The 2017 Pension Political Power 25: Kent Mason

23. Kent Mason

Partner,
Davis & Harman

Since 1988, Kent Mason, a partner at law firm Davis & Harman, has lobbied on behalf of clients with vested interests in the retirement savings industry. Among the 16 names on Mason’s current roster are the American Benefits Council, whose mission is to shape corporate benefits policy, and financial services giants State Street Corp., TIAA, and Vanguard Group. Last year these clients helped earn Davis & Harman $1.2 million in fees, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. Mason, 62, testifies for his clients before the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Department, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. His recent public statements have included scathing criticism of the reissued DoL fiduciary rule and support for multiple employer retirement plans, which allow unrelated small companies to offer savings plans more economically. — Frances Denmark

The 2017 Pension Political Power 25

1. Andy Puzder Secretary of Labor 2. Bruce Rauner Governor of Illinois 3. Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education 4. Laura & John Arnold Founders, Laura and John Arnold Foundation 5. Steven Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury

6. Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce 7. Tani Cantil-Sakauye California Chief Justice 8. Paul Ryan Speaker of the House 9. Anthony Scaramucci Founder, SkyBridge Capital 10. Kevin de León California State Senator and President Pro Tempore

11. Mike Enzi Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security 12. Steve Sweeney President, New Jersey State Senate 13. Jerry Brown Governor of California 14. Corey Lewandowski Co-founder, Avenue Strategies 15. Paul Singer President, Elliott Management Corp.

16. Randel Johnson Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 17. Joe Manchin U.S. Senator 18. Kenneth Feinberg Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen 19. Scott Walker Governor of Wisconsin 20. Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO

21. Mike Rawlings Mayor of Dallas 22. Elizabeth Warren U.S. Senator 23. Kent Mason Partner, Davis & Harman 24. Bernie Sanders U.S. Senator 25. Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers