Of the 53 freshmen members of the House, eight have added lobbyists to their staff rosters so far, according to a LegiStorm analysis of incoming staff.
Four new Republicans lawmakers have picked up a total of seven registered federal lobbyists, while four Democrats have hired a total of five. Of those, four members have hired one registered federal lobbyist apiece, while the remainder have each added two.
The 12 lobbyists-turned-staffers represents fewer than one in 20 of the new hires. Lobbyists often provide crucial experience for freshman lawmakers. However, they can also be controversial hires back home, especially among members who ran as Washington outsiders.
The new revolvers include three chiefs of staff and two legislative directors. They've worked for 11 lobbying firms and advocacy groups, including the Podesta Group, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, USA Rice Federation and Navigators Global.
New revolvers include Tyler Threadgill, chief of staff to Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.); Julie Tagen, chief of staff to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.); Will Roberts, legislative director to Raskin; Kyle Kizzier, chief of staff to Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.); Hannah Shapiro, legislative assistant to Mitchell; Diane Shust, legislative director to Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.); Chris Henson, district director to Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.); Steven Kitsch, communications director to Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.); Lauren Decker, constituent service representative to Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas); and Emily Shaw, adviser to Arrington.
Rep. Tedd Budd (R-N.C.) is the only freshman to have double-dipped: Both his deputy chief of staff, James Braid, and legislative director, Alex Vargo, once lobbied for Heritage Action, the advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation.
