Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Aaron Read

43. Aaron Read

Aaron Read is a regular on the Top 100 list, and we make no apologies. He is something of a Capitol institution, and Aaron Read and Associates has a successful track record that crosses party lines and changing administrations. His firm does lobbying, political strategy, market analyses, procurement, and campaign advice, among other services. His clients include Comcast NBC Universal, the automobile manufacturers, the California Hospital Association, the dental hygienists, professional government engineers, Dun & Bradstreet, 3M, Matson Navigation, and many others. Read founded his firm in 1978, which is before many of our readers were born (not the editors, though), and he has been part of – and survived – myriad political battles over the past 45 years. Before he set up his own firm, Read’s lobbying activities went back to Gov. Ronald Reagan’s era. We’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: This firm poses a dilemma for the Top 100. Why list just Read? Why not the other lobbyists in the firm, such as Randy Perry, Patrick Moran, Terry McHale, Steve Baker and Jennifer Tannehill? We don’t know either.

Updated Aug. 15, 2023.