Obama Campaign Aide Returns to McKenna Long

Updated at 12:45 p.m.

President Barack Obama's re-election point person for the South has returned to the lobbying shop at McKenna Long & Aldridge.

Tharon Johnson joined McKenna's national government affairs practice as a managing director in its Washington and Atlanta offices after leaving the firm to serve as the national Southern regional director for Obama's 2012 presidential campaign. He was a senior strategic adviser and independent consultant in the firm's national government affairs practice for about a month before he was asked to join the Obama campaign.

Johnson said he had a "phenomenal experience" working on the president's re-election and is "flattered" that McKenna welcomed him back.

"McKenna was so gracious," he said.

Johnson said he will spend most of his time in Washington, helping "any client that has an idea that they want to work with the government on." But he declined to discuss specifics.

Before joining McKenna for the first time in August 2011, Johnson was a partner at Atlanta lobbying firm Piedmont Public Affairs. He also served on the staffs of representatives John Lewis (D-Ga.) and John Barrow (D-Ga.), as well as Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (D).

McKenna senior managing director Eric Tanenblatt, who leads the firm's national government affairs practice, said in a written statement that Johnson is "a tremendous asset" to the firm's public policy efforts.

“His knowledge and ability to navigate between the public and private sectors will be extremely valuable to our clients and the firm," Tanenblatt said.