This election season's lead player in the perennial Washington scramble to trade access for riches is former Senate majority leader Trent Lott, who recently quit Congress and will soon be marketing his influence to a range of potential corporate clients. The 66-year-old Republican's intent to cash in was apparent from the timing of his retirement, in late 2007: New restrictions on lobbying by former government officials took effect at the start of 2008. Lott is launching a lobbying firm with former Louisiana senator John Breaux, a Democrat, and is joining the speaking circuit and eyeing corporate boards. Compensation experts and other lobbyists say Lott's access and unflagging hustle will probably interest companies enough to net him millions out of the starting gate—quite an improvement over his $165,200 Senate salary.

Speaking Gigs
The Washington Speakers Bureau, the agency representing Lott, does not include his rate on its website, and executives there didn't return calls. George Mitchell is listed among the agency's most-expensive speakers, earning more than $40,000 for each appearance. Brian Palmer, president of the National Speakers Bureau, says Lott will likely command "a solid five-figure fee." Five speeches a year at $40,000 each, and the Mississippi gabber would take home $200,000 for doing what he does best.

Estimated annual value: $200,000

The Firm
Several lobbyists and headhunters agree that Lott and Breaux—bipartisan operators with goodwill to spare among former colleagues—could charge as much as $50,000 a month as a baseline. (Many high-profile shops charge half that.) Look for Lott to go sector by sector, signing up one megaclient each from the energy, health-care, maritime, and transportation industries, or, as he calls them, "trains, planes, boats, and harbors," all of which he oversaw from his perches on the Finance and Commerce committees. He'll most likely round out the roster with a couple of telecom and tax clients—and maybe some foreign governments, which consistently offer among the highest pay for access to power. One lobbyist, a former Lott aide, suggests that Lott's true value is as a fixer, able to counsel C.E.O.'s on the political landscape, then make the "silver bullet" phone call that alters it. With 15 clients, the firm would earn between $9 million and $13.5 million a year. Take out $2.5 million for salaries and overhead (the firm will have five other lobbyists), and assume an even split between Lott and Breaux: Lott pockets as much as $5.5 million.

Estimated annual value: $3.25 million to $5.5 million

Corporate Boards
Mitchell—like Lott, a former Senate majority leader—set the bar for retired lawmakers' corporate
directorships, reportedly sitting on as many as eight boards at once. That was back in early 2002, before Sarbanes-Oxley reforms made the job a lot less fun by adding legal liability. But ex-senators are still taking advantage of the posts to earn handsome benefits. In 2006, Georgia Democrat Sam Nunn found enough time away from his responsibilities as chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative to earn a combined $1.1 million from Chevron, Coca-Cola, Dell, and General Electric, according to public filings. Former Oklahoma Republican senator Don Nickles hauled in $499,000 from Chesapeake Energy and Valero Energy. Figure that Lott can easily match Nickles.

Estimated annual value: $500,000

The Bottom Line
Lott had a net worth of between $1.3 million and $2 million when he retired, according to financial disclosure forms. In his first year in the private sector, he could triple that.

Estimated annual value: $4 million to $6 million