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Caught Our Eye

Hill staffers becoming lobbyists at highest rate in years

Posted by Sean Myers on Feb. 8, 2016

The number of former congressional staff members filing as new lobbyists during 2015 was the highest since 2011.

The most recent lobbying filings show that 471 congressional staffers made the trip through the revolving door over the course of 2015. Of them, 207 worked on the Democratic side of the aisle, and 256 for Republicans. The final eight worked for independents or worked in unaffiliated or bipartisan roles.

In 2011, when the Democratic Party lost control of the Hill, 586 staffers become lobbyists. Since LegiStorm started recording revolving door numbers in 2002, the record for congressional staffers leaving for K Street is 763, which happened in 2007, when Democrats took control of the House.

Revolving door numbers tend to spike in off-election years. The number of congressional staffers becoming lobbyists has averaged 545 in off-election years and drops to an average of 393 in election years.