Former U.S. Rep. Tiahrt takes job with D.C. lobbying firm

Former U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt has taken a position as a senior vice president with a lobbying firm.

Tiahrt will work out of the Washington, D.C., office for O’Neill and Associates, according to a news release from the firm, which has headquarters in Boston and does lobbying at the state and federal levels.

The company’s clients include the Massachusetts Port Authority, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, according to its website. Tiahrt will lead the firm’s federal appropriations practice.

Tiahrt, a Goddard Republican, was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 and served for 16 years including as a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Defense Subcommittee.

He mounted a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2010 but lost in the Republican primary to U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Hays. Last year, he attempted to win election to the same House seat but was defeated handily by U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita.

Tiahrt will be working for a firm run by Thomas P. O’Neill III, former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts and the son of Tip O’Neill, a Democratic icon who served as speaker of the U.S. House from 1977 to 1987.

Tiahrt said he would add some Republican credentials to a firm with strong Democratic ties.

“The O’Neill Associates have great access to this administration, something that I don’t have for obvious reasons,” Tiahrt said in a phone call. “I’ve got great access to Congress from my years of experience and being a Republican National Committeeman, which they don’t have. So it’s really worked out great for both of us.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2015 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Former U.S. Rep. Tiahrt takes job with D.C. lobbying firm."