<http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A411-2001Mar13.html> Taking a Right Turn on K Street Lobby Firms Face Political Reality, Head for Parity Between Democrats and Republicans By Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 14, 2001; Page A23 The day after President Bush's inauguration, Patton Boggs blanketed its lobby in bunting and mounted a copy of the inaugural seal along with a message to the lawyers and staff who had toiled in Florida on the contested election: "Thank you for making it happen." Coming from a traditionally Democratic law firm widely known for its lobbying, this display of enthusiasm for a GOP victory sent an unmistakable signal to the firm's clients and the city's broader political network: Patton Boggs had recognized that the Republicans were here to stay. The event marked the culmination of a shift that began in 1994. In trade associations and lobbying firms across Washington, Republicans are assuming positions of power that have been occupied for years by Democrats. "You have a Republican trifecta," said veteran lobbyist Anthony Podesta, who just brought on Dan Mattoon -- the man who helped steer the House GOP's successful reelection campaign -- as an equal inPodesta's lobby shop. "The wave of the future is to work this way, to be bipartisan. This is what our clients want, and we try to do what our clients want." Podesta, whose brother John just finished serving as former president Bill Clinton's chief of staff, is not alone. Miami-based Greenberg Traurig in December lured away one of the closest confidants to House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and several of his colleagues from Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds. When Republicans took control of Congress in 1995, brash leaders such as DeLay vowed they would force K Street to hire like-minded partisans if they wanted access to decision makers on Capitol Hill. But with a Democrat still in the White House, many firms and associations did not dramatically change their offices' political makeups. Now that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, however, high-powered firms are in bidding wars over talented GOP Hill staffers, while trade groups are filling new vacancies with Republicans. GOP lawmakers are taking the opportunity to press their case and install as many allies as possible downtown. Just last week, Senate GOP Conference Chairman Rick Santorum (Pa.) held a meeting with several lobbyists in which they agreed to come up with a list of candidates for several high-profile vacancies, including ones at AARP, the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Telecom Association. Many of these groups are facing a recruiting crunch, trying to bring in top GOP operatives at the same time these candidates are considering plum posts in the Bush administration. Officials from half a dozen firms made their pitch to Mattoon, for example, over lunch in restaurants such as Sam & Harry's and the City Club. One of Mattoon's friends received an even more flattering offer from a law firm that was courting him: a $50,000 check he could keep in his pocket until he decided whether to sign up. "The fact is we've held the majority for four successive terms, and as Democrats retire, as they move on, you're going to see more and more Republicans," said Rep. John A. Boehner (Ohio), a senior Republican with close ties to K Street. "I would call this an evolution, not a revolution." Ironically, this flurry of hiring is making downtown more bipartisan, not less. With a 50-50 split in the Senate and a narrow margin between the parties in the House, most businesses are relying on a mix of Republican and Democratic lobbyists. Fox Broadcasting, for example, has made it known it is looking for a Democrat to soften its Republican image. Joint ventures such as Quinn Gillespie & Associates, a partnership between former Clinton White House counsel Jack Quinn and Ed Gillespie, who served as spokesman for House Majority Leader Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.), are flourishing. Patton Boggs partner Benjamin Ginsberg, who served as legal counsel to the Bush campaign and helped oversee Bush's recount effort in Florida, said the close balance between the parties has forced many firms to move to the middle. "You look out in America and there's pretty much parity out in the country," Ginsberg said, adding that when he arrived at the firm "people would sort of come up to me in the elevator and tell me they were Republicans. That doesn't happen anymore." Republicans are still at a disadvantage within Patton Boggs's public policy group, numbering 40 compared to 60 Democrats. But since 1994, the section has hired more Republicans than Democrats, helping to narrow the gap. Other firms have taken even bolder steps to court conservatives. Greenberg Traurig recently brought on DeLay ally Jack Abramoff, known for his close ties to Hill leaders and aggressive lobbying style, along with seven other lobbyists, including former DeLay deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy. The move was a departure for a firm better known for partners such as Marvin Rosen, who as Democratic National Committee finance chairman raised more than $120 million during the 1996 campaign. "We're not a political party, we're a business," said Cesar Alvarez, the firm's CEO. "You have to make sure you have the ability to have access to people you need for your clients, so they can present their position." This effect is now reverberating at trade associations, which are often more resistant to change because they have a lower rate of turnover. For years many of the top groups were dominated by Democrats who had over time relinquished powerful posts on Capitol Hill for jobs downtown. This angered DeLay and his allies, who went so far as to stall action on legislation favored by the Electronic Industries Alliance after it hired former representative Dave McCurdy (D-Okla.) as its president. Now the DeLay camp boasts that the Recording Industry Association of America has brought on a former aide to Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.), Mitch Glazier, as senior vice president for government affairs, while the National Cable Television Association hired Peggy Benzil -- who worked for former representative Jack Fields (R-Tex.) -- as executive vice president. Washington firms have also shifted their political giving, further strengthening the GOP's hand. Retired representative Bill Paxon (R-N.Y.), who joined Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, devotes much of his time to raising money for his former colleagues. He estimates the firm raised $3.5 million for GOP candidates in the last election, compared with $500,000 before he was hired. Still, conservatives such as DeLay say their project to increase the GOP's presence within Washington's lobbying community is not complete. "It's a nice start," DeLay said in a recent interview. "But you don't change a culture that's been built up over 40 or 50 years in six years. We've made pretty good progress." © 2001 The Washington Post Company
