LegiStorm

Certain colleges appear better than others in creating high-paid congressional staff. 

The schools producing undergraduates that make the most as congressional staff are the U.S. Naval Academy, Brandeis University, Columbia University, Princeton University and Dartmouth College, according to a LegiStorm analysis of the annual salary rates for current full-time and permanent congressional staff. This analysis finds that the University of Arizona, Tufts University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Catholic University of America and Princeton University produce graduate students who become the best-paid staff. 

The median salaries of the top five best-paid undergraduate schools, or $110,000, greatly exceed the average annual salary of congressional staffers with a bachelor's degree, $71,000.

Similarly, the $129,000 median salaries of the top five best-paid graduate schools exceed the average annual salary for congressional staffers who hold a JD - the highest-paying graduate degree among staffers - by $28,000.

With an average annual salary of $110,000 for JD-holders, GOP offices are willing to pay staffers with a JD more than the congressional average. However, the median salaries of each of the five best-paid graduate schools exceed this figure by over $13,000. The top-paying graduate school, predominantly attended by Democratic alumni, surpasses the average salary of a GOP staffer with a JD by $46,000. 

Only 10% of staffers who have attended a top five best-paid undergraduate school are employed by Republican offices, with the remainder working for Democrats.

The partisan divide in attending the top graduate schools is less striking. However, Democratic alumni from these institutions still exceed GOP alumni, making up nearly 68% of current congressional staffers who have attended one of these schools or a school within its system.

The number of Republican graduates who have attended a top five best-paid undergraduate school only surpasses the number of Democratic graduates from one school: the U.S. Naval Academy. This is also the case for the top five best-paid graduate schools, with the number of Republican graduates only surpassing the number of Democratic graduates from the Catholic University of America.

Dave Natonski, former vice president of Venture Government Strategies, has returned to the Hill as Sen. Markwayne Mullin's (R-Okla.) chief of staff.

Natonski served at Venture Government Strategies for nearly two years. While working for the firm, Natonski lobbied on behalf of numerous big-name clients, including JPMorgan Chase, Exxon Mobil, SHEIN and Microsoft, on a variety of issues ranging from immigration to energy.

Before joining Venture Government Strategies, Natonski held various positions during his 19 years on the Hill. He previously served as chief of staff to former Reps. Trey Radel (R-Fla.), Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.), Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) and Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.). This is his first job in the Senate.

Republican staffers are more likely to have attended a school in the South, while Democratic staffers have favored schools in the D.C. area and California.

Although the greatest number of current congressional staffers from both Republican and Democratic offices are George Washington University alumni, the remaining top four school systems that have produced the most staffers differ between the two parties.

The University of California System, American University, Georgetown University and California State University claim the remaining four spots for school systems with the most Democratic staffer alumni, while the State University System of Florida, the University System of Georgia, University of North Carolina System and University of Mississippi have produced the most Republican staffers along with George Washington University.

Large coastal schools tend to produce a lopsided number of Democrats. New York University and City University of New York collectively produce nearly six times more Democratic staffers than Republican staffers and the University of Washington System is the alma mater to five times more Democratic staffers than Republican staffers. Many large schools in the South produce a disproportionate number of Republicans. Auburn University has produced eight times more Republican staffers than Democratic staffers and nearly 15 times more Republican staff alumni are from the Louisiana State University System than Democratic staff alumni.

Some schools are even more lopsided. Liberty University has a particular stronghold among Republican staffers, with only two Democratic staffers that have attended the university versus 76 Republicans. Similarly, only one Democratic staffer has attended Hillsdale College, while 21 Republican staffers are Hillsdale alumni. On the other hand, Columbia University has produced only two GOP staffers while generating 48 Democratic staff.

After six years on the Hill, Auston Anderson is entering the private sector as a senior public affairs consultant for Aflac Inc.

Anderson has held various positions during his time on the Hill. He served as Sen. Ben Ray Luján's (D-N.M.) press secretary for two years. Prior to joining Luján's office, Anderson worked for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).

Aflac has spent nearly $4.8 million on federal lobbying this year. 

In the face of a House Ethics Committee probe and a weapons violation charge, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) will face constituents during a six-day mad dash of 12 town halls.

Spartz, who was charged with bringing a handgun through airport security last month and was reported to be facing House Ethics Committee inquiries into staff abuse claims in June, announced she is hosting 12 in-person town halls from Aug. 12- 17, 2024. This is the most town halls she has hosted in such a short period, only ever hosting up to three town halls in a week.

Moreover, this amount exceeds the total number of town halls she has hosted each year except for her first year in office. When Spartz assumed her role in 2021, she hosted 22 town halls; this number dropped to 3 in 2022 and slightly increased to 8 in 2023.

The 12 town halls Spartz is hosting over the coming days account for nearly 24% of the town halls she has hosted since 2021. These town halls, in addition to the six town halls she hosted at earlier points in the year, place Spartz in sixth place - tying with Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) - among members of Congress for the most town halls hosted in 2024; she ranks third among members of the House of Representatives. This is a position she has not come close to since 2021, when she ranked seventh among members for the most town halls.

Since assuming her position, Spartz's office has consistently seen high staff turnover, ranking between the 98th and 99th percentile for highest staff turnover during each of her years in office. However, this does not appear to have fazed the public, as Spartz "defeated eight competitors" to win her April primary for reelection.

It is unclear if Spartz will address any of the controversy she is facing at her upcoming town halls or if it contributed to her decision to host this sudden flurry of town halls. While members of Congress often offer a description of a town hall that details what they plan to discuss at the event, Spartz does not have a description posted for any of the upcoming town halls on her official calendar.