Nelson says he'll 'help coordinate and establish a relationship with state governments.' Nelson among ex-lawmakers to K St.

Former Sen. Ben Nelson, who retired from the upper chamber just weeks ago, will be joining public affairs firm Agenda as a senior adviser, POLITICO has learned.

The firm has also hired Ed Schafer, the former North Dakota governor and secretary of agriculture under President George W. Bush, to serve in the same role. Nelson and Schafer will lead the firm’s advisory board.


Ethics rules prevent former senators from lobbying until two years after they leave Congress, but since the firm does advocacy work that doesn’t fall under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, Nelson can go through the revolving door immediately after retiring from the Senate.

“I’ll be working with the staff to help coordinate and establish a relationship with state governments,” Nelson told POLITICO. “I wanted to work with my friend and former colleague to help represent the interests of states, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Craig Pattee, founding partner of Agenda, previously worked with both Nelson and Schafer. In 1994, he founded Kaufman Nelson Pattee with former White House political adviser Ron Kaufman and Nelson. He has also worked as a federal representative for Schafer.

“Neither of them are registered to lobby Congress,” Pattee said. “We are not a federal lobbying shop. That’s an important distinction. So much of what we do is to impact policy in Washington, D.C., but by utilizing voices from outside the Beltway.”

Nelson will also be joining a national trade association in addition to his work for Agenda. The announcement is expected to come this week. Nelson said he received several offers before settling on those two.Nelson’s move comes on the heels of several other former members of Congress heading to K street.

Among those who’ve made the move are former Reps. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio), who left after the 112th Congress to serve as president of McDonald Hopkins Government Strategies; Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), who has joined Duke Energy as senior vice president of federal affairs; Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) who is headed to insurer Florida Blue as a government affairs executive; Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), who will start in March to head up The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association; and Geoff Davis (R-Ky.), who resigned July 31 and has formed a public affairs firm, Republic Consulting, with lobbyist Hunter Bates.

With more than 80 members of Congress either retiring or losing in 2012, several others are expected soon to follow in Nelson’s footsteps. Many are competing for the same influential positions in the private sector.

“There’s a lot of competition out there,” said Ivan Adler, a headhunter with The McCormick Group. “It’s pretty hard core, actually.”

In a highly competitive market, former governors like Nelson — who served two terms as Nebraska governor before entering the Senate — and Schafer can be more sought after because they have executive experience, Adler said.

Agenda will use the new hires to grow its presence in Washington. The firm is expected to announce more advisers in the coming months. Its clients include AT&T, Eli Lilly and Kid Rock. Agenda worked with MGM Resorts International to rally support for Question 7, a ballot initiative to expand gambling in Maryland, which passed in the 2012 election.

It’s one of the several public affairs firms on K Street cashing in on the growing need for a public affairs campaign to supplement federal lobbying efforts on major issues.

“Lobbying today is all about mobilizing voices who want to be heard, not about the back-room deal. There aren’t any,” Pattee said. “If corporate interests were so powerful, Obamacare wouldn’t have passed and the folks at Keystone would be welding a pipeline today.”