This cold case is getting warmer. For the past couple months, it has been an unsolved mystery as to why Mike Thompson’s campaign for Congress imploded with a whimper. He was expected to be “the one” to beat when he first entered the race. He had the cash, the support of community power players, and the rising star status many politicians seek.
Then, inexplicably, the man disappeared from the campaign trail only to re-emerge in the last month before the election. Unsurprisingly, no one is talking about Congressman Mike Thompson.
One theory we heard during the campaign was that Thompson wasn’t really thrilled when the primary field got as crowded as it did, which led him to seek another job as a “back-up.” Thus, the lethargic campaign. From one credible source within the business community, we know Thompson was inquiring about a potential lobbying job even as he ran for Congress.
Now that theory is gaining steam. We’ve learned that Thompson is seeking lobbyist positions with several different organizations, including the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, several transportation organizations, including T.R.U.S.T., and at least one other group seeking a lobbyist.
It appears Thompson has cast a wide net in search for employment. But that net only falls among groups looking for a professional lobbyist. Of course, there’s not wrong with Thompson wanting to be a lobbyist or the groups seeking a lobbyist, but it does reinforce the widely-held notion that politician use their office in order to attain a high-paying lobbying job.
We’ll see which group chooses Thompson or which group Thompson chooses to lobby for. It looks like he may have many options.
