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Evan Bayh Hits Up D.C. Lobbyists for Cash in Final Weeks of Election

Bayh attacks opponent for TPP support, fundraises with TPP lobbyists

Evan Bayh
Evan Bayh / AP
October 24, 2016

Democrat Evan Bayh will attend two Washington, D.C., fundraisers hosted by top lobbyists on Monday, according to invitations obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The first fundraiser is a "lunch with Bayh" hosted at the D.C. offices of McGuireWoods, the lobbying firm where Bayh has been a partner since he retired from the Senate in 2011. The event costs a minimum of $1,000 to attend, according to the invitation.

Bayh will then head down the street to headline a $1,000 per plate dinner hosted by some of the city's top lobbyists. Attendees are invited to contribute $2,700 to become cohosts for the event.

Among the hosts listed for the event is Jonathan Mantz, the top Democratic lobbyist for BGR Government Affairs.

Mantz lobbied this year for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that the Bayh campaign has attacked his opponent, Rep. Todd Young (R., Ind.), for backing in Congress.

Mantz lobbied for the TPP on behalf of the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Congress, according to lobbyist disclosure filings. McGuireWoods lobbyists were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to garner support for the trade deal, according to filings.

The Bayh campaign has attempted to make trade a major issue in the campaign, labeling Young, who now opposes the trade deal, an "unabashed advocate of free trade."

"Trade is going to be a critical issue in this election because it lets Hoosiers see who is standing with them, and who isn't," said campaign spokesman Ben Ray.

Bayh wrote on Twitter on Monday morning that he will spend the week shedding light on "Young's record of promoting policies that favor outsourcing corporations over Indiana workers."

Bayh's spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on Monday’s fundraisers.

Young has said that voting to allow President Obama to negotiate TPP was the "responsible thing" to do, but that he cannot support the deal in its present form.

Also hosting the evening fundraiser are lobbyists Jonathan Alexander, Claude Fontheim, and Jake Perry.

Among the companies represented by Perry, a former aide to Sen. Harry Reid (D., Nev.), is the Apollo Education Group, which is owned by Apollo Global Management, a New York-based private equity firm where Bayh is a senior adviser.

Bayh has been slammed for remaining in Washington, D.C., after he left the Senate in 2010.

Bayh has struggled to brand himself as a Hoosier. Reports indicate that he has barely maintained a residence in Indiana—he did not know his address in Indianapolis, his neighbors never see him, and he stays in hotels rather than his own home when he visits the state.

Bayh is scheduled to attend an afternoon fundraiser in Austin, Texas. Event tickets cost a minimum of $1,000, according to the invitation. It is hosted by the Ben Barnes Group, a lobbying firm.

Published under: 2016 Election , Evan Bayh