# Ballard Partners The single most powerful lobbying firm of the second Trump era. Founded in 1998 by Florida operator [[Brian Ballard]] and long dominant in Tallahassee, the firm rode its founder's role as a top Trump fundraiser to the summit of K Street after the 2024 election. It is the flagship case study in this KB's [[Lobbying]] layer for how the [[Revolving Door]] converts political proximity into market dominance. ## Scale Ballard Partners hauled in more than **$88 million in 2025** — a jump of more than 350% over the prior year — unseating long-established firms to become the **#1 lobbying firm in DC**. Its third-quarter 2025 haul of roughly $25 million was the largest single-quarter total in U.S. lobbying history; no firm had previously crossed $20 million in a quarter. The firm signed 200+ new clients in the wake of Trump's win. ## The revolving-door spine Ballard is the purest illustration of why clients pay for the firm: its alumni occupy the top of the administration it lobbies. [[Susie Wiles]], now White House Chief of Staff, was a Ballard partner until 2020. [[Pam Bondi]], now U.S. Attorney General, lobbied for the firm from 2019 until her 2025 confirmation. Trump-transition adviser [[Bryan Lanza]] is among its partners. Watchdog groups have flagged the Bondi tie in particular as giving the firm's clients unusual leverage inside the [[Second Trump Administration]]. ## Notable clients Ballard's 2025 client book reads as a roster of corporations with major business before the government: **Amazon** (federal cloud contracts), **Chevron** (its Hess acquisition cleared by Trump regulators), **JPMorgan Chase**, **Novo Nordisk** (maker of Ozempic/Wegovy, facing Medicare price negotiation), plus Comcast and the NFL. The firm also carries a heavy [[FARA]] book, with foreign governments and interests paying millions for access — a recurring subject of watchdog scrutiny. ## See also [[Lobbying Hub]] · [[Brian Ballard]] · [[Revolving Door]] · [[FARA]] · [[Foreign Influence Ecosystem]]