Interest groups play an important role in the political process, although they can be controversial. Interest groups are organizations that represent collective shared values; for instance, the NRA is an interest group that supports the second amendment, while Planned Parenthood is an interest group that supports a woman’s right to have an abortion. Other interest groups may be aligned with business interests, such as cable companies or oil companies, who all lobby for favorable legislation by supporting certain political candidates.
There are both pros and cons of interest groups. The pros are that an interest group will help raise awareness for a specific political issue. Interest groups are motivated to see certain political candidates supported based on their values, so they will make public certain issues that others may not be aware of, trying to get support for their position. Interest groups can also provide people wishing to become more politically active an avenue for political participation, which means joining an interest group can be a way to become part of the political process. In turn, this can be a signal for participation because people will influence each other, creating further support for a shared cause.
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However, there are also many cons associated with interest groups. First, the main way that interest groups provide support for a candidate is through making donations to his or her campaign. While this can also be a good thing in that it can help candidates fund political campaigns, which can be very expensive, it can also make the candidate beholden to these interest groups. In other words, some people see this as a way for interest groups to simply purchase votes. An associated negative aspect is that interest groups will therefore favor the wealthy, because the most influential interest groups are the ones that also have the most money. This will disproportionately favor wealthy individuals over poorer persons, by allowing them to have more political sway than others. At the same time, it can make a candidate feel as if he or she has to vote a certain way on legislation, because the candidate received funding from an interest group. This obligation might override what the candidate simply feels is the best decision, so interest groups can be a way to introduce corruption into a political system.
Interest groups will respond differently to other political bodies. Interest groups may or may not support the Presidency depending on whether the current administration’s policies favor or hinder the interest group’s goals. They will support candidates, including Presidential candidates, that share the same agenda. At the same time, a candidate may campaign directly for interest groups, with the goal of receiving their support and funding.
Interest groups are limited by the courts in regard to the support they can give. For instance, there are often financial limits in regard to how much an interest group can give a candidate, with different limits set for donations made to a political party, instead of a specific candidate. Many state judges are elected to their positions, so an interest group might also provide support for a judge as a candidate.
Interest groups respond to Congress by supporting candidates who share similar views, but also being limited or regulated by the laws that congress passes. Congress is responsible for creating laws, which the courts interpret as necessary. Therefore, any laws regulating how interest groups may function, at least on a federal level, were originally implemented by congress.
Interest groups are both good and bad for democracy. They can provide support to get a campaign going, but at the same time, they can also result in politicians who support interest groups rather than the population at large.
