The Renewals Are the Story
We checked 24 of the 76 new lobbying registrations against last year's filings. Twenty-one were renewals: the same lobbyist carrying the same client into the new year. Three were new pairings. In a business built on relationships, the dog that didn't bark is the story, and the three that did are the news.
Annapolis government relations is a repeat-player game. Teams form on one bill and break apart on the next, but the relationships outlast the fights. Clients don't shop lobbyists the way they shop vendors. Once a lobbyist has the client's trust, the client's phone number, and the client's institutional memory, the switching cost is enormous. The renewal wave ahead of the October 31 registration deadline is the market voting for incumbents.
Below the paywall: all 24 checked registrations, firm by firm, plus the three new pairings with who they were with and who they're with now.
[PAYWALL BREAK]
