Marty Irby is a lobbyist involved in agriculture and animal rights issues. ¹ He identifies as a conservative and a supporter of President Donald Trump. He draws criticism for his stances and advocacy regarding animal rights, with claims that he frequently supports left-of-center candidates and policies and that he supports big government through litigation and regulatory policy. ^{2 3}

Career

Marty Irby’s advocacy career began with his involvement with the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association in the early 2000s, eventually becoming the vice president of marketing and later president of the group. His entry into politics began with U.S. Congressional testimony advocating that the practice of “soring” show horses to make them step higher be banned due to harm to the animals. This led to a great deal of controversy and pushback from horse trainers who favored the practice. ²

Irby later became the communications director for former U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KY) from 2013 to 2016. After this, Irby began his career in lobbying, mostly around animal welfare and rights issues. This includes working as an advisor to the Humane Society Legislative Fund and as the executive director of Animal Wellness Action, an animal rights activist and lobbying group. ⁴

In early 2023, Irby was hired as the new chief operating officer of the now-defunct right-of-center activist and lobbying group FreedomWorks. Irby’s hiring was controversial due to his track record of working on animal rights issues, and opposition was driven, in part, by the right-of-center communications firm Berman and Co. Irby had particularly drawn the ire of various farmers and ranchers for his work with the Humane Society of the United States. ^{2 3}

Irby eventually resigned after a mere three months on the job due to the controversy. He alleged that Berman and Co. was waging its campaign against him to distract from what he called “corruption within the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.” ²

After his resignation, Irby went on to found his own lobbying and communications firm, Capital South LLC. The firm claims that it has successfully lobbied for the passage of 42 federal and state laws and many different amendments to bills, most of them dealing with agriculture and animal rights. ^{2 5}

Irby has been named by The Hill as one of Washington, D.C.’s top lobbyists five times, most recently in 2024. ⁶

Political Views

Irby identifies as a conservative and has stated that he has supported President Donald Trump since Trump announced his participation in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. However, some of his political stances have drawn criticism from right-of-center groups, usually involving agricultural policy and animal rights. ^{2 3}

In a 2021 interview with Progressive Farmer, Irby iterated many political stances. These include banning the transport of horses to be slaughtered, urging that they be rehomed instead; banning mink fur production; and a ban on the private ownership of big cats, specifically prohibiting the practice of breeding big cats so that the cubs can be used for picture taking. ⁴

As of March 2025, Irby’s firm, Capital South LLC, was opposing the proposed Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, claiming that it will hurt American farmers and put them at a disadvantage compared to large foreign conglomerates. ⁷

Aside from two contributions totaling $101 in 2018 and 2019, all of Irby’s personal political contributions have gone to right-of-center Republican groups and candidates. ⁸

However, while he was the executive director of Animal Wellness Action, the group spent $312,000 against Republicans during the 2018 cycle, and $294,000 in the 2022 cycle supporting Democrats. ³

1. Animal Wellness Action. “Lobbying Report.” Lobbying Disclosure Act Database, 2022. https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/7f2d45c0-845e-4b42-8709-634680cd355c/print/.
2. Fuchs, Hailey. “How an Animal Rights Activist at FreedomWorks Became the Target of ‘Dr. Evil’s’ Former PR Shop.” POLITICO, May 19, 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/19/animal-rights-activist-freedomworks-target-00097868.
3. “Conservative Group Hires Animal Rights Operative.” HumaneWatch, March 16, 2023. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://humanewatch.org/conservative-group-hires-animal-rights-operative/.
4. “Unconventional Activist.” DTN Progressive Farmer, November 30, 2021. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2021/12/01/unconventional-activist.
5. “About.” Capitol South, Llc. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.capitolsouthllc.com/history.
6. “Capitol South Founder Marty Irby Named One of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for 2024.” Capitol South, Llc. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.capitolsouthllc.com/press/capitol-south-founder-marty-irby-named-one-of-the-hills-top-lobbyists-for-2024.
7. “Action Center.” Capitol South, Llc. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.capitolsouthllc.com/actioncenter.
8. FEC.gov. “Browse Individual Contributions: Marty Irby.” Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Marty+Irby&min_date=01%2F01%2F2000&max_date=12%2F31%2F2026.