Capitol Core Group

Capitol Core Group

Founded by Michael W. McKinney, Capitol Core Group operates as a government relations and lobbying firm with a footprint in Texas, California, and Washington, D.C. The firm's practice concentrates on five regulated sectors: water, infrastructure, energy, land use, and fintech. While not a traditional family office, its structure as a specialized advocacy group managing public-policy risk and government funding access points toward a single-family office allocating influence capital alongside financial capital. The firm's engagement model spans political intelligence, strategic planning, legislative goal setting, and direct advocacy. Confirmed clients include NextEra Energy Resources, Ameresco, FortiFi Financial, Ygrene, and the Ontario International Airport Authority. Capitol Core deploys a dual state-federal capability, with a single professional team addressing client concerns across both levels — a structure that integrates Sacramento and Austin legislative work with federal agency and congressional outreach. Its casework includes assessment-based financing for FortiFi and flood mitigation projects for the Tulare Irrigation District. McKinney leads a team whose known senior advisors include Jeff Simonetti and Todd Tatum, operating from offices in Austin (headquarters), Sacramento, and Washington, D.C. The firm's publicly cited successes include assisting a nanotechnology manufacturer in securing EPA approval outside existing testing frameworks, cutting approval timelines and saving the client money. Recent activity centers on maintaining active engagements across its five core sectors, with no public record of a fund structure or external capital vehicle. Capitol Core's structural differentiator is its full-time, integrated state-federal lobbying engine managed by a single team — a rarity that allows it to align Sacramento, Austin, and D.C. advocacy without the seams typical of multi-office government affairs practices. Its client base ranges from public agencies like the City of Ridgecrest to private entities including Foremost Companies and Richland Communities, indicating a hybrid civic-commercial posture distinct from most family offices.