Interest Groups

Interest Groups Interest Groups (also known as Advocacy Group, Lobbying Group, Pressure Group, or Special Interest Group) are organizations centered around the purpose of influencing public policy. These groups try to influence politicians through voting power (AARP), direct contributions, or by advocating a certain position. Most interest groups are centered around one issue, or a group of related issues. There are literally hundreds of Interest Groups in the United States, many of whom work through Lobbying Firms.

Special Interests Interest groups are usually called “Special Interests”, with the connotation that they are only motivated by getting a larger share of the pie (greed) and therefore are “bad” because they do not advocate for the common interests of the majority of Americans. There have been movements to end “Special Interest” influence on campaigns, usually through the use of Campaign Finance Reform.

Lobbying Lobbying is the act of trying to influence public policy, or to promote or discourage legislation. The number of registered lobbyists in D.C. has risen to 34,785 (roughly 64 lobbyists per elected official) who give out over $2.1 billion (roughly $3.9 million per elected official) for running campaigns.

Influence The influence of interest groups depends on several factors: Contributions Number of voters represented Ideological connection to party in power Public exposure Ability to motivate (Protests, marches…) or assistance on campaign (phone calls, door to door)

Interest Group Theory Interest group theory suggests that as these different interest groups vie for power in Washington, that this keeps a balance of forces (pluralism), thus it is good for democracy. Another framework regarding interest groups is that these groups only represent a minority of Americans, especially businesses and corporations, and that the American public is left out (elite theory)

Contributions Between 1998, and 2005, major interest groups spent more than $10.6 Billion to influence public policy (led by the Pharmaceutical Industry at over $1 Billion) Other than direct lobbying, interest groups can contribute to, and run, Political Action Committees (PACs).

PACs Political Action Committees are an avenue to go around campaign fundraising and spending limits. Normally, and individual is limited to $2300 in contributions to a single individual, $28,500 to a party. PACs avoid these restrictions, and can run their own advertisements. The preferred type of PAC is now the 527. The 527 is tax exempt, is not limited at all in terms of contributions or spending, though it cannot coordinate with a candidate, or specifically tell voters to vote for or against a candidate, limited to what is called “issue politics”.

Hard Money vs Soft Money Hard Money in elections are monies that are subject to federal law. These types of contributions can be use for direct advocacy of or against a candidate. Soft Money contributions are (unregulated) monies that go around federal campaign spending limits. Since the 1980s, soft money contributions have become increasingly important to political parties.

Hard Money Contributions

Soft Money Contributions