Heather and Tony Podesta are the quintessential Washington power couple. The pair, who are both registered lobbyists, have raised more than $2m (€1.3m, £1.1m) for the Democratic party and Democratic candidates in the 2008 election cycle – a large portion of which has supported Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential run.

But the Podestas, like other lobbyists whose wealth, business connections and personal relationships with politicians – especially the Clintons – give them insider status within the Democratic party, may soon find themselves in the unusual position of being outsiders.