Lobbyists and lawmakers, with less than six months before the elections and limited plans for moving legislation, will be spending less time roaming the Capitol and more time schmoozing at tony resorts and big name concerts as they turn their attention to the fundraising circuit.
When they’re in town on Capitol Hill, members of Congress will squeeze in events to pad their campaign coffers at local haunts Capital Grille, Mi Vida, and Charlie Palmer Steak, according to fundraising invites sent to lobbyists and shared with Bloomberg Government.
When they’re off the Hill, lawmakers want lobbyists and other donors to join them on fundraising jaunts around the country.
Fundraising events offer prized quality time for lobbyists and lawmakers, and the trips provide a more relaxed environment for conversation and connections than the formal, scripted sessions on Capitol Hill, lobbyists say. Lawmakers, of course, get a chance to fill up their campaigns to run advertising and to pay other bills.
“You have a little bit more direct access than the 15 minute meetings,” said Republican lobbyist Ozzie Palomo. “It’s a lot more intimate.”
Summer fundraising hauls can make or break campaigns as they head into the critical final weeks in September and October, said Sarah Bryner, research director at OpenSecrets.org, which tracks political and lobbying spending.
“It is a big deal,” she said.
Lobbyist donors, she said, are a reliable source of campaign money for many lawmakers and, in return, those from the influence set get “a way to have their agenda heard” in person.
Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) is planning a fly fishing trip this month at the Inn at Starlight Lake in his home state with a $1,500 donation for individuals or $2,500 for PACs, according to an invitation.
Next month, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, has invited lobbyists and donors for a fundraising trip tied to the US Open golf championship at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
A group of Republicans on the tax-writing Ways and Means panel plans to huddle with donors in Jackson Hole, Wyo., in early August. Iowa GOP members, including Reps. Ashley Hinson and Zach Nunn, have invited donors to the Iowa State Fair in August.
Steve Elmendorf, a co-founder of the firm Avoq, said the fundraising focus of Democratic lobbyists is on congressional races given that the Biden presidential campaign forbids K Street donations.
Elmendorf has donated to senators who are up for re-election, including Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and to numerous House candidates.
“It’s about how you can spend your money most effectively to try and win,” Elmendorf said. On House fundraising, he said, that often means giving through the party committee at events with members of leadership.
Republican Palomo, a founder of Chartwell Strategy Group who lives in Massachusetts, said his state offers an appealing spot for seasonal fundraising gatherings, and he has several on the books. He is helping organize an annual retreat in early August to Nantucket, the posh island off Cape Cod, for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
“As the weather turns up here, the members start to come up,” he said.
‘Full Speed Ahead’
Michael Toner, a partner at the firm Wiley and a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said he’s expecting a summer of robust fundraising events from D.C. to Vail to Barbados.
“You have a chance to spend a weekend with a member of Congress or several members of Congress, you’re going to do that if you’re a government affairs professional,” Toner said. “It’s going to be full speed ahead.”
Fundraising events, he said, are “often the best environment to lobby members of Congress” because it affords face time over meals or other social interactions when, under ethics rules, lobbyists aren’t permitted to pay for lawmakers’ food and drink – unless it’s a fundraiser.
Several lawmakers are planning fundraisers at a July 12 Janet Jackson concert at Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. and an early September Bruce Springsteen concert at Nationals Park, according to multiple invitations sent to lobbyists.
“Especially those in leadership will really hit the road hard,” said GOP lobbyist Mark Williams, a partner at Ferox Strategies.
He said that for both parties, they’re also working out events, including fundraisers, at their respective party conventions.
Democratic lobbyist Elmendorf said during the limited weeks while Congress will be in session between now and the elections, lawmakers have stacked their days with fundraising events, so trips are optional.
“There are plenty of opportunities to give people money without going on trips,” he said. “I’d rather go to the beach.”
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