Richard Gephardt

Congressional Start

In 1976, after deciding to run for mayor of St. Louis, Gephardt learned that then-Rep. Leonor K. Sullivan (D-Mo.) would retire from her 3rd district House seat. So he switched gears and entered the congressional race in hopes of moving to Washington, D.C.

In 1977, he did just that, and once in Washington, Gephardt rose rapidly,quickly gaining seats on the potent House Ways and Means and Budget committees. Despite the D next to his name, Gephardt had a conservative streak, proposing constitutional amendments to ban abortion except in the case of the life of the mother and  to outlaw court-ordered busing, and taking several opportunities to break with Democrats and the titular head of the party, President Jimmy Carter. But his independence never permanently distanced him from the his fellow Democrats. In 1984, Gephardt was named chairman of both the House Democratic Caucus and the centrist Democratic Leadership Council.“With Second Presidential Bid Comes Personal Touch for Gephardt,” Boston Globe, October, 19, 2003, LEXIS NEXIS
 

Presidential Candidate

In 1988, Gephardt attempted to make the difficult leap from House member to president. His first step was moving to the left, causing some to label him a flip-flopper, especially on the issue of abortion rights, which he came to support in 1986. "I've had an evolution and a journey, through my wife so that I came to a different conclusion than I once had, and I think for valid reasons," he said. But his leftward shift wasn't enough to win him the party's nomination. Nicknamed "RoboCandidate" for his notoriously stiff and unnatural demeanor, Gephardt finished fourth in the Democratic primary.“With Second Presidential Bid Comes Personal Touch for Gephardt,” Boston Globe, October, 19, 2003

In Search of the House Speakership

Despite his loss, Gephardt returned to Congress the following year as strong as ever.

In 1989, he was elected House majority leader and five years later, when Republicans recaptured the House, became minority leader. Despite aggressive drives to retake the House majority – including the stirrings of an ultimately successful strategy to recruit more conservative Democrats tailored to their districts rather than the national party — Gephardt never became House speaker

His hardest push to become speaker occurred in 1999 when Gephardt devoted seemingly all of his time to a Democratic House takeover. When he wasn’t campaigning for other candidates, he was recruiting new ones, and trying to unite them under an unabashedly partisan agenda. After years of leading the minority, the importance of being in the majority was clearer than ever. "Every conversation with Dick starts and ends with regaining control of the House," said one Gephardt aide at the time.Grunwald, Michael, "Gephardt Works Tirelessly to take back the House," The Washington Post, July 12, 1999

In 2004 Gephardt ran for president again. This time the congressman shed his uptight image, regularly relating the tale of his son, who nearly died at birth, when talking about health care and his lesbian daughter when talking about civil unions. But again, he was unsuccessful, dropping out after a 4th place finish in the Iowa caucuses. "Life will go on because this campaign was never about me,” Gephardt told his supporters.From CNN.com's 2004 election coverage, January 19, 2004

Lobbyist

In 2004, Gephardt retired from the House following his failed presidential bid, turning to lobbying. Working for DLA Piper, Gephardt lobbied mostly for The Republic of Turkey, which began paying the lobbying firm $1.2 million in March 2007 for its services.Thompson, Marilyn W., "An Ex-leader in Congress is now Turkey's Man in the Lobbies of Capitol Hill," The New York Times, October 17, 2007

In 2007, he formed his own lobbying group, Gephardt Government Affairs, which advises major corporations and groups like Boeing, Peabody Energy and Anheuser-Busch.Gephardt Government Affairs, "Clients"

Labor

As the son of a Teamster, Gephardt has long championed the cause of organized labor. In the 2004 presidential primary, Gephardt racked up the support of 21 international unions, most in manufacturing industries. He brought in this support with strong opposition to free-trade agreements that allowed jobs to easily leave the U.S.

"We finally have a true labor candidate," Brett Voorhies, Iowa director of the Alliance for Economic Justice, a coalition of 17 unions, said in 2004. "When we elect Dick Gephardt, we may as well be putting a rank-and-file in the White House."Lawrence, Jill, "Dean, Gephardt Toiling Hard for Labor Vote,"  USA Today, January 15, 2004

Though some opponents have criticized him as protectionist, Gephardt insists that he’s not categorically against globalization. Instead, he favors a renegotiation of NAFTA and an international minimum wage.Anderson, Nick, "Labor Connections Working Hard for Gephardt Campaign," The Los Angeles Times, January 8, 2004

Health Care

In 2003, Gephardt introduced a plan that would have created universal health care. His plan would have required businesses to provide health care to all full- and part-time employees, but would have helped them pay for it by refunding 60 percent of the cost through a tax credit. Gephardt said the overhaul also would have served as an economic stimulus.

But the plan didn’t go over well with fellow Democrats. In a debate, former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) said the plan’s reliance on tax subsidies “feels like saying, 'You're in good hands with Enron.’” The Washington Post agreed, saying the plan represented “old-fashioned thinking” and was fiscally reckless.“Mr Gephardt’s Plan,” The Washington Post, May 9, 2003,

But Gephardt insisted that it was the right plan. "[The fight for health-care] is in my heart; it is in my soul; it is in my head. I will not rest until we get everyone covered with health insurance in this country," he said.Shuppy, Annie, "Gephardt touts labor, health ideas," The Daily Iowan, July 14, 2003

Lobbying

In the nearly four years since he left Congress, Gephardt has stayed busy with several jobs, including his positions as the CEO of his own consultancy, Gephardt Government Affairs, an adviser at DLA Piper and a consultant for Goldman Sachs.

For DLA Piper, Gephardt lobbied on behalf of the Turkish government by trying to bring business to the country and helping to defeat a 2006 resolution that would have described as genocide the Ottoman Turks killing of Armenians in the early 20th century.Alan K, Ota, ‘Turkey Hires Familiar Faces for Genocide Debate,’ Congressional Quarterly, Oct. 5, 2007  Another Democratic heavyweight — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — supported the resolution, but it failed.

At Goldman, Gephardt has advised the investment bank on labor issues and promoted the privatization of state highways in Illinois and California.Birnbaum, Jeffrey H., "For Gephardt, a New Career in Lobbying — and a Lot More," The Washington Post, July 31, 2007

In the past two years, Gephardt Government Affairs has collected nearly $2 million in lobbying fees from companies like Boeing, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and coal company Peabody Energy.OpenSecrets.org