Home/Tom DeLay Elected Majority Whip - Creates K Street PAC Tracking System

Tom DeLay Elected Majority Whip - Creates K Street PAC Tracking System

Timeline Eventconfirmed
republican-revolutiontom-delayk-street-projectlobbying-capturepac-systemlegislative-control
Legislative CaptureRegulatory Capture
Actors:Tom DeLay, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Grover Norquist
1995-01-04 · 1 min read

Following the Republican Revolution, Tom DeLay is elected House Majority Whip and implements systematic lobbying control mechanisms. DeLay creates the notorious 'friendly/unfriendly' PAC classification system, maintaining a notebook tracking which of the 400 largest PACs contribute to Republicans vs Democrats. This becomes the enforcement mechanism for the K Street Project, with DeLay telling lobbyists: 'If you want to play in our revolution, you have to live by our rules.' The system fundamentally transforms Washington lobbying by creating explicit pay-to-play requirements. By 2003, an estimated 33 of the top 36 jobs on K Street were held by Republicans, demonstrating the project's profound impact on Washington's lobbying infrastructure.

Related Events

Gingrich-DeLay Formalize K Street Project Coordination Structure 1995-02-01
K Street Project Systematically Transforms Washington Lobbying Infrastructure 1995-01-01
Electronic Industries Alliance Blacklisting - K Street Project Enforcement 1998-10-01
Abramoff-Norquist-DeLay Network Defeats Native American Casino Tax Bill 1996-01-01
Jack Abramoff Joins Preston Gates - Launches Tribal Lobbying Practice 1994-01-01

Sources

  1. The K Street Project and Tom DeLay — NPR — (2006-01-12)
  2. K Street Project — SourceWatch — (2024-01-01)
  3. Republicans take over K Street — Christian Science Monitor — (2003-08-29)
  4. The K Street Project and Tom DeLay (Detailed Analysis) — NPR — (2006-01-14)