CROWLEY’S LOSS RIPPLES THROUGH K STREET: The upset loss of Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), the No. 4 Democrat in the House, to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the primary on Tuesday is being felt on K Street this morning. “For me, personally, it’s losing a mentor and a best friend,” said Mervyn Jones, a lobbyist at Pine Street Strategies and a former Crowley staffer. Crowley had a great relationship with K Street, Jones said, and had a reputation for being upfront with lobbyists. “He would just tell you flat out why he wouldn’t be able to support what you were lobbying for,” Jones said.
— There are a number of former Crowley staffers downtown, the most prominent of whom might be Chris McCannell, a former chief of staff to Crowley who now represents clients including Paypal and the U.S. Travel Association as a lobbyist for the Eris Group. Others include Gregg Sheiowitz, a former legislative director for Crowley who now lobbies for Zurich North America; Eli Kogan, a former senior legislative assistant who’s now a lobbyist for Horizon Pharma; and Grisella Martinez, a former special adviser to Crowley who now lobbies for the National Association of Broadcasters.
— Crowley’s current staffers will have to find new jobs next year, of course. But Ivan Adler, a headhunter who specializes in placing people on K Street, said Crowley’s loss shouldn’t affect their ability to get hired if they decide to become lobbyists. Given Crowley’s position as Democratic caucus chairman and his spot on the House Ways and Means Committee, his staffers “are very well-connected and really shouldn’t suffer too much from losing their rabbi,” Adler said.
