News: Ben Napier, who served for nine years as a top aide to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, is joining Andreessen Horowitz’s growing Washington operation.
A16z, as it is commonly called, is one of the world’s most prominent venture capital firms. It was an early investor in Twitter, Facebook and Airbnb, among many other prominent companies. It is a major investor in AI, cryptocurrency and blockchain.
Its founders, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, are both very active politically. Andreessen has been a supporter of President Donald Trump and Horowitz supported both Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Napier, who ran the House floor for Scalise, is joining a16z as a government affairs partner.
Andreessen Horowitz has staffed up as of late. Michael Reed, formerly a top adviser to House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, recently joined.
New: ModSquad Action, the Democratic super PAC helmed by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), hosted a retreat Friday where senators were urged to focus on cost-of-living issues to win over independent voters. Businessman Mark Cuban and influencer Brian Tyler Cohen were featured speakers during the event.
Arizona: EMILYs List is endorsing Adelita Grijalva in the special election for Arizona’s 7th District. Grijalva, the daughter of late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), also has the backing of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Also: Cherlynn Stevenson, a former member of the Kentucky General Assembly, will run as a Democrat in Kentucky’s 6th District. The seat is currently held by GOP Rep. Andy Barr, who is running for Senate. The district leans Republican, but is on the DCCC’s target list.
