Elected Office as a Family Business

 From the Government Accountability Institutue.

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The Jim Clyburn Endorsements

Political endorsements are used during elections to transfer the political popularity of one politician to another. In high stakes elections involving the presidency, regional endorsements by candidates are often sought to increase name recognition and convey acceptance in a state ahead of a primary election.

On June 2, 2008, South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the US House of Representatives announced he would endorse Barack Obama for president. Obama went on to win the South Carolina primary, defeat Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination and then defeated Republican Senator John McCain to win the presidency.

Less than one year after the Clyburn endorsement, on April 29, 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Obama had nominated Mignon Clyburn, the daughter of Jim Clyburn, to an open seat on the powerful Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

At the time the job paid approximately $150,000 a year, but more importantly, it provided Clyburn access to some of the most powerful industry representatives during a transformative time in telecommunications.

Clyburn was reappointed by President Obama for another term in 2013, before finally leaving the FCC in 2018.4 However, eight months after leaving the FCC, Mignon was hired by the telecommunications company T-Mobile to offer advice about its merger with Sprint. The FCC eventually approved the merger that was completed in 2020.

During her time on the FCC, 2009-2018, the amount of political contributions made to her father’s campaign accounts from the communications industry increased relative to other industries. Another Clyburn presidential endorsement came ahead of the 2020 presidential primary and was also be followed by another presidential appointment involving the Clyburn family.

On February 26, 2020, Representative Clyburn endorsed Joe Biden ahead of South Carolina primary. Biden won the South Carolina primary, the Democratic nomination, and the presidency.

On November 16, 2020, Mignon Clyburn was appointed to President Biden’s FCC Review Team, which was tasked with assisting the transition for the new administration.

This appointment was followed by the introduction of communications-related legislation by her father. On March 11, 2021, it was announced that US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) introduced comprehensive broadband infrastructure legislation to expand access to affordable high-speed internet for all Americans. The legislation would invest over $94 billion to build high-speed broadband infrastructure in underserved communities. According to reports, the legislation would benefit one of Mignon Clyburn’s former clients, T-Mobile.