Partners | ||
| Charles Spies, heads national political law practice at Clark Hill | Was chief financial officer and counsel to Romney's 2008 campaign and heads Restore Our Future, a Romney-friendly super PAC | |
| Charles Symington, senior vice president of government affairs, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America | ||
| David Tamasi, manager of Washington, D.C., office of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications | Served on Romney's national finance committee in 2008 | |
| Todd Thorpe, principal at the Bockorny Group | ||
| Tim Trysla, partner in the health care group of Alston & Bird | Former senior policy adviser to the administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services | |
| Dirk Van Dongen, president of National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors | A top bundler for President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.); previously supported Rick Perry | |
| Joe Wall, government affairs associate at Goldman Sachs | ||
| Ex-Rep. Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.), government affairs counselor at K&L Gates | ||
| Ex-Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.), managing partner at Clark & Weinstock | A regional chairman on Bush/Cheney campaign in 2004 | |
| Richard Wiley, founding partner and head of communications at Wiley Rein | ||
| Darren Willcox, principal at W Strategies | ||
| Tonnie Wybensinger, director of financial services policy at the Investment Company Institute | ||
| Rick Santorum | Mike Hershey, senior vice president of government relations at the National Association of Broadcasters | Was chief of staff and legislative director on Santorum’s Senate staff |
| Bill Himpler, executive vice president of the American Financial Services Association | ||
| David Urban, principal at American Continental Group | ||
| Bill Wichterman, senior legislative adviser at Covington & Burling |
