The K Street stigma isn't stopping some retiring lawmakers. | John Shinkle / POLITICO | John Shinkle/POLITICO Retiring lawmakers openly eye K St.

No sooner had Rep. Heath Shuler announced he planned to retire at the end of this Congress than his phone started ringing.

It was K Street.


Never mind that he can’t be a lobbyist yet due to a one-year “cooling off” period. Firms have already started to circle the North Carolina Democrat and former National Football League quarterback to help him line up a second career in Washington — even though he has a full nine months left in his congressional term.

That’s how fast the revolving door starts swinging in Washington, where it’s routine for members of Congress to retire and then bolt downtown to take a a lucrative gig that relies on the connections they made in office.

And this year, there’s a noticeable cultural shift afoot: Some retiring members of Congress are openly talking about life downtown and beyond with months in office still ahead of them. It’s an awkward position for lame-duck members as they continue to help craft legislation and take votes that could present a conflict of interest, or at least perceived conflict, as they consider their next employer.

It’s a reminder that for all the anti-lobbyist talk on the campaign trail this year and President Barack Obama’s attempt to squeeze influencers out the system, the fear of being branded with the scarlet “L” hasn’t been enough to throw a roadblock in the well-trod path from the Capitol to K Street.

“If there’s anybody interested in me being on their boards, or if there is anybody [who] would like me to give them advice or counsel on world affairs, I might do that,” Indiana Republican Rep. Dan Burton said, adding that he will likely also travel after leaving office.

Burton, who has been in office since 1983, isn’t taking K Street off the table either.

“I’m not planning on that right now, but I’ve been on every committee that deals with world affairs for the last 30 years, so there’s gotta be somebody out there who would like someone who knows how you deal with Russia or Greece or Turkey,” Burton said.

Dozens of former lawmakers work as lobbyists and consultants for special interests. At least six lawmakers, including former Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), who jumped to Prime Policy Group, and former Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who left Congress in 2010 and is now at Venable, have registered as federal lobbyists. Ex-lawmakers have a one-year cooling off period before they can lobby their former colleagues.

Jumping is usually a behind-the-scenes process of private meetings and introductions through headhunters or home-state connections. Headhunters say putting your name on the street early isn’t necessarily a bad idea.

“This is going to be a tougher year than usual,” said Ivan Adler, a headhunter with The McCormick Group. Gridlock on the Hill combined with a bad economy isn’t a good recipe for lawmakers to score a plum gig.

“This is going to be a year [when] law firms may be more attracted to folks that actually have a proclivity for business development. Either they can be magnets for business, or they can develop their own,” Adler said of scoring clients.

When it comes down to it, it’s a business decision, Patton Boggs’s Nick Allard said of hiring former lawmakers.

“We generally don’t get weak in the knees anyway,” Allard said. “We have a strategic plan, and we look at where people have expertise and have an ability to help in these areas.”

He added: “When you come into a large law firm, you have to make a hard-headed business case if someone is going to contribute to the law firm; in practice it’s not the best fit for everybody coming out of Congress.”

But that doesn’t mean Patton Boggs is immune from bringing on ex-lawmakers. In 2010, the firm merged with former Sens. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and John Breaux (D-La.) after the pair formed a highly successful lobbying boutique.

Shuler, for one, isn’t wasting any time assessing his options. The conservative North Carolina Democrat has met with several groups with Washington offices in an effort to see if he might be a good fit.

“Numerous organizations have expressed an interest in Congressman Shuler because of his proven track record in both the private and public sectors and his reputation as an effective bipartisan bridge-builder with strong relationships on both sides of the aisle, but he is not engaged in any formal discussions at this time,” Shuler spokeswoman Whitney Mitchell said in an email.

One of the organizations taking a serious look at Shuler is The Majority Group, a lobby shop founded by former Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), according to sources. Rob Ellsworth, a former legislative assistant of Shuler’s, is a co-founder of the boutique lobbying firm.

“I talk to Heath pretty regularly, but we haven’t talked specifically about him coming here,” Ellsworth said. “If he decides to stay in Washington, certainly we’d welcome him at The Majority Group.”

Shuler is hardly alone in the testing-the-waters phase.

Oklahoma Democratic Rep. Dan Boren said that he has already met with the Ethics Committee to ensure that he doesn’t cross the line. “I’ve met with Ethics to see what I can and cannot do,” Boren said.

Lawmakers may engage in a job search with the private sector while still in office. Only after lawmakers begin negotiations for future employment are they required to fill out a form with the Ethics panel. That form becomes public after a lawmaker’s recusal from a legislative issue.

Boren said he plans to return to his home state. Boren, who has a masters in business administration, said he’d like to put it to use.

Boren said he will “probably be involved in some kind of business thing.” He added, “I don’t plan on staying in Washington. I don’t think I’ll be a registered lobbyist. … More likely, I’m going to be involved in energy, real estate.”

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) said that he has one more career left in him.

“I really need to hit it heavy and hard in the summer,” the Texas Democrat said of his job search, noting that he’s open to staying in Washington or moving to Los Angeles; New York; or Santa Fe, N.M., depending on the position.

And while, he’s likely to stay in office until the end, Gonzalez didn’t rule out leaving early.

“It would depend on the opportunity,” he said.

Not all exiting lawmakers are looking downtown for their next career.

Rep. Wally Herger, a senior Republican member on the Ways and Means Committee, is planning to head back to California to spend time with his family and may return to farming.

“This is not a family friendly job. It’s a wonderful job and a wonderful privilege,” Herger said. “It will be 26 years of making airplane rides. I’m not going to get on an airplane for awhile.”

Jonathan Allen contributed to this report.