The success of their party in November has prompted a few K Street Democrats to strike out on their own, positioning themselves as a link between the new majority and corporate clients who may be more comfortable in Republican circles.

“If there was ever a time for a Democrat to start his own firm, it’s now,” said Beau Schuyler, a former legislative director to Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.).

Schuyler started his lobbying career by starting his own firm, Parven Pomper Schuyler, with partners Scott Parven, Brian Pomper and Melissa Wier, a former aide to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.).

Parven said the firm intends to “plant its flag” on K Street through its contacts with the Blue Dog Coalition, the group of fiscally conservative Democrats that may be a crucial voting bloc on other business issues as well.

Parven has worked as a lobbyist at AOL/Time Warner and most recently at Clark Consulting Federal Policy Group. Brian Pomper is a former chief international trade counsel on the Senate Finance Committee Democratic staff.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, to start a firm focused on moderates in the House and the Senate,” Parven said.

Republican control of Congress spawned the development of the K Street Project, the effort to put Republicans in top lobbying jobs in town, and dramatic growth of several all-GOP firms. Glover Park Group is an example of an all-Democratic firm that did well despite Republican dominance.

The new Dem firms aren’t on a par with Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, a top-10 revenue earner, but their creation is another indication on how life on K Street has changed under the new majority.

Heather Podesta left Blank Rome Government Relations to start Heather Podesta & Partners with fellow Blank Rome lobbyist Laura Joshua in part because of the new political dynamic.

“For a long time, I’ve wanted to run and own my own business,” Podesta said.

With Democrats in control of Congress, she expects corporations to hire Democratic lobbyists not just to maintain some nominal contact with the party, “but to run individual lobbying campaigns.”

Though she and her partner are Democrats, Podesta hasn’t ruled out hiring Republicans. She said she is already in discussions with all-GOP shops that may be less than welcome in new leadership offices to develop a “strategic partnership” to the benefit of both.

“One of the things that I’ve learned is that it’s critical in this town to be bipartisan,” she said.

Though he’s a top Democratic strategist as well as a lobbyist, Steve Elmendorf is also not ruling out bringing on Republicans or working with GOP-dominant firms to make sure his bases are covered.

“I’m getting a lot of business from the Democratic side,” said Elmendorf, who spent 12 years as a top aide to former Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.).

“But long-term, companies need bipartisan representation.”

Elmendorf had been with Bryan Cave Strategies, but found working as part of a large law firm limiting.

“For anyone who has an ability to generate business, the ultimate problem in working for a law firm or a large lobbying firm is that you run into conflicts,” he said.

A conflict with an existing client at Bryan Cave kept him from bringing on the Coalition of Patent Fairness, one of 14 clients now represented by Elmendorf Strategies. Other clients include Shell Oil and UnitedHealth Group.

Elmendorf acknowledges not all his clients will like everything his party does in power.

“Ultimately when people ask for my political advice, I give them my best political advice. Sometimes it’s in the interest of business clients, and sometimes it’s not,” he said.

But he said most issues lawmakers weigh involve one particular business interest against another — cable vs. telephone companies, for example. He views his role as a lobbyist as providing clients with political intelligence and helping them advocate for their interests.

Also at Elmendorf Strategies are Christie Kennedy, a former legislative director to ex-Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), and Shanti Ochs Stanton, another ex-Gephardt aide who most recently lobbied for UST, the tobacco company.

Julie Domenick’s new firm is a one-person operation. “I’m creating my stationery today,” she said when contacted by a reporter last week.

Once the target of the K Street Project while at the Investment Company Institute, Domenick most recently left the Loeffler Group, which was founded by former Republican representative Thomas Loeffler. 

After turning 60 and sending her daughter to college, Domenick saw the election as offering the chance to do more of what she loved, which is to lobby.

“It’s a function of more control of what I do and who my clients are,” she said. Domenick said she plans to specialize in clients that will come before the Energy and Commerce committee, which has broad jurisdiction over a variety of business interests.

She said companies need not fear the new majority: “I think Democrats will make a concerted effort to reach out and break through this stereotype that they are anti-business.”