Political Parties, PACs,
Lobbying, and Interest
Groups
Political
Parties
What are Political Parties?
Organizations
of people
with similar
ideas that are
formed to win
elections.
What are PACs (Political Action Committees)?
Political Action
Committees, commonly
called "PACs," are
organizations dedicated
to raising and spending
money to either elect or
defeat political
candidates.
Political Action Committees
Most PACs are
directly connected to
specific corporations,
labor groups, or
recognized political
parties.
Political Action Committees
PACs solicit contributions from employees or
members and make contributions in the PACs
name to candidates or political parties.
Political Action Committees
Non-connected or
ideological PACs raise
and spend money to
elect candidates -from any political
party -- who support
their ideals or
agendas
Political Action Committees
Under federal election laws,
PACs can legally contribute
only $5,000 to a candidate
committee per election
(primary, general or special).
They can also give up to
$15,000 annually to any
national party committee,
and $5,000 annually to any
other PAC.
Top Ten PACs in Contributions to Federal Candidates
2014
1. National Association of Realtors
2. National Beer Wholesalers Ass’n
3. Honeywell International
4. Operating Engineers Union
5. Nat’l Auto Dealers Association
6. Lockheed Martin
7. American Bankers Association
8. Credit Union National Association
9. AT&T
10. Northrup Grumman
Mixed
Mixed
Rep.
Dem.
Rep.
Mixed
Rep.
Mixed
Rep.
Rep.
3.4 million
3.1 million
2.7 million
2.6 million
2.5 million
2.5 million
2.5 million
2.4 million
2.4 million
2.4 million
Super PACs
Super PACs came into existence in 2010 when federal court
decisions found that limitations on both corporate and individual
contributions is an unconstitutional violation of the 1st Amendment.
-- a PAC that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from
corporations, unions, individuals and associations
-- the most important difference between a PAC and a Super PAC is in who
can contribute and in how much they can give
-- candidates can accept up to 5K per election from a PAC; they cannot
accept money from corporations, unions and associations
-- for Super PACs there is no limit on who contributes or how much they can
contribute but they cannot work in conjunction with the candidate they are
supporting
The Top Super PAC Spenders in 2012
(Millions)
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Republican
Democrat
Who are Lobbyists?
• Someone who
tries to
persuade
legislators to
vote for bills
that the
lobbyists favor
Lobbyists
• A lobbyist is one who
is professionally
employed to lobby
on behalf of clients
or who advises
clients on how to
lobby on their own
behalf.
Top Spenders on Lobbying Activities, 2013
Top Spenders on Lobbying Activities, 2013
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
National Association of Realtors
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Northrop Grumman
National Cable & Telecommunications Ass’n
American Hospital Association
Comcast Corp
American Medical Association
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
74.4 million
38.6 million
22.6 million
20.6 million
19.9 million
19.7 million
18.8 million
18.2 million
17.9 million
What Are Interest Groups?
• An interest group (special interests) is an
organization of people with similar policy
goals that try to influence the political
process to try to achieve those goals.
• Interest groups try to influence every
branch and every level of government.
The Roots and Development
of American Interest Groups
• Washington warned against factions tearing
the country apart.
• Madison wrote in Federalist 10 that they
were bound to develop.
What Do Interest Groups Do?
The most common and effective interest
group technique is lobbying or seeking to
influence and persuade others to support a
group's position.
100
Perception of Interest Groups
90
Is the government run by a few big interests looking out for
themselves or is it run for the benefit of the people?
80
70
60
Big Interests
50
All the people
Don't Know
40
30
20
10
0
1964
1972
1980
1988
1996
2004
2012
The More Things Change . . . .
The More They Stay the Same.