Ballard Partners
{{Short description|American lobbying firm}}
{{Use mdy dates|date= January 2025}}
{{Use American English|date= January 2025}}
Ballard Partners is an American lobbying firm, based in Tallahassee, Florida, and founded by Brian D. Ballard in 1998.
In 1998, Brian Ballard founded the firm in Tallahassee.{{Cite web |title=About Ballard Partners - Discover Our Mission and Values - |url=https://ballardpartners.com/about/who-we-are/ |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Ballard Partners |language=en-US}} In 2017, they opened a Washington DC office, following Trump's first election victory.
In 2024, Ballard had federal lobbying revenue of at least $19 million, its best year since 2020, when it earned $24.15 million.
Ballard's clients include TikTok, Nippon Steel, Amazon,{{Cite web |title=Lobbying firm with close ties to Trump is poised to profit from new administration, experts say |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/lobbying-firm-close-ties-trump-poised-profit-new/story?id=116417198 |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=ABC News |language=en}} Google, Uber, Honda, and the New York Yankees.{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Rachel |date=2017-07-05 |title=Florida lobbyist turning Trump ties into mega-millions |url=https://publicintegrity.org/politics/florida-lobbyist-turning-trump-ties-into-mega-millions/ |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Center for Public Integrity |language=en-US}}
Ballard Partners has offices in multiple Florida locations, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Washington DC, Turkey, Israel, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.
Susie Wiles ran Ballard Partners for nearly a decade,{{cite news |last=Filkins |first=Dexter |authorlink=Dexter Filkins|date=June 27, 2022 |title=Can Ron DeSantis Displace Donald Trump as the G.O.P.'s Combatant-in-Chief? |newspaper=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/06/27/can-ron-desantis-displace-donald-trump-as-the-gops-combatant-in-chief |access-date=31 January 2025}} until she left in September 2019, citing "a nagging health issue".{{cite web |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/305979-citing-health-issue-susie-wiles-leaves-ballard-partners/ |title=Citing health issue, Susie Wiles leaves Ballard Partners |last=Schorch |first=Peter |date=September 17, 2019 |website=Florida Politics |accessdate=31 January 2025}}
Pam Bondi was a partner, and earning over $1 million, with clients including the Florida Sheriffs Association and Major County Sheriffs of America.{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=David |date=January 23, 2025 |title=Law and lobbying disclosures show earnings for Pam Bondi, RFK and top firms |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/law-lobbying-disclosures-show-earnings-pam-bondi-rfk-top-firms-2025-01-23/ |access-date=January 31, 2025 |work=Reuters}}