Republican lobbyists raise money for Democrat

A prominent lobbying firm with strong ties to the GOP is hosting a fundraiser for former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s open Senate seat.

BGR Holding, formerly Barbour Griffith & Rogers, will hold a breakfast next Monday in honor of Warner, according to an invitation obtained by The Hill. Warner is running against Republican Jim Gilmore for the Senate seat now held by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who is retiring. The two Warners are not related.

{mosads}The fundraiser marks a turn for the lobbying firm founded by three prominent Republican operatives. Ed Rogers, once an aide in Ronald Reagan’s White House, and Lanny Griffith, a member of the Bush-Cheney ’04 national finance committee, are among the hosts listed on the invitation. The third name partner, Haley Barbour, is now the Republican governor of Mississippi.

For years, Barbour, Griffith & Rogers promoted itself as all-Republican, and in doing so built a book of business that made it one of the top firms in terms of annual revenues on K Street. But since Democrats took over Congress in 2007, BGR has moved to become bipartisan. BGR hired David DiMartino, a former aide to Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), and Michael Meehan, a past chief of staff to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), this year. Both are also attending the Warner fundraiser.

“This is part of the transition,” said Meehan, who heads up public relations at BGR.

The Warner breakfast is only the second fundraiser the firm has hosted for a Democrat. The first was for Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) in September, Meehan said.
 
But Meehan said the firm’s political action committee, which before gave only to Republican candidates, has begun contributing to Democrats. Meehan said the PAC giving is expected to be split evenly between Republican and Democratic candidates by election-day. Meehan is also actively recruiting Democrats for the firm’s lobbying and public relations practices.
 
BGR has not hosted a fundraiser for Gilmore, who is given little shot at winning the seat and has had a tough time of late securing even Republican support. Gilmore trails Mark Warner by an average of 27 points in polls, according to the RealClearPolitics.

John Warner has declined to endorse Gilmore because of the candidate’s opposition to the $700 billion package approved by Congress to deal with the financial crisis.

Messages left with the Gilmore campaign were not immediately returned.