Marc E. Elias

Marc Elias chairs the Perkins Coie political law group where he focuses his practice on representing public officials, candidates, parties, corporations, tax-exempt organizations and PACs in connection with campaign finance, governmental ethics, lobbying disclosure, pay-to-play, and white-collar criminal defense matters. Marc’s clients include numerous national non-profit organizations, prominent lobbying firms, Am Law 100 law firms, Fortune 500 corporations and prominent individuals.

Marc is the general counsel to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and he represents numerous U.S. Senators and Representatives and their campaigns.  Marc also serves as general counsel to the National Democratic Redistricting Trust as well as counsel to parties in several states’ redistricting litigation – including Texas, Nevada and Minnesota.

Marc served as lead counsel for Senator Al Franken in the 2008 Minnesota Senate election recount and contest – the largest recount and contest in American history.  He successfully argued the case before the Minnesota State Supreme Court that resulted in a unanimous decision affirming that Franken had received the highest number of votes legally cast in the 2008 general election for United States Senator.

In 2010 he successfully represented Governor Mark Dayton in the Minnesota Governor's recount, including a successful argument in the state Supreme Court.  Marc represented Senator Maria Cantwell in connection with her 2000 recount, Senator Harry Reid in connection with his 1998 recount, and served as a consultant to the Senate Rules Committee during its consideration of the 1996 Louisiana Senate election contest.  He more recently successfully represented Senator Robert Menendez in the New Jersey Supreme Court case invalidating the application of state recall statutes to U.S. Senators.

In 2004 Marc served as General Counsel to the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign. He served in that same capacity for Chris Dodd for President during the 2008 primary campaign.

Marc has represented numerous clients in public corruption and campaign finance matters before the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and Offices of Independent Counsel. He has also represented clients before committees of both the House and Senate, as well as before federal agencies.

Marc is currently teaching a course in Post Election Litigation at William & Mary Law School and a course in Modern Campaigns and Elections as a Distinguished Lecturer in American Public Policy and Practice at Hamilton College.  He is also a visiting fellow of the Alexander Hamilton Institute.  Marc is a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Election Law as well as an adviser to two American Law Institute projects: Principles of Government Ethics and Principles of Election Law: Resolution of Election Disputes.  He also co-chairs the bipartisan Committee to Modernize Voter Registration.

In the past Marc has testified before committees in both Houses of Congress and before the Federal Election Commission on matters relating to campaign finance. He is frequently quoted as an expert in political law matters by the national media and has spoken and written extensively about both politics and political law.  

Follow Marc Elias on Twitter.

Professional Recognition

• Named by Washingtonian Magazine as a "Top Lawyer" for campaign finance and ethics
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for White-Collar Criminal Defense and Government Relations Law
• Listed in Chambers USA as a leading political law attorney
• Listed in Washington D.C. Super Lawyers