Citizens United hits Wisconsin airwaves in recall election - Ward exits Senate - Lobbyists move into overdrive following debt deal - FairPlayUSA gets some congressional support Presented by Philip Morris International

By Anna Palmer and Dave Levinthal

EXCLUSIVE … CITIZENS UNITED HITS WISCONSIN AIRWAVES IN RECALL ELECTION: Conservative issues organization Citizens United, which last year provided impetus for major election law changes in the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, is today investing $300,000 to support Wisconsin Republicans facing a recall election next week.


David Bossie, Citizens United’s president, tells PI that most of that money will be spent on television and cable advertisements in the Madison and Green Bay markets, with a small amount used toward robocalls. They begin today and run through Aug. 8. (Watch the ad here: http://bit.ly/oJVpOM)

“We want to deliver and be part of the message that when courageous people step up … they should not be hounded out of office,” Bossie said. “We support reigning in spending, which is why we’re getting involved here.”

The ads will primarily target Wisconsin’s 14th State Senate District, in which state Sen. Luther Olsen faces recall on Aug. 9. Olsen is one of nine state senators up for recall following a protracted political row in which Republicans, led by Gov. Scott Walker, sought to repair the state’s ailing budget in part by eliminating many collective bargaining rights for public employees. In a related matter, Bossie added that his group is likely to involve itself in supporting Ohio Senate Bill 5, which would curtail collective bargaining powers of public workers in the Buckeye State.

LOBBYISTS MOVE INTO OVERDRIVE FOLLOWING DEBT DEAL: Congressional leaders are still trying to wrangle votes to get the debt deal across the finish line, but that hasn’t stopped K Streeters from going on the offensive for clients. Several lobbyists told PI that they have been preparing for the last several weeks and are ready to move quickly once leaders name who will be on the bipartisan, bicameral committee.

One GOP lobbyist predicted that on taxes this “is a debate that we really have not seen in this comprehensive of a fashion in years and years and years.”

While lobbyists were not optimistic that the committee would produce a final package, particularly within the tight time frame — the committee is slated to produce a package at the end of November — K Streeters are hoping to defend tax loopholes for the oil and gas industry, private equity firms, among others.

Good Monday Afternoon… Where it appears that the Groundhog Day[ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/]-esque status quo of the debt ceiling debate will move into a new phase. For most K Streeters that’s going to mean a busy fall, but also that your August vacations will remain intact.

As always, please send along any moves, gossip and other newsy tidbits to [email protected] and [email protected], and please follow us at @ davelevinthal and @ apalmerdc.

And now, onto the show.

WARD EXITS SENATE: Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s longtime chief is heading downtown in advance of the New Mexico Democrat’s retirement. Stephen Ward is joining Van Heuvelen Strategies, joining Bob Van Heuvelen, former chief of staff to Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). Ward sent an email to friends over the weekend, about the recent development: “I hope to find ways to stay in touch with N.M., and over Jeff’s last 16 months in office I will continue to work with the political side of his operation.”

This isn’t Ward’s first time heading to K Street. Before joining Bingaman’s staff, Ward spent 10 years as director of government affairs at EDS Corp.

VHS Strategies’s clients include the American Association for Justice, First Solar Inc., Genworth Financia l and Volvo Car Corp. Ward is expected to direct the development of energy and tax clients.

Trudy Vincent, Bingaman’s legislative director, will assume the role of chief and Sunalei Stewart, will take over Vincent’s legislative director role.

BODE BIDS ADIEU: John Bode, founder of the recently renamed Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz public policy practice, has exited the firm he spent 22 years at because he was “unhappy with a conflict of interest situation.” The longtime lobbyist has taken his client roster with him, including McDonalds Corp., Kraft Foods Global, Wendy's/Arby's Group, Schwan Food Co. and the American Fruit and Vegetable Processors and Grows Coalition.

So far, Bode tells PI he has been contacted by other firms and is evaluating whether he will join a firm, or remain solo.

“That’s a decision I will make in a few weeks,” Bode said.

Stay tuned.

DEMS STICKING AROUND? With a final deal on raising the debt ceiling imminent, most lawmakers could be wheels up as soon as this evening, but the DCCC is banking on some lawmakers and K Streeters sticking around later this week to raise money. The DCCC Business Council is hosting a breakfast Wednesday. But it won’t just be K Streeters according to the invite. DCCC National Finance Chair Joseph Crowley (N.Y.) will be joined by Business Council Chairs John Carney (Del.), James Himes (Conn.) and Richard Neal (Mass.). The ask for PACs: $15,000 to be a Business Council Member, $10,000 to reach the “patron” level and $5,000 to hit the “friend” slot.

