On Friday, September 25, 2015 Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made the surprise announcement that he plans to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of October, not only sending shockwaves throughout the Capitol, but also down K Street. Such was the surprise of Boehner’s announcement that the Minority Leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi, reportedly “learned about Mr. Boehner’s resignation when she read a breaking news alert on a staff member’s phone.”
Following Speaker Boehner’s announcement the National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling released a statement saying, “We are grateful for Speaker Boehner’s leadership in so many areas, including service on the House Agriculture Committee, and his work for a more transparent and productive Congress.” Other lobbyists, such as Gary Shapiro, the president of the Consumer Electronics Association, shared their reactions via social media tweeting, “Boehner resigning. Sad. Decent honorable man in a near impossible job.”
Many up and down K Street are lamenting Boehner’s retirement. Roll Call reports, “He [Boehner] had a very close relationship with K Street — that’s just kind of how it is,” said John Feehery, a former House GOP aide who worked for Boehner’s predecessor, J. Dennis Hastert, and is now a lobbyist. “McCarthy’s got a lot of good contacts on K Street, too.”
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is considered to be the most likely Representative to take over as the Speaker of the House, the top position in the House and fourth in the line of succession to the presidency. According to Sam Geduldig, a partner at the CGCN Group and former senior Boehner aide, “Boehner will absorb criticism for whatever deal is cut, in order for the Republicans to have a better opportunity to win the White House in 2016, and give McCarthy the fresh start he needs to be effective.”
Politico Influence reports that the departure of Speaker Boehner has provided the opportunity for some of his senior staffers to make the move over to K Street, with some already in early discussions. “Top picks include chief of staff Mike Sommers, floor director Anne Bradbury, and policy director David Stewart, according to a PI tipster. Assistants to the speaker for policy Brad Baileyand Cindy Herrle, assistant floor director Lydia Calio, and member services director Trevor Kolegoare also being discussed.”
