The Democrat who lost to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is joining a major lobbying firm
- Former Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley of New York is joining major lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs.
- Crowley was ousted from his powerful position as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus after losing his primary race to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
- Squire Patton Boggs has represented a large number of corporations, including giants like Amazon, Proctor & Gamble, and UnitedHealth Group.
Former House Democratic Caucus chairman and New York Rep. Joe Crowley is heading to one of the largest lobbying firms in the United States, just several months after losing his House seat to a primary challenge from insurgent Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Crowley is joining Squire Patton Boggs, a global law and lobbying firm that represents a massive number of corporations and organizations.
Read more: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez replaces Nancy Pelosi as Republicans' new boogeyman for 2020
Squire Patton Boggs announced the addition of Crowley to the firm's global public policy practice on Tuesday, as well as signing a deal with recently retired Republican Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania.
"Joe Crowley and Bill Shuster have been leaders in their respective parties and are two of the most effective legislators of their generation," said former Sens. John Breaux and Trent Lott, who also work for SPB's public policy practice. "The skills and experience Bill and Joe bring will be an asset for clients all over the world who are seeking to navigate the challenges of modern-day Washington. They are a blockbuster addition to our global, bipartisan public policy practice."
SPB has a long list of clients that range from major corporations to city governments. Among SPB's most recognizable corporate clients have been Amazon, Proctor & Gamble, and UnitedHealth Group. Amazon dropped SPB in 2018.
Amazon recently withdrew its plans to build a second headquarters in New York after drawn out disputes with local New York lawmakers and criticism from politicians including Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez celebrated the decision by Amazon, which would have provided 25,000 new jobs in the area. The freshman Democrat was highly critical of the $3 billion in tax incentives in New York's deal with Amazon.
Crowley had previously been considered a possible heir apparent to Nancy Pelosi and the potential next speaker of the House. But a turn of events changed his career when Ocasio-Cortez defeated him in the primary election in 2018. Ocasio-Cortez would then go on to win Crowley's seat and currently serves in Congress.