Incoming Senate GOP Leader Thune Will Draw on Deep K Street Ties

Senate Republicans, in picking John Thune (S.D.) as their next leader, choose a lawmaker with deep ties to the lobbying sector, even as their party embraces populism under Donald Trump.

Lobbyists see Thune as almost one of their own, given the leader-elect’s past stint on K Street and his years in the Senate and the House. Like his predecessor Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Thune has a large network of former aides and allies who represent corporate America and advocacy clients.

He draws on those connections to raise political money and to build support for legislative priorities. He raised about $33 million for the most recent election cycle.

“Thune is very adept at understanding policy and how it affects the economy and how it affects business,” said Jane Lucas, a partner at Alston & Bird, who spent a decade working for Thune in the Senate before serving in the first Trump administration.

Thune, she said, “wants the conference to be united and wants to be a leader for everyone” and has “built a great relationship” with President-elect Trump.

Republicans’ pick of Thune, though, was an inside game, mostly impervious to the pressure campaigns from the outside, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who openly pushed for Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was the other contender in the race, which his fellow GOP Senators conducted Wednesday by secret ballot.

Thune’s ties in the lobbying sector also include informal advisers, friends, hunting buddies – who have known him since he served in the House. Thune’s Longstanding Lobbyist Ties Could Bolster GOP Leader Bid

Thune’s former aides in lobbying and policy jobs include Doug Schwartz, who was chief of staff at the Senate Republican Conference while Thune was chairman and now runs his own firm, HillNorth Government Affairs, where his clients include Fox Corp.

Downtown Allies

Former Thune chief of staff Matt Zabel is executive vice president and chief corporate affairs officer at Target. Brendon Plack, another Thune chief, is senior VP of public policy and government affairs for the National Football League. Ann Marie Hauser, was deputy staff director of the Senate Republican Conference under Thune, is VP of public affairs at the Hudson Institute.

Jennifer Bell, who worked for Thune when he was in the House, is now a lobbyist at Chamber Hill Strategies where clients include CalOptima Health and Coalition for Rural Medicare Equality, according to disclosures.

Alex Vogel, CEO of the Vogel Group, said Thune taught him how to pheasant hunt back in 2002 after Thune lost his first Senate race and Vogel was general counsel at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

A collection of former Hill colleagues, who are now in the private sector, offered Thune congratulations.

“I know he will be a great leader for the conference as they work with President Trump to realize the potential of a Republican Majority,” said former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who is now chairman of HBS Leadership Strategies Advisory Services, in a statement.

Lobbying Past

Thune was a lobbyist in 2002 and 2003, according to congressional disclosures, first with the firm now known as ArentFox Schiff where his clients included the National Milk Producers Federation, then at his Thune Group, in Sioux Falls, S.D.,where his biggest client was the D M & E Railroad, according to lobbying disclosure filings.

Some of that work sparked headlines and was the subject of a New York Times story.

It did not slow his rise.

“Senator Thune is a consensus builder and an ally of the business interests in his state,” said Ken Spain, CEO Narrative Strategies, in an email. “As the business community writ large prepares for a major debate on tax reform, Senator Thune’s ascendance to the very top of the senate GOP leadership couldn’t be more well timed.”