{"id":62,"date":"2025-05-26T16:45:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T16:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/theexcitingdynamicsofstateandlocalgovernment\/?post_type=chapter&p=62"},"modified":"2025-07-29T21:24:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T21:24:02","slug":"how-do-media-and-interest-groups-influence-state-government","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/theexcitingdynamicsofstateandlocalgovernment\/chapter\/how-do-media-and-interest-groups-influence-state-government\/","title":{"raw":"How Do Media and Interest Groups Influence State Government?","rendered":"How Do Media and Interest Groups Influence State Government?"},"content":{"raw":"
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Chapter Summary<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n

Interest groups and media play an important role in state politics, even though their respective responsibilities seem at odds. Interest groups are increasingly prevalent in state government and influential in supporting legislation that reflects their interests, sometimes more so than the constituents\u2019. Local journalism has struggled in the twenty-first century, but those who still report on state and local government provide an invaluable service to constituents who otherwise might be unaware. This chapter examines the role of these organizations in political participation at the state level and encourages students to consider how they can be advantageous and also challenging to democratic engagement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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Student Learning Objectives<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

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Upon completion of this chapter, students should be able to:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n \t
  1. Identify the function and role of outside institutions such as the media, interest groups, and other organizations in politics.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Chart the historical trends and changes in the media, including the evolution from localized newspapers to more nationalized online platforms.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Evaluate the role of media markets and the various responsibilities of political media.<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Analyze the free-rider problem and how interest groups effectively recruit members.<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. Assess the differences between interest group influence and media impact in state government compared to federal government.<\/li>\r\n \t
  6. Understand the importance of grassroots movements and organizations in state politics.<\/li>\r\n \t
  7. Apply a critical lens to the effect of interest group and media bias in state politics.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
    \r\n

    Focus Questions<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

    \r\n

    These questions illustrate the main concepts covered in the chapter and should help guide discussion as well as enable students to critically analyze and apply the material covered.<\/p>\r\n

    How is interest group influence different at the state level compared to the federal level?<\/p>\r\n

    Why do people choose to join interest groups? How do interest groups overcome the free-rider problem?<\/p>\r\n

    How has media consumption changed over