Why Barbara Boxer Joined a Lobbying Firm

This month, Barbara Boxer, who served four terms as a California senator, announced she was signing on as a chairwoman of a major Washington lobbying and public affairs firm.

The firm, Mercury, is home to many former lawmakers, as Politico reported, with a roster that includes both Republicans and Democrats like Boxer and Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles.

Though the job is a high-profile dive back into politics, Boxer hardly retired when she left office in 2017: She started a podcast and a political action committee, did paid speaking engagements and also worked as a consultant, including for Lyft.

It was on Lyft’s behalf that she wrote an opinion piece for The San Francisco Chronicle arguing against California’s contentious new gig labor law — a move that, at the time, drew criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who tweeted that former lawmakers shouldn’t become corporate lobbyists, “in letter or spirit.”

Recently, I talked with Boxer about the new position.

Q: From what I understand, you’ll be working with a lot of Republicans, and the firm started with ties to the Republican Party. Are you comfortable with that?

A: Well, that’s what’s exciting: to bring a progressive point of view. I think the firm is purposely trying to do this. Also, I’m the first woman in this position, and I think that’s important, too.

I think that’s a good thing at this time of division. In the Senate, you can’t get anything done unless you bring the parties together.

Q: What will your priorities be? I know you worked with Lyft, so would you be focusing at all on those sort of “gig economy” issues?

A: They have this broad array of clients — I don’t even know all their clients.

Certainly, making sure that there are good-paying jobs is very important. This is a changing economy.

I think you need to work hard to bring everybody to the table to figure out a way to help workers with health insurance, with education, even with housing.

We have a lot of jobs, but they don’t really pay enough for people to feel comfortable that they can set aside enough for their kids’ education and for their retirement, or for any health emergency.

So I hope my perspective on being a progressive who is also a pragmatist will help get things done.

Q: Are you concerned at all about the perception, particularly in the more progressive wings of the party, of you working with large corporate clients? When you were working with Lyft, you expressed opposition to Assembly Bill 5, for instance —

A: I wasn’t opposed to AB 5. I wanted to amend it and make it more open to people like freelance writers, and drivers and other people who find themselves caught in a situation that’s very difficult for them.

I think I’ve been proven right on that point. It’s just a lot of anxiety out there. And I think there’s a terrific opportunity to move forward in a progressive way.

I don’t care what people say because I know what I’m doing, and what I’m doing is to make life better for people. If everyone loves you, you’re not doing anything. I have a strong center.

When I voted against the war in Iraq, 80% of the people of California were really mad at me. But I knew it was the right thing. When I voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, people said, “Oh my God, you’re in so much trouble.” Of course, everyone loves to be loved by everybody, especially in public life. It’s not possible, if you’re doing something.

And not every client is going to be a huge corporate client. They represent cities, municipalities. And that’s a love of mine.

Q: Will you be lobbying your former colleagues in Congress? Or will you represent specific clients?

A: No, no lobbying is involved. I’m going to be advising them on kind of a thousand-foot level.

Q: I have to ask: What’s your sense of the presidential race? Have you endorsed anyone?

A: I have not, because I volunteer for a political action committee. But my view of it is this is a very different presidential race than I’ve ever seen.

We have a president who’s taking a wrecking ball to every single thing that we hold dear in this country, whether it’s our freedoms, strong alliances, whether it’s our love of diversity, our respect for one another.

So we need someone who can beat Donald Trump. That is, to me, the most important thing. Right now, I see Joe Biden as someone who has those capabilities.

Q: Now that we’re an early voting state, do you have any advice for candidates trying to win in California?

A: I’m very glad we’re in the mix. I think my advice to all the candidates is to come to our state and sink into what our challenges are.

Housing has certainly got to be at the top of the list. And protecting our environment. We have so much at stake as a coastal state.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .