When Senate Democrats recently excoriated the Washington Redskins over their name, the Virginia Democrats were noticeably absent from the criticism. Now lobbyists with ties to the Virginia delegation stand to benefit.
In late May, the team hired lobbying firm McGuireWoods Consulting - its first lobbying firm in recent history - to counter public pressure to change the team's name, which some consider to be an epithet. The move came shortly after 50 Democratic senators signed a letter to the NFL condemning the name. Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) were two of only five Senate Democrats not to sign the letter. The Redskins play their games in Maryland, but their practice facilities are located in Virginia.
Two of McGuireWoods lobbyists working for the Redskins have ties to Warner. Andrew Smith, most recently finance director on Gov. Terry McAulliffe's successful gubernatorial campaign, worked on Warner's 2008 re-election, in Warner's office on Capitol Hill and for the senator's Forward Together PAC.
Heather Martin, who has been with McGuireWoods since 2007, previously served as director of Warner's former state leadership political action committee, One Virginia PAC.
Neither Smith nor Martin were listed on the original lobbying filing by McGuire Woods announcing their new client but the firm's latest quarterly filing discloses the involvement of the pair.
While neither Warner nor Kaine have publicly endorsed the name, both disagreed with the letter. According to a Warner aide, the senator does not think it is Congress's responsibility to force a name change. A Kaine aide told the Washington Post that the senator was uncomfortable with the letter's language, but does support a change to the name.
