Ex-Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-W.V.) made his first official pass through the revolving door last week, when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce registered him as an official lobbyist. But for his employer, the registration marked an even bigger milestone: This is the first time the U.S. Chamber has counted a former member among its massive in-house lobbying team in at least 22 years.
The Chamber, D.C.'s largest lobbying presence by money spent, keeps nearly 90 lobbyists on its staff at a given time and disclosed spending nearly $78 million on its federal program in the last year.
Jenkins is lobbying on a host of issues for the Chamber, according to a recent filing. It's the first disclosure to show a former member working as a Chamber in-house lobbyist since at least 2000, when LegiStorm's complete lobbying data begins. Ex-members have occasionally lobbied for the Chamber through contracts with external firms.
Jenkins resigned his House seat in 2018 after losing a primary bid for Senate and accepting an appointment to West Virginia's supreme court. He joined the Chamber last month as the organization's head congressional lobbyist.
