Katie Arrington is making a name for herself in D.C.
The former Republican congressional candidate was named a recipient of the Wash100 Award, “a highly coveted and prestigious” award honoring government contractors, according to a press release.
“So honored to be in this company of these people!” Arrington posted about the good news on her LinkedIn page.
“This year’s winners were carefully selected by the leadership committee at Executive Mosaic, our research and the many nominations received,” according to a press release on Yahoo Finance.
Just a few months after she lost to Democrat Joe Cunningham, Arrington started a job at the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), as FITSNews first reported last January.
Arrington, now chief information security officer at the DOD’s acquisition office, was recently quoted in CyberScoop urging government contractors to focus on cyber security. CyberScoop called Arrington a “politician-turned-defense official who is trying to shake up the acquisition bureaucracy.”
This week, she was quoted in a National Defense Magazine article about new cyber security regulations at the Pentagon.
According to Charleston City Paper, her job is “one of the highest paid positions for federal employees” (GS-15), starting at $105,123 a year plus ‘locality-based comparability pay.’”
“I am extremely honored to receive this appointment and continue (my) work to protect our country, our war fighters, and our tax dollars!” Arrington said when she was appointed.
It’s been a while since this news outlet has written about Arrington. When we last reported on her new job a year ago, a source told us that she planned on running in 2020.
But a lot has changed since then, especially given Arrington’s recent rise at the Pentagon, and all signs indicate she won’t be running this year in South Carolina’s first congressional district.
Now, five Republicans are vying for Cunningham’s seat this November, with state representative Nancy Mace as the clear frontrunner.
Mace is up against four other Republicans — Mount Pleasant town councilwoman Kathy Landing, Beaufort county councilman Michael Covert, “Bikers for Trump” founder Chris Cox, and Bluffton housing and neighborhood services administrator Brad Mole — all seeking the GOP nomination this spring.
Earlier this month, Mace announced that she raised $892,000 during the first six months of her campaign, which makes her a frontrunner among Republicans, but still far behind Cunningham.
Cunningham raised more than $900,000 in the final three months of 2019, bringing his total to a whopping $2.1 million for his re-election bid, according to a recent press release.
To compare, Mace raised $375,000 in the fourth quarter.
Because it’s a swing district, national interest groups will be the real big spenders in this campaign. Republicans have vowed to make SC-1 a top priority for the the 2020 election.
Before Cunningham beat Arrington in 2018, the Republican Party had held this district covering the S.C. coast from Hilton Head to Charleston for almost 40 years.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR..
Mandy Matney is the news director at FITSNews. She’s an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. Mandy also hosts the Murdaugh Murders podcast. Want to contact Mandy? Send your tips to mandy@fitsnews.com.
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