Hillary Clinton could allow lobbyists to donate to her campaign, Bloomberg View reports.
Lobbyists were banned from donating to President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, but Clinton could reverse this course.
The Clintons, who have never viewed the advocacy community with the disdain expressed by Obama or Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, could end the exile. "A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not, represent real Americans," Hillary Clinton said in August 2007. In 2008, at least 22 registered lobbyists, including Heather Podesta, Lanny Davis and Geraldine Ferraro, were among Clinton's bundlers, according to Public Citizen.
Ready for Hillary, a Super PAC that has been laying the foundation for a Clinton presidential campaign, already accepts cash from K Street. More than 60 lobbyists have donated to the organization, according to data compiled for Bloomberg View by the Center for Responsive Politics. However, the group's total contributions from lobbyists—about $90,000 so far—amount to a fraction of the almost $13 million the Super PAC has raised.
If Clinton brings lobbyists in from the cold, however, she could face a backlash in her party. She already faces scrutiny for foreign donations, including from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation. (The foundation, which limited such contributions while Clinton was Secretary of State, announced this month that it will reconsider its policies if Clinton runs for president.)