Car dealers are the ultimate grassroots organization with plenty of money for lobbying and political contributions, so few were surprised last summer when Congress approved a financial reform bill that specifically exempted auto dealers’ financing from regulation.
The newly sworn-in Congress has six members — all Republicans — who currently own auto dealerships or have in the recent past. That is double the number of car dealers who served in the last Congress and troubles consumer groups who worry that the industry already wields tremendous power over government policy.
“They posture as being the party of Main Street, but a lot of them have ties to dealership chains that are publicly traded on Wall Street,”said Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS).
Incumbents include Vern Buchanan of Florida, John Campbell of California and Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania. Freshmen members are Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Scott Rigell of Virginia, and Jim Renacci from Ohio.
No members of the U.S. Senate are current or former car dealers.
The lawmakers say their business-minded approach to government is an asset in crafting policy to help small and medium-sized businesses grow and create jobs.
“Much of what we do, if not everything we do, affects the business community — and they are the job creators,” Shuster told the Center. "Being an auto dealer gives you experience you can bring right to Congress. You have a sales background that you can use to convince other members and convince the community. You also have the experience of customer service."
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