8.3: Types of Interest Groups

Roughly half of the interest groups active in Washington, D.C. (including all of the top ten spenders in 2024, as shown in Figure 8.1 below) are economically focused. Some, such as the United States Chamber of Commerce, are made up of companies in multiple industries and advocate for policies that are good for business in general, such as lower taxes and deregulation. Others, such as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, consist of companies in the same industry—in PhRMA’s case, drug manufacturing—and push for policies beneficial to that industry. Individual corporations, such as Coca-Cola, sometimes function as interest groups on their own behalf. Professional associations representing specific occupations, such as the National Association of Realtors, also fall under this economic umbrella.

Figure 8.1: Top ten interest groups by lobbying expenses, 2024 (Source: Open Secrets)

Labor unions, such as the National Education Association (representing teachers) and the Teamsters (representing truck drivers and warehouse workers) are an important subset of economic interest groups. These organizations stand for worker’s rights and advocate for policies such as higher wages, safe working conditions, and generous benefits programs. Labor unions often contend with business groups over these policies, with the former arguing that they are necessary for workers’ well-being and the latter contending that they are bad for business. The power of unions, especially private-sector unions, in the United States has declined from its peak in the 1950s. No unions appeared among the top spenders in 2024—in fact, all U.S. labor organizations were combined, they would only come in at number three on the list. Still, they remain influential in American politics.

Some interest groups are primarily concerned with non-economic issues. AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) exist to promote the interests of the groups represented in their names. The American Legion, the National Rifle Association, Planned Parenthood, and the Sierra Club all concentrate their advocacy on a specific issue or issue area (veterans affairs, gun rights, abortion, and the environment, respectively).

Yet another class of interest groups is made up of governments (or coalitions of governments) trying to influence other governments. One such group, the National League of Cities, advocates for municipal governments, focusing on policies related to American federalism that impact cities. Foreign governments also send representatives to the United States to push for diplomatic, economic, and security policies. (Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia are among the biggest spenders in this category.) These organizations qualify as interest groups because, although they are governments themselves, they are attempting to influence the actions of a different government (the U.S. national government) from the outside.

This chapter mostly focuses on interest groups that pressure America’s national government in Washington, D.C., but interest groups can and do pressure state and local governments as well. America’s federal system separates power across multiple levels of government, and interest groups attempt to influence how that power is exercised wherever it resides.