Thursday DCCC senior staff will be hosting a 2011 political update and race review. DCCC Executive Director Robby Mook, Deputy Executive Director Jennifer Crider, Political Director Kelly Ward and Campaign Director Travis Lowe will be leading the hourlong meeting.

THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG: FairPlayUSA — the recently formed pro-online gaming group — has already gotten congressional backing in the guise of Rep. Michael Grimm. The New York Republican put out a statement Monday applauding the coalition: “With many adult online poker players in my District of Staten Island and Brooklyn, I support their right to continue playing, however, I agree that it must be in a law-abiding forum that provides portections for America’s consumers and children.”

SPACE IS LOBBYING’S NEXT FRONTIER: President Barack Obama’s élan for Elon Musk, the serial entrepreneur bent on launching private rockets into space cheaply, includes multiple personal visits, high praise and apparent reciprocation: Musk this year attended a $35,800-a-head Obama fundraiser and has filled other Democratic coffers with cash.

But in the new post-space shuttle space race, it takes more than glad-handing with the president to get the lucrative civilian and military contracts involving both human and cargo transport.

Musk, who founded PayPal and Tesla Motors, is no pauper. His outfit, Space Exploration Technologies — SpaceX — and other relative newcomers such as Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corp. and Orbital Sciences Corp., are all fighting to wrestle a greater share of riches from Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which are to space launches as the USS Enterprise is to “Star Trek” and still lord over all other firms when it comes to government contracts.

Read Dave’s full story here: http://politi.co/oK7Kbr

NRCC HITS NEVADA DEM WITH HUGE AD BUY: The National Republican Congressional Committee spent more than a quarter-million dollars late last week to oppose the candidacy of State Treasurer Kate Marshall, a Democrat running against Republican Mark Amodei in a special election for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District. The NRCC expenditures, federal records indicate, include nearly $240,000 in media and another $15,000 in survey research. The election is Sept. 13. Marshall is running to replace Republican Dean Heller, who was appointed to replace ex-Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who resigned in May amid an ongoing ethics scandal stemming from an extramarital affair.

FRESHMAN FORMS LEADERSHIP PAC: Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a freshman Republican representing Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, formed a leadership PAC this weekend, Federal Election Commission records indicate. Called Valuing Individual Conservatism Keeps You Strong, VICKY’S PAC is allowed to raise up to $5,000 from individuals each year and donate up to $5,000 to individual candidates, per election. Such PACs are formed separately from candidates’ campaign committees and may solicit donations from the same people who donate to a candidate’s campaign committee. (Here’s hoping a future congressional member named, say, Wilhelmina or Maximilian will avoid eponymous acronyms when creating their leadership PACs.)

CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL CONSULTING SHOP FORMS SUPER PAC: Paul Kilgore, the president of Professional Data Services of Athens, Ga., has formed Makes Us Great Again, a super PAC that “intends to make independent expenditures … and raise funds in unlimited amounts,” according to a letter to the FEC dated July 27. The new super PAC’s listed phone number also rings through to Capitol Hill Lists Inc., which describes itself on its website as “a leader in the direct marketing industry. We specialize in conservative political mailers.”

GOOGOLS FOR GOOGLE: Google is ramping up its campaign machine ahead of the 2012 election, raking in $570,000 for its political action committee in the first six months of the year — the most it has raised in a single cycle since its PAC opened shop, POLITICO Pro’s Tony Romm reports. The search giant’s midyear report, filed July 29, shows Google has already brought in more in the first half of 2011 than over the course of the entire 2010 cycle. The amount dwarfs what the company’s PAC raised during the 2006 and 2008 cycles combined. http://politico.pro/q4JH2t

PRAISE THE LORD: Some situations, like national financial meltdown, require lobbying a power greater than government. We captured this sign on Saturday outside the United Methodist Building across from the U.S. Capitol: http://yfrog.com/h70fmnj

NO JOHN HANCOCK: If poor penmanship equated presidential campaign success, Dr. Samuel B. Hoff of Dover, Del., would be our next commander in chief: http://bit.ly/qXU4KH

NEW FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE FILINGS:

• United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local #112 — Treasurer: Brian Hishinuma

• Pflugerville (Texas) Patriots — Treasurer: Brandon Bair

BY THE NUMBERS: July was a busy paperwork month for K Streeters filing their second quarter reports. But it wasn’t all about bringing in the money. July also was busy for the number of axed contracts. In total — there were 509 terminations last month. Law firm Baker & McKenzie led the pack with 49 terminations, including MillerCoors, Elizabeth Arden, Gillette, IBM and RJ Reynolds. So far, no word from B&M’s press shop on what caused the high turnover.

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