Hobbs for Congress fundraiser a Corporate Lobbypalooza

UPDATED with a fresh solicitation of lobbyists’ money! (see below).

The staff of The Stand was forwarded an email invitation to attend a fundraiser — with “Generous Donations Accepted!” — sponsored by a who’s who of corporate lobbyists in Washington state on behalf of the 2012 1st District congressional campaign of State Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-Everett), a founding member of the pro-corporate Roadkill Caucus.

The fundraiser is at Linda Lanham’s home, which is also the office of a lobbying firm called the Aerospace Futures Alliance funded primarily, if not exclusively, by The Boeing Co. Lanham is the Director and sole employee of the AFA.

Here are the “Sponsors” of the Hobbs fundraiser, as listed in the email solicitation, and some of the corporations on whose behalf they lobby, according to the Public Disclosure Commission:

• Linda Lanham (Aerospace Futures Alliance)
• Tom McBride (Amerigroup/Health Care, Boeing, Far West Agribusiness, & others)
• Tom Parker (Union Pacific Railroad, Peabody Investment Corp., & others)
• Dan Coyne (Alaska Air, CenturyTel, Conoco Philips, & others)
• David Michener (WA Beverage Association, Waste Management, & others)
• Bill Stauffacher (BIAW, Insurance Agents & Brokers of WA, & others)
• Steve Gano (Altria/Philip Morris, Goodrich, KeyBank, Wal-Mart, & others)
• Pat Dunn (Integra Telecom, Les Schwab, & others)
• Mark Doumit (WA Forest Protection Assn)
• Tim Thompson (the only “Sponsor” who isn’t a PDC-registered lobbyist, he runs a consulting group that represents area corporations including Bechtel, U.S. Oil, Vulcan, & others)
• Brad Boswell (Seattle Chamber, Nucor Corp., & others)
• David Arbaugh (Allergan Inc, several PUDs, & others)
• Fred Kiga (Policy Director for Amazon)
• T.K. Bentler (Reynolds Tobacco, 3M, Hertz, & more)
• Greg Pierce (Bristol-Myers Squibb, Comcast, Microsoft, Vulcan, & more)
• Ron Main (Broadband Communications Ass’n, WA Beer & Wine Wholesalers, & more)
• Cindy Holstrom (Comcast, United Grocers, WA Roundtable, & more)
• Carrie Tellefson (Ford, Progressive Corp., Regence BlueShield, & more)
• Paul Berendt (Choice Administrators Insurance Services, Tetra tech Inc., & others)
• Denny Eliason (founder, Alliances NW lobbying firm)
• Nate Miles (Director of State Gov’t Affaits, Eli Lilly)
• Jim Bricker (Dir. Gov’t Affairs, PEMCO Insurance)
• Carolyn Logue (WA Food Industry, WA Denturist Ass’n, & others)
• Holy Chisa (NW Grocers Ass’n, United Trustees Ass’n, & others)
• Greg Hanon (Citigroup, Costco, McDonald’s, Monsanto, & others)
• David Ducharme (Distilled Spirits Council, WA Oil Marketers Ass’n, & others)
• Jeff Gombosky (Amgen, Anheuser-Busch, PhRMA, & others)\
• Clif Finch (founder, Clif Finch Consulting)
• Amy Bell (WA Roundtable, YMCAs of WA, & others)
• Vicki Christophersen (Merck, Providence Health & Services, & others)
• Trent House (Pacific Medical Centers, Costco, & others)
• Kathryn & Jim Hedrick (owners, Final Passage lobbying firm)

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO has not yet made endorsements for the 2012 elections.

JUVENILE UPDATE (Aug. 25) — We were forwarded another email late Wednesday from lobbyist Jim Kainber, who is also apparently on the staff of the Hobbs for Congress campaign, decrying The Stand’s posting above as a “juvenile attack” from a “big special interest.” The email, which was forwarded to us from several recipients all of whom are registered lobbyists, ominously warns that “your name might be listed!”

Kainber tells the lobbyists that The Stand’s posting “underscores the importance of your early and generous support” to Hobbs’ campaign for Congress, and provides a link to contribute online for those lobbyists who can’t make it to tonight’s fundraiser at Lanham’s house.