Former U.S. senator joins PR company

ST. LOUIS -- Former senator Jim Talent, R-Mo., who lost his re-election bid to Democrat Claire McCaskill in November, is joining the public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard.

The firm announced Wednesday that Talent will be co-chairman of its Government Relations subsidiary beginning next month, working out of St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

Talent, who was in Missouri and national politics for 20 years before losing his Senate seat, said Wednesday the job will offer a "great platform to work on raising the profile of the same issues I did in Congress," including defense, health care and transportation.

He said he will advise the firm and its clients about how to raise the profile of issues in Congress and get action taken on them.

Talent said he would continue his part-time fellowship at the Heritage Foundation, where he is helping to raise the issue of increased defense spending.

Talent is not a registered lobbyist, and said he wouldn't be able to lobby Congress for a year, anyway. He said he expects to spend most of his time in Missouri.

He said Fleishman-Hillard approached him with the job offer. He declined to discuss salary.

Fleishman-Hillard Inc. is one of the world's largest strategic communications or PR firms, with global headquarters in St. Louis.

Government Relations was formed in 2004, a rebranding of the agency's lobbying subsidiary in Washington.

The division provides counsel and government relations services to clients with issues pending before Congress and the executive branch. It's responsible for lobbying, public opinion research, grassroots organizing, issues advocacy, advertising and crisis management, the company said.

The subsidiary's specialties include international trade; banking and finance; energy and natural resources; homeland security; health care; technology; transportation; and state and federal appropriations.

Clients include businesses, nonprofit groups, trade associations and government agencies.

By adding Talent to the team, the company said it was expanding Government Relations' geographic reach.

The team also includes former U.S. represenatives Max Sandlin of Texas and Bill Luther of Minnesota, former Bronx Borough president Fernando Ferrer, and Michael McKeon, former communications director to former New York governor George Pataki.