Former Trump official, Jeff Jackson aide launch new NC lobbying group
A pair of former Charlotte City Council colleagues who moved on to high-profile jobs on opposite sides of the aisle are teaming up to launch a new lobbying enterprise.
Republican Tariq Bokhari and Democrat Larken Egleston will lead a new Charlotte branch of The Southern Group, a Florida-based government relations and business strategy firm. The firm also has offices in Raleigh, Atlanta, Columbia, South Carolina, Montgomery, Alabama, and Washington, D.C.
Bokhari stepped down from the City Council last year to become deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. He left that position in the Trump administration after about five months. Egleston lost a 2022 primary for an at-large seat and went on to work for Jeff Jackson during the Democrat’s time in the U.S. House of Representatives and as state attorney general.
In a statement on their new enterprise, Bokhari and Egleston said their goal is to help Charlotte businesses better navigate relationships with government leaders and policymakers.
“Charlotte punches below its weight in Raleigh,” Egleston said. “That is not because the city lacks importance. It is because many companies lack a coordinated, senior-level strategy for government engagement.”
It’s not the first time Bokhari and Egleston have partnered on a project. They co-hosted a podcast, “R&D in the QC,” during their time on council together from 2018 to 2022.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Former Trump official, Jeff Jackson aide launch new NC lobbying group."
