| | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | | | With Daniel Lippman BROWNSTEIN ADDS TOP MCCARTHY AIDE: Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has snapped up a top aide to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy , the latest signal that K Street is preparing for a flip in control of the chamber next year. Will Dunham, who's worked for McCarthy for nearly seven years, most recently as McCarthy's deputy chief of staff for policy, will join the firm as a policy adviser. — "Almost every major corporation, trade association, person who's interested in Washington has been anticipating for months that there could be a significant change in the leadership of the House, and Leader McCarthy being potentially the next speaker has brought about a wave of interest," Marc Lampkin, who leads the firm's Washington office, told PI. — Dunham, who's also worked for the Republican Study Committee and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, "brings great smarts and depth and that would be valuable regardless of what the makeup is in the House, in the Senate, in the Congress overall," he argued. — Still, understanding how McCarthy "thinks and answers and understands the difficulties" of each member of his conference "gives us a great advantage to be able to provide our clients with the best available advice on how things might work," Lampkin said, calling Dunham a "complement to the already great team that we put together" — which counts former chiefs of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. — In an interview, Dunham said that Brownstein's "focus on being relevant to all the major policy debates that are happening on Capitol Hill" was "very, very attractive" to him as he prepared to leave the Hill, along with their bipartisan makeup. "No matter what happens in November, we're going to have a divided government," he noted, while lauding his former boss for understanding the "real-time pulse of the [Republican] conference." Happy Friday and welcome to PI . Where your host is wondering where September disappeared to. Send any leads, or the latest downtown gossip you heard during happy hour this week: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.
| | | | LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today. | | | | | | | A message from the National Confectioners Association: America's chocolate and candy companies are providing more choice and portion guidance options for consumers seeking to manage their sugar intake – whether that's buying candy for family celebrations, picking up a treat to share with friends or enjoying a treat on the way out of the store. From beloved classics to new offerings like low/zero sugar and organic, the confectionery industry is meeting consumers where they want to be met. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com. | | | FIRST IN PI — ZOOMING OUT ON LEONARD LEO'S VAST NETWORK: The Supreme Court's new term officially kicks off on Monday for the first time since Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson formally joined the bench and the court issued its landmark ruling in June that overturned Roe v. Wade. In the months since, members of the court have grappled with backlash over the 5-4 decision that has helped send public faith in the court plummeting and sparked at times public infighting among its justices. — Ahead of the court's new term, the watchdog group Accountable.US is out with a new report profiling conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo and the constellation of nonprofit groups, associates and companies linked to him through which billions of dollars have flowed, often anonymously, to conservative causes — most notably cementing the Supreme Court's conservative majority for generations. — The upending of decadesold federal protections for abortion rights this summer was the culmination of Leo's efforts to finance fights against voting rights, reproductive rights, climate change and more. Leo's influence and vast financial network were highlighted again more recently with the disclosure that a new Leo-run group last year received a $1.6 billion windfall on behalf of the secretive billionaire Barre Seid — perhaps the largest single political contribution in history. — The focus on Leo and the more than a dozen organizations he or his allies helped found, run or finance is part of a new project from Accountable.US — which itself has received funding from a liberal dark money group — dubbed Monitoring Influence. Accountable.US said the series will highlight "a broad range of shadowy nonprofit networks that either distribute large donations across the political landscape or use these contributions" to advance conservative causes. ELSEWHERE AT 1 FIRST STREET: POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs, Josh Gerstein and Peter Canellos have a big investigation on the "notoriously porous ethical disclosure system" in place at the Supreme Court, which allows justices to keep hidden details about their spouses' employment that could reveal major conflicts of interest posed to the jurists on the highest court in the land. — "Over the past year, Virginia Thomas , known as Ginni, has gotten significant attention for operating a consulting business that reportedly includes conservative activist groups with interest in Supreme Court decisions as clients. Her husband, Justice Clarence Thomas, has chosen not to reveal any of his wife's clients, let alone how much they contributed to the Thomas family coffers, dating back to when her consulting business was founded." — "But a POLITICO investigation shows that potential conflicts involving justices' spouses extend beyond the Thomases. Chief Justice John Roberts' wife, Jane Roberts, has gotten far less attention. But she is a legal head-hunter at the firm Macrae which represents high-powered attorneys in their efforts to secure positions in wealthy firms, typically for a percentage of the first-year salary she secures for her clients." — "The POLITICO investigation found that some spouses of other Supreme Court justices have also had careers of their own, but none currently appear to have the potential to intersect as closely with the court's work as [Amy Coney] Barrett, Thomas and Roberts."
