Tom Leatherwood May Have Had Better Sundays Than This One…

By Kleinheider Posted on July 20, 2008 at 11:16 am

…but, if so, he probably can’t remember them right now. Just as early voting for the August 7th primary starts to ramp up, Gannett’s man in Washington reveals the lobbying efforts of Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s son-in-law, Paul Ketchel:

Ketchel, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee, worked for former Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist from 1998-2001 as technology systems administrator. There he met Blackburn’s daughter, Mary Morgan. He then worked in government relations for a pharmaceutical company before striking out on his own as a lobbyist. He lobbied under the name Ketchel & Associates before going to work for the firm now known as American Capitol Group.

“I don’t feel that I should have to give up my career simply because my wife’s mother was elected to public office at a later time,” Ketchel said.

Blackburn was first elected in 2002 and began serving in 2003. The first lobbying reports mentioning Ketchel appear in May 2003.

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Tags: Chad Blackburn, gangster stuff, Marsha Blackburn, Mary Morgan Ketchel, Paul Ketchel, Tom Leatherwood