DoorDash adds a new outside firm

From: POLITICO Influence - Thursday Jul 13,2023 10:19 pm
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By Caitlin Oprysko

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Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l

NEW BUSINESS: DoorDash continues to beef up its lobbying footprint in Washington, according to newly filed disclosures that show the food delivery app brought on S-3 Group in April. S-3’s Matt Bravo, a former aide to now-House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Olivia Kurtz, a former chief of staff to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Michaeleen Crowell — one of now-Senate HELP Chair Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) few former aides on K Street — are among those lobbying for DoorDash on labor and independent contractor issues as well as small business, consumer, food policy and restaurant issues.

— DoorDash has swiftly built up a presence in Washington since bringing on its first outside firm in 2020. It now retains five firms, including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Ballard Partners, as congressional Democrats and the Biden administration push to allow gig workers to receive the same benefits as regular employees. The company dropped $1.5 million on lobbying last year.

— Meanwhile the UAE’s Emirates airline has hired its first lobbyist since 2019, disclosures show. The airline tapped top aviation lobbyist Naveen Rao, who was a GOP counsel for the House Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee during the FAA reauthorization and extension, to lobby on general aviation and policy matters.

TransCanada PipeLines, the subsidiary of the Canadian developer of the Keystone XL pipeline, hired former Sen. Connie Mack last month to lobby on permitting reforms in addition to renewable energy policy, carbon capture, and alternative fuels like natural gas and hydrogen. Mack’s firm Black Diamond Strategies is just the third on retainer for the company, alongside the firm run by former Biden aide Chris Putala and the GOP firm CGCN Group.

Happy Thursday and welcome to PI. Send tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

 

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Weakening air safety standards should never be up for debate. Yet that is precisely what Congress is poised to do as it considers changing qualifications for pilot certification. Jeopardizing the U.S.’s gold standard for air safety and threatening passenger safety is a colossal mistake. Learn more here.

 

AND A NOTABLE TERMINATION: Embattled crypto exchange Binance has parted ways with Hogan Lovells, bringing to a close the relationship with one of the crypto trading platform’s first D.C. lobbying firms. Hogan Lovells first signed Binance’s U.S. affiliate in 2021, pulling in $820,000 in lobbying fees from Binance.US before going to work for the global crypto exchange Binance at the beginning of this year.

— The split appears to be the first fallout for the either the global platform or the U.S. exchange since the SEC filed a lawsuit against Binance and CEO Changpeng Zhao last month alleging that Binance was illegally operating in the U.S. — piggybacking on a separate lawsuit from the CFTC this spring and a Justice Department investigation into the company.

Fierce Government Relations and FS Vector continue to lobby for Binance.US, disclosures show, while Binance’s law and lobbying firm Gibson Dunn and Ice Miller Strategies still lobby for the global exchange.

ANNALS OF FUNDRAISING: Major donors on the right are becoming increasingly skittish about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ prospects for toppling former President Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primary — and they’re beginning to look for a new horse to back in the race, according to a pair of stories from POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg and Natalie Allison and CNBC’s Brian Schwartz.

— One of the key beneficiaries of that anxiety could be Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who met recently with Estée Lauder heir and billionaire Ronald Lauder, Sally and Natalie report. “During their nearly hourlong discussion at a restaurant in Daniel Island, just outside Charleston, Lauder and Scott discussed what the senator sees as his path to victory. The two have spoken since their initial meeting, including in recent days, according to a person familiar with the conversation.”

— “A lot of donors that I’ve met are all curious and want to meet Tim and see what he’s about,” said Andy Sabin, a metal executive who originally planned to support DeSantis and is now raising money for Scott.

Citadel chief executive Ken Griffin “continues to assess the field” of candidates, a spokesperson told CNBC, despite the hedge fund billionaire telling POLITICO last year that he was prepared to back a DeSantis candidacy. CNBC reports that when asked about the top individual donors to the super PAC supporting the governor, a fundraiser named former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman and VillageMD co-founder Clive Fields, rather than Griffin.

— “Despite donors’ concerns, several DeSantis fundraisers are privately pushing back on their worries, including by noting that national polling doesn’t mean anything when it comes to state primaries,” per CNBC.

TURMOIL AT LULAC: “One of the nation’s oldest and most venerated Latino civil rights organizations is at a critical juncture that some members say could determine its direction — or have dire implications for its future,” according to The New York Times Jazmine Ulloa.

— “A messy legal dispute, rooted in a decades-long debate over whether Puerto Rico should become a state, has led to infighting among the members and leadership of the group, the League of United Latin American Citizens, known as LULAC.”

— “Some have accused its president of fueling the very discrimination the organization first set out to eliminate. Half a dozen current and former members contend that Domingo Garcia, a Dallas lawyer who has led the group since 2018, is seeking to marginalize Puerto Rican members after he almost lost his seat last year to a candidate of Puerto Rican origin.”

— “LULAC has become instrumental in turning out the vote in Democratic politics, as most Latinos have historically tended to lean Democrat. The civil rights organization will be among major Latino advocacy organizations looking to play a pivotal role in the 2024 presidential election as Latinos have emerged as important swing voters” — and a fast-growing electorate at that.

FIRST IN PI — FIREHOUSE PROMOTES 2: Firehouse Strategies has named two new partners at the public affairs firm, promoting Dorinda Moss Verhoff and Kate Brown. Brown has been with the firm since 2019, and leads its political team, while Verhoff joined in 2019 as vice president of business development and is a longtime Republican fundraiser.

