LegiStorm

The member of Congress caught by a security camera kissing a staffer is instead embracing his constituents this August, topping a list of members throwing town hall events this recess.

Rep. Vance McAllister (R-La.) has scheduled 23 town hall-style events so far this month, four more than the second-leading member, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.).

McAllister's political future was clouded earlier this year when the socially conservative and married lawmaker was caught on tape in his district office in a long passionate embrace with a married staffer. The staffer was terminated after the scandal broke, threatening his reelection effort.

But town halls have helped cement McAllister's position in the upcoming election, with some political observers saying he is now the candidate to beat in a crowded field.

In all, LegiStorm has tracked 418 in-person town hall-style events scheduled in August, with many new events announced every day. Some 301 have been or will be held by Republicans as they seek to build on their strong position ahead of the November mid-term elections.

Of the 15 members included at the top of our list, 12 are Republicans. Only a pair of Democrats made the cut, DeFazio and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.). Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.) who caucuses with the Democrats, also made this list.

Of the six senators on the list, only Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) is up for reelection this November. Now that Roberts has dispatched a tough tea party challenger in the primary, he is expected to win handily. So too are almost all of the members at the top of the town hall list.

The top 15 members ranked by the number of town halls scheduled this August:

Rep. Vance McAllister (R-La.) 23
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) 19
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) 14
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) 14
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) 11
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) 10
Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) 9
Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) 8
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) 8
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) 8
Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) 8
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) 7
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) 7
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) 7
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) 7

 

 

A policy aide for Republicans in both houses has left Congress for a position at watchdog organization Freedom House.

Anne Boyajian resigned from her legislative director job in Rep. Jackie Walorski's (R-Ind.) office to become a senior advocacy officer at the NGO.

Freedom House performs research and advocacy for human rights and democracy worldwide. Freedom House's annual "Freedom in the World" report analyzes each country's performance on civil rights and political freedom.

Boyajian's congressional career started in 2007 in then-Sen. Sam Brownback's (R-Kan.) office, where she worked until his 2011 retirement. She worked as a legislative assistant for Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) before taking the top policy job in Walorski's office in 2013.

Boyajian has a bachelor's from Patrick Henry College and a master's in U.S. foreign policy from American University. 

 

Former Senate Finance Committee aide Dan Todd has put pen to paper on his first contracts as an independent lobbyist.

Todd reports signing five clients, including pharmaceutical companies UCB and Calgene, as well as medical technology companies Varian Medical Systems and Myriad Genetic Laboratories. Todd also lobbies for the American College of Radiology.

According to the filings, Todd's advocacy will focus primarily on Medicare reimbursement and other issues, as well as laboratory regulations. 

Todd spent more than three years working for Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) as health policy adviser on Senate Finance before leaving to start Todd Strategy earlier this year. 

Hatch is a staunch proponent of repealing the Affordable Care Act, going so far as co-authoring a replacement law along with Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) earlier this year.

Before joining Hatch's staff, Todd worked for biotechnology company Amgen and pharmaceutical company EMD Serono. 

 

A former health policy aide to Reps. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) and Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) has left the Hill for a government affairs job with the Medical Group Management Association.

Jennifer Pollack is now a government affairs representative at MGMA. She joined Pastor's staff early this year as a legislative assistant after more than seven years working for Berkley. Pollack handled health care and national security issues for Pastor, who is set to retire at the end of this term.

MGMA is an association for medical practice managers and executives, boasting a membership of more than 30,000 professionals. The association's government affairs wing aims to keep its members informed on new health care regulations and legislation. On its most recent lobbying filing, MGMA cites Medicare payments, HIPAA and health IT as specific lobbying issues. Pollack has not yet filed as a lobbyist.

Pollack holds a bachelor's in psychology from George Washington University and a JD from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law.

Former Senate staffer Laura Chambers seems to have outgrown Capitol Hill, as she is now director of government affairs at the Fertilizer Institute.

Chambers worked for Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) from late 2010 until earlier this month. She was a legislative assistant for the West Virginia Democrat for the past year. 

The Fertilizer Institute is the industry's policy and communications voice in the United States. The Institute lobbies on a variety of issues including natural gas, environmental regulation and transportation.

While in Rockefeller's office, Chambers handled environmental protection, agriculture and natural resources issues. She studied business administration and marketing at West Virginia University.

Rockefeller is slated to retire this year, putting a large and seasoned staff on the market for new jobs.