US lobbyists seek to reach Ms. Harris

(Dan Tri) - With the prospect of Kamala Harris potentially becoming US president, lobbyists in Washington are said to be trying to approach her.

Kamala Harris campaigns in Las Vegas, Nevada (Photo: Reuters).

Lobbyists have been trying to build relationships with people close to President Joe Biden for decades. Harris, meanwhile, has been working in Washington for less than eight years. Lobbyists have a host of questions to answer: Who is Kamala Harris? What issues does she care about? Who are her trusted confidants? As a senator, Harris’s office was often seen as indifferent to corporate requests. As vice president, she often stayed out of major policymaking. But the rapidly changing landscape of American politics has forced lobbyists to adapt. They are pouring donations into Democrats, reaching out to staffers expected to continue working for Harris, and soliciting campaign donations. "Harris has limited time in Washington - somewhat like Obama - and was thrust into a campaign she did not run from the start. Those two characteristics make it more complicated to determine who she listens to and how policy is shaped," Rich Gold, a veteran Democratic campaigner, explained to Politico. Hard-to-reach politician Soon after Harris replaced Biden in the presidential race, lobbyists and political consultants struggled to prove to clients that they had relationships that could influence the Democratic candidate. When Harris was elected to the US Senate in 2016, lobbyists saw her as a progressive politician who did not care much about business. Lobbyists said it was relatively difficult to get appointments with her office. Even companies in California - home to many of the world's leading technology companies - had trouble getting their message across to Harris, a Democratic campaigner said. As a senator, Ms. Harris tended to be interested in "progressive" issues such as abortion rights and gun control - which the business community did not care much about. Her performance as US vice president also did not provide much information. "She is not a very important figure in the policy-making apparatus of the Biden administration," said a veteran lobbyist. "In most areas, she does not have a role. She does not seem to have enough influence to make a difference in policy discussions." The Biden administration is also considered relatively "closed" to lobbyists. Even during the Obama era, Democrats have tended to avoid lobbying experts. Many politicians deliberately "avoid" funding from this group. During his time as president, Mr. Biden also rarely met with business leaders. The Biden administration's ethics pledge also requires former officials not to participate in or support lobbying their former agency. Now, experts on K Street, Washington (the "capital" of lobbying in the US) are trying to figure out what's different about Ms. Harris. One campaigner said they are building relationships with staff under Ms. Harris to avoid being sidelined. This person also advises clients to donate money to her campaign. Ms. Harris's campaign has said it does not accept donations from lobbyists. However, according to the New York Times , this policy does not apply to donations directly to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), giving campaigners a chance to "get around the rules". "I reiterate, the DNC accepts contributions from lobbyists," Mr. David Reid, a campaigner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, wrote in a fundraising email shortly after Mr. Biden announced his withdrawal. "Every dollar will go to the Democratic presidential nominee." Holland & Knight lobbyist Yasmin Nelson also said she is raising money for the Harris Victory Fund, which is jointly managed by Harris's campaign, the DNC, and several state Democratic committees. Many of Harris's staffers have close ties to the lobbying industry. Michael Fuchs, Harris's former deputy chief of staff, is a consultant to WestExec Advisors and works for George Soros's Open Society Foundations. Clint Odom, who was Harris's legislative aide when she was a senator, is in charge of public policy at T-Mobile. Deanne Millison, who worked for Harris, is a lobbyist for Ford. Christopher Keosian, who worked on Harris's 2020 campaign, is a lobbyist on behalf of several foreign governments . Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, was once a member of the law and lobbying firm DLA Piper. He has connections in the legal community in Washington and Los Angeles. Every time there is a new administration, lobbying firms—and their clients—have to figure out how to respond. The lobbying “industry” in Washington includes lobbying firms, law firms, and consulting firms—firms that coach clients on how to protect their interests in Washington, but don’t actually lobby. Sometimes the investments are wasted if a candidate doesn’t win. In 2016, Microsoft hired the Podesta Group—co-founded by Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta—to establish a relationship with Clinton’s network. Almost immediately after Clinton lost the election, Microsoft cut ties with Podesta Group. When Mr. Trump first ran for office in 2016, he promised to cut the influence of Washington lobbyists. Initially, he lacked deep ties to traditional lobbyists. This allowed a new generation of lobbyists to emerge and remain influential today. Meanwhile, over decades of political activity in Washington, Mr. Biden has built a close team of people who have moved between public and private jobs. Despite Mr. Biden’s restrictive policies, this has continued. “They are always happy to have someone high up who they can contact on the sidelines,” one lobbyist said.

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