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A closer look at what the alumni of the 115th Congress have been up to

Some have moved on to other offices, consulting or punditry. Some are plotting their way back

At the end of her brief tenure last Congress as representative for Michigan’s 13th District, Rep. Brenda Jones returned to the Detroit City Council where she serves as president. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
At the end of her brief tenure last Congress as representative for Michigan’s 13th District, Rep. Brenda Jones returned to the Detroit City Council where she serves as president. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

One hundred and fifteen former House members and senators, who served full or partial terms in the 115th Congress, are newly adapting to life after Capitol Hill. CQ Roll Call finds them in a wide variety of roles, ranging from the expected to the unusual.

Three lawmakers from the last Congress have died, either while serving or since leaving office. Here’s what the rest of the alums have been up to. 

POLITICS/ADVOCACY/MEDIA

Madeleine Z. Bordallo, D-Guam — Washington liaison to the governor of Guam

Robert A. Brady, D-Pa. — chairman, Philadelphia County Democratic Party

Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah —Fox News contributor; author of “The Deep State” released in September 2018

Mike Coffman, R-Colo. — running for mayor of Aurora

Bob Corker, R-Tenn. — nationwide speaking tour, with all money donated to charity

Ryan A. Costello, R-Pa. — managing director, Americans for Carbon Dividends; independent consultant

Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla. — Millennial Action Project advisory board

John Delaney, D-Md. — running for 2020 Democratic presidential nomination

Joe Donnelly, D-Ind. — board of directors, One Country Project; partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; professor, University of Notre Dame; board of directors, Soufan Center

Al Franken, D-Minn. — podcast host

Luis V. Gutiérrez, D-Ill. — policy adviser, National Partnership for New Americans

Karen Handel, R-Ga. — running in Georgia’s 6th District

Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D. — CNBC contributor; board of directors, One Country Project; Harvard Kennedy School fellow

Dean Heller, R-Nev. — speaking engagements

Raúl R. Labrador, R-Idaho — chairman of the Idaho Republican Party

Mia Love, R-Utah — CNN political commentator; visiting fellow in Australia at the University of Sydney’s United States Centre

Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. — political commentator for NBC News and MSNBC

Robert Pittenger, R-N.C. — chairman, Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum

Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas — running for 2020 Democratic presidential nomination

Erik Paulsen, R-Minn. — honorary co-chairman, Pass USMCA

Steve Pearce, R-N.M. — chairman, New Mexico Republican Party

Scott Taylor, R-Va. — running for U.S. Senate

David Valadao, R-Calif. — filed to run for California’s 21st District

David Young, R-Iowa — running in Iowa’s 3rd District

ELECTED/APPOINTED/RETURNED TO OTHER OFFICES

Xavier Becerra, D-Calif. — California attorney general

Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. — U.S. Senate

Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla. — NASA administrator

Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. — U.S. Senate

Ron DeSantis, R-Fla. — Florida governor

Keith Ellison, D-Minn. — Minnesota attorney general

Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va. — Appointed to fill a vacancy on the West Virginia Supreme Court

Brenda Jones, D-Mich. — president, Detroit City Council

Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M. — New Mexico governor

Martha McSally, R-Ariz. — U.S. Senate

Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C. — acting White House chief of staff; also Office of Management and Budget director

Bill Nelson, D-Fla. — NASA Advisory Council

Kristi Noem, R-S.D. — South Dakota governor

Jared Polis, D-Colo. — Colorado governor

Mike Pompeo, R-Kan. — U.S. secretary of State, after serving as CIA director

Tom Price, R-Ga. — Health and Human Services secretary, Jan. – Sept. 2017

Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. — U.S. Senate

Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. — U.S. attorney general, Feb. 2017 to Nov. 2018

Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. — U.S. Senate

Tim Walz, D-Minn. — Minnesota governor

LAW/LOBBYING/CONSULTING

Michael E. Capuano, D-Mass. — public affairs director, Foley & Lardner

Barbara Comstock, R-Va. — senior adviser, Baker Donelson’s Government Relations and Public Policy Group

Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y. — senior policy adviser, Squire Patton Boggs

John Culberson, R-Texas — Clark Hill government and public affairs practice

Jeff Denham, R-Calif. — K&L Gates

Charlie Dent, R-Pa. — senior policy adviser, DLA Piper

Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. — Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough

Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii — counsel to the Hawaii Legislature

Gregg Harper, R-Miss. — Watkins & Eager

Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan. — LJ Strategies

Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev. — principal, Ramirez Group consulting firm in Las Vegas

Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. — senior of counsel, Covington & Burling

Frank A. LoBiondo, R-N.J. — LoBo Strategies consulting firm

Luke Messer, R-Ind. — co-chairman of federal advocacy, Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting

Tim Murphy, R-Pa. — Cranmer Consultants

Dave Reichert, R-Wash. — Vice president, Gordon Thomas Honeywell; consultant, DNA database for Central America

Tom Rooney, R-Fla. — principal, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. — Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld

Peter Roskam, R-Ill. — partner, Sidley Austin; visiting fellow, University of Chicago Institute of Politics

Dennis A. Ross, R-Fla. — attorney, Gray Robinson

Ed Royce, R-Calif. — policy director, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck

Bill Shuster, R-Pa. — Squire Patton Boggs, global public policy practice

Lamar Smith, R-Texas — senior consultant, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld

Kevin Yoder, R-Kan. — partner, HHQ Ventures

PRIVATE SECTOR

Rod Blum, R-Iowa — owner, Digital Canal

Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. — board of directors, Taylor Morrison Home Corp.

Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas — executive vice chairman for the Americas region, UBS Group AG

James B. Renacci, R-Ohio — owner and president, LTC Management Services

Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. — advisory board member of BudTrader, a California-based marijuana advertising website

Todd Rokita, R-Ind. — general counsel, Apex Benefits, Indianapolis

Steve Russell, R-Okla. — pastor, First Southern Baptist Church, Oklahoma City

Luther Strange, R-Ala. — aenior adviser, Patomak Global Partners; principal, Luther Strange & Associates; board of directors, Oakworth Capital Bank

Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio — president and CEO, Ohio Business Roundtable

Ryan Zinke, R-Mont. — U.S. Interior secretary, March 2017 – Dec. 2018; managing director at cybersecurity and blockchain company Artillery One

ACADEMIA

Dave Brat, R-Va. — dean, School of Business at Liberty University

John J. Duncan Jr., R-Tenn. — Duncan School of Law, Lincoln Memorial University, Knoxville

Sander M. Levin, D-Mich. — University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Mark Sanford, R-S.C. — Pritzker fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics

OUT OF OFFICE/UNCERTAIN

Lou Barletta, R-Pa.

Joe L. Barton, R-Texas

Mike Bishop, R-Mich.

Diane Black, R-Tenn.

John Conyers Jr., D-Mich.

Dan Donovan, R-N.Y.

Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn.

Blake Farenthold, R-Texas

John J. Faso, R-N.Y.

Trent Franks, R-Ariz.

Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J.

Tom Garrett, R-Va.

Robert W. Goodlatte, R-Va.

Gene Green, D-Texas

Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah

Randy Hultgren, R-Ill.

Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Sam Johnson, R-Texas

Steve Knight, R-Calif.

Leonard Lance, R-N.J.

Jason Lewis, R-Minn.

Tom MacArthur, R-N.J.

Patrick Meehan, R-Pa.

Rick Nolan, D-Minn.

Ted Poe, R-Texas

Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine

Keith Rothfus, R-Pa.

Pete Sessions, R-Texas

Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H.

Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y.

Dave Trott, R-Mich.

Niki Tsongas, D-Mass.

Mimi Walters, R-Calif.

DECEASED

Thad Cochran, R-Miss.

John McCain, R-Ariz.

Louise M. Slaughter, D-N.Y.

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