Most U.S. senators eventually will have federal lobbyists in their family, LegiStorm data suggests. The proportion of representatives who will have family lobbying ties is nearly as high.
In the 117th Congress, only seven percent of representatives and 19 percent of senators have family lobbying ties - so far. As they spend more time in D.C., many current members will go on to marry into lobbying families or have children who later join K Street firms.
Some eight percent of representatives and 21 percent of senators who served in the 116th Congress have family lobbying ties. That number continues to increase the longer it's been since a member first came to Washington. Of members in Congress 20 years ago, 40 percent of representatives and 51 percent of senators now have family members who are current or former lobbyists.
Those figures don't even include a third of all members of Congress who will go on to become lobbyists themselves. Six current representatives - Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), David Rouzer (R-N.C.) - and two senators - John Thune (R-S.D.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) - registered as lobbyists before coming to Congress.