FLYING IN: Trade groups representing the live entertainment and baking industries hit the Hill this week for lawmakers’ return from the July Fourth recess. Hundreds of representatives from entertainment venues, festivals and promoters blanketed the Capitol as part of a fly-in organized by the National Independent Venue Association. During the group’s conference, the industry heard from Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), who spearheaded Covid relief for the sector, as well as Reps. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.).

— Members had more than 100 meetings during their fly-in, meeting with the offices of Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Reps. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), the author of ticket reform legislation a NIVA-led coalition is pushing back on.

Members of the American Bakers Association were on hand Wednesday to push the industry’s priorities in farm bill negotiations, holding a baker’s dozen of meetings with officials from agencies and lawmakers from both chambers of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

— ABA members are calling for changes to USDA’s U.S. sugar program, maintaining the infrastructure for federal wheat quality research and expanding the definition of cover crops for increased wheat production and want to block changes to products covered by SNAP.

— Executives from Walmart were also on the Hill on Wednesday ahead of a grand opening for their new D.C. office to tout the retailer’s domestic manufacturing commitments. Spotted at the event, per a tipster, were Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Mack McLarty of McLarty Associates and Business Roundtable’s Josh Bolten.

 

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Jobs Report

Danielle Alvarez has joined Florida Crystals Corporation as director of public affairs. She was most recently communications director for the RNC and is a Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott alum.

Nicole Brewin is joining the Travel Technology Association as vice president of government affairs. She most recently led government affairs at the Railway Supply Institute.

Chelsea Neil has joined RTX as a PAC manager, along with Kevin Meehan who is joining as senior director for Navy global public policy and Lance Whitfill who is joining as senior director for Air Force global public policy. Neil was most recently manager of political and government relations at the Commercial Real Estate Financial Council, Meehan was previously Senate affairs director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Whitfill was previously Air Force deputy director for congressional budget and appropriations liaison.

Clyde has promoted Lilia Dashevsky to senior vice president of public affairs.

Chad Kirk joined the Aerospace Industries Association as senior director of civil aviation. He was previously head of government and policy affairs at Airspace Link.

Heather Riley and Chris Vlasto are launching Haven Strategies, a new strategic comms and crisis management firm. Both are ABC News alums; Riley most recently was executive producer of political programming, and Vlasto ran the investigative unit and served as executive producer of “Good Morning America.”

Bill Monahan will be senior director of policy at Foreign Policy for America. He previously was counsel and policy director for foreign policy and national security for Senate Armed Services Committee Dems.

Melis Tusiray and Anne Clawson are launching Cascade Strategies. Tusiray previously was director of operations for Epic Magazine at Vox Media. Clawson most recently was vice president for policy and regulatory affairs at the National Alliance of Forest Owners.

Matthew Ladner is joining the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy as a senior adviser on education policy implementation. Ladner will focus on school choice policy enacted at the state level.

 

A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l:

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New Joint Fundraisers

None.

New PACs

None.

New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS

Alcalde & Fay: City Of Newport News, Virginia
Appalachian Voices: Appalachian Voices
Arentfox Schiff LLP: Amplifier Research Corp.
Carpi & Clay, Inc: Women'S Transportation Seminar
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Foundation For Mississippi History
David L. Horne, LLC: Bergmann & Moore
Federal Health Policy Strategies: Kidney Care Partners
Forbes-Tate: Auctane, Inc.
H4 Advisors LLC: Emirates Airlines
Holland & Knight LLP: Orangetheory Fitness
Holland & Knight LLP: Planet Fitness, Inc.
Holland & Knight LLP: Self Esteem Brands, LLC
Husch Blackwell Strategies: Bread For The World
J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Eco Waste Solutions
J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Primerai
J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Salvo Technologies, Inc.
King & Spalding LLP: Honduras Prospera Inc.
Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC: America Achieves
Mcallister & Quinn: Financial Planning Association
M Financial: M Financial
Prime Policy Group: Unbound Now
S-3 Group: Doordash
The Picard Group, LLC: Fast Trac Transportation, LLC
Tiber Creek Group: Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
Water Strategies, LLC: Buckeye Water Conservation And Drainage District
Water Strategies, LLC: Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District
Whitmer & Worrall, LLC: Xylem

New Lobbying Terminations

Hsa Strategies: National Association Of Broadcasters
Hsa Strategies: Rs Access, LLC
J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Mason Harriman Group
John Ladd & Associates, Inc.: Myhre Investments, LLC
Lot Sixteen LLC: Clenera
Northfork Strategies: Allstream Business US
Squire Patton Boggs: Alliance For Financing U.S. Infrastructure, Inc.
Squire Patton Boggs: Infra-Bk, LLC
Thorn Run Partners: Community Council Health Systems
Thorn Run Partners: Gemu Valves

A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l:

Proposed changes to pilot training threaten more than a decade of exemplary air safety. As Congress considers the FAA reauthorization bill, some industry stakeholders are lobbying to weaken pilot training qualifications. If successful, passengers will fly with less experienced pilots and at an increased risk to their safety. Since standards were increased in 2010, the U.S. has seen a 99.8% reduction in airline fatalities. Weakening the current pilot training standards and qualifications that keep our skies safe is a recipe for disaster — one that risks passenger safety for years to come. Learn more here.

 
 

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