| | | | A message from the National Confectioners Association:   | | | DEMS HUDDLED WITH AMAZON LOBBYISTS AHEAD OF ANTITRUST VOTE: "Democrats' House campaign arm invited members to an event with two Amazon lobbyists Thursday , ahead of a vote on a package of bills that aim to give antitrust enforcers greater agency to rein in the power of massive tech firms, including Amazon," The Hill's Rebecca Klar reports. — "Dozens, if not all members, of the House Democratic caucus were invited to the event, according to a former Democratic aide on Capitol Hill." A list of attendees Klar obtained included roughly 30 lobbyists representing a range of clients, as well as two who lobby for the e-commerce giant. "The DCCC is actively raising from Amazon and encouraging the caucus to raise from Amazon at the exact moment when there are House floor votes on antitrust legislation incredibly important to Amazon," the aide said. — "At the same time as the DCCC event with lobbyists at District Winery, the House was debating a package of antitrust bills that aim to give enforcement agencies greater power to take antitrust action against dominant tech firms. The House ultimately voted 242-184 to pass the bills after a heated floor debate on both sides." WHERE GOP MEGADONORS ARE DIRECTING THEIR DOUGH: "Republican megadonors want the GOP to take back the Senate, but they don't have confidence that some of former President Donald Trump's top picks can catapult their party to a victory in November," CNBC's Brian Schwartz reports. — "Billionaire financiers Paul Singer, Dan Loeb and Larry Ellison have so far avoided donating directly to some or all of Trump's staunchest allies running for Senate in the midterms: J.D. Vance in Ohio, Blake Masters in Arizona, Herschel Walker in Georgia, Adam Laxalt in Nevada and Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, according to Federal Election Commission records and people familiar with the billionaires' donations." — "One GOP fundraiser said, 'They would be lighting their money on fire if they got totally swayed by these candidates.' That strategist is advising clients to, instead, give to the super PAC closely aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — the Senate Leadership Fund — because 'they have the best polls and they won't sink money into races they know they can't win.'" FARA FRIDAY: One of the Senate's last legislative acts before the midterms included passage of yet another bill aimed at cracking down on potential abuse of FARA's Lobbying Disclosure Act exemption. — The chamber on Thursday unanimously adopted a bill from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) that would require lobbyists filing LDA paperwork "to identify any connection with a foreign government or political party that plans, supervises, directs, or controls any effort of that lobbyist, regardless of those entities' financial contributions to the lobbying effort," which has previously been the standard for such disclosure. — The bill is different from legislation Grassley and Peters introduced last week focused on the same exemption. It now heads to the House, which left town earlier today until after the midterms.
| | A message from the National Confectioners Association: In 2017, America's leading chocolate and candy companies joined forces in a landmark agreement to help consumers manage their sugar intake. In a commitment to Partnership for a Healthier America, these companies set an ambitious goal to provide more transparency, create more portion guidance options in innovative packaging and educate consumers about how unique products like chocolate and candy can be an occasional treat in a balanced lifestyle. The companies exceeded their commitment, empowering consumers to make informed choices and driving directional alignment within the broader confectionery industry. In fact, 85% of chocolate and candy sold today comes in packaging that contains 200 calories or less per pack – whether that's individually wrapped products or multipacks that contain smaller packages inside. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com. | | | SPOTTED at the first annual "ROKKtoberfest" hosted by ROKK Solutions on Thursday, per a PI tipster: Greg Staley of the U.S. Travel Association, Caleb Carr of Vita Inclinata, Mat Lapinski of Crossroads Strategies, Jeff Berkowitz of Delve D.C., Julia Lawless of Amazon, Warren Tryon of Capitol Counsel, Brad Howard of The Vogel Group, Victor Bahm of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Andrew Kovalcin of Advanced Advocacy, Jeremy Adler of Rep. Liz Cheney's (R-Wyo.) office, Linus Idahosa of Del-York International, Josh Heit of National Association of Auto Dealers, Kenny Day of Airs Next, Kevin Boland of Saab, Liz Johnson of Sen. Mitt Romney's (R-Utah) office, Pablo Sierra-Carmona and Cullen Tomsheck of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's (D-Ariz.) office, Jeremy Wilson-Simerman of McDonald's, Aaron White of the Progressive Policy Institute, Jimmy Williams of Washington Literacy Center, John Rizzo of the Treasury Department, Ty Bofferding of Sen. Bill Cassidy's (R-La.) office, Antonia Ferrier of the International Republican Institute, Missy Kurek of mKz Strategies, Austin Laufersweiler of Partnership for Public Trust and Ron Bonjean, Rodell Mollineau and Kristen Hawn of ROKK Solutions. — And during a happy hour for Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Energy and Commerce Committee alumni and friends, per a tipster: Upton, Greg Walden of Alpine Advisors, Michael Beckerman of TikTok, Karen Christian of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Michael Bloomquist of Exxon, Clay Alspach of Leavitt Partners, Sean Bonyun of AHIP, Scott Alifaris of K&L Gates, Bill McBride of the National Governors Association, Tom Wilbur of PhRMA, Jim Barnette of Steptoe & Johnson, Gary Andres of the House Ways and Means Committee, Ryan Long of McCarthy's office, Noah Sadlier of Rep. Mike Garcia 's (R-Calif.) office and Joan Hillebrands, Suzanne Scruggs, Mark Ratner, Caroline Banaszak and Jamal Ware of Upton's office. — And at the Hispanic Lobbyists Association's Avanza Awards reception at Altria 's office on Wednesday, per a tipster: honorees Antonio Tijerino of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Omar Vargas of General Motors and Amy Strathdee of the Strathdee Group; HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), Norma Torres (D-Calif.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.); Sindy Benavides of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Marco Davis of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Mary Ann Gomez Orta of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, César Remis of the Embassy of Mexico, Patricia Ordaz of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association, Estuardo Rodriguez of the Raben Group, Omar Franco and Carissa Faña of Becker, Rich Lopez of Forbes Tate Partners, Anais Carmona of T-Mobile, Lucia Alonzo of Michael Best Strategies, Amalia Chamorro of UnidosUS, Angela Arboleda of Altria, Liz Lopez of Constellation Brands, Maria Luisa Boyce of UPS, Manuel Bonilla of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Carlos Becerra of Florida International University and Norberto Salinas of Salinas & Scism.
| | | — Omari Prince is now a director of government affairs at the Small Business Advocacy Council. He most recently was a campaign adviser for Judge Dominique Ross, who ran unsuccessfully for the Illinois appellate court, and co-founded PAR Strategies. — Joe Van Wye is joining Farm Action as policy and outreach director. He previously was a legislative aide on the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. — Natasha Shah is now vice president of government strategy at the National Association of Energy Service Companies. She most recently was senior vice president and general manager of federal P&L business for NORESCO. — Keenan Austin Reed is now executive vice president at Alpine Group. She previously was chief of staff for Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.). — Michael Bayer is taking over for Arnold Punaro as the National Defense Industrial Association's board chair. Bayer is currently president and CEO of Dumbarton Strategies. Former Air Force Undersecretary Lisa Disbrow, previously NDIA's compensation committee chair, will replace Bayer as the board's vice chair. — Erin Moffett is leaving the Florida Department of Agriculture to join The Liaison Group, a lobbying shop devoted to cannabis policy, Morning Ag reports.
| | | Blue to the Future (Becca Balint for Vermont, Jasmine For US, Maxwell Alejandro Frost for Congress, Gillen for Congress, Glenn Ivey for Congress 2022, Morgan McGarvey for Congress, Menendez for Congress, Jared Moskowitz for Congress, Robert Garcia for Congress, Jonathan Jackson for Congress, Sydney Kamlager for Congress, Tokuda for Hawaii)
| | | Advance Right Super PAC (Super PAC)
Latinos For Tamarac (PAC)
| | New Lobbying Registrations | | Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz /The Daschle Group: Wellhive
Boundary Stone Partners: Negative Emissions Materials
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP: Dmg Mori Federal Services
Hawley LLC: Mchugh Lemay Associates On Behalf Of Clark Street Associates
Invariant LLC: Gel Blaster
K&L Gates, LLP: Greenfield Exports LLC
Liberty Partners Group, LLC: Teleflex (United Specialists For Patient Access)
Mr. Thomas Hickey: The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Inc.
Oculus Strategies, LLC: Sustainment Technologies
Oculus Strategies, LLC: Tgv Rockets, Inc.
Primacy Strategy Group: Homes For Heroes
Primacy Strategy Group: Well Done Foundation
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: Organon
| | New Lobbying Terminations | | None.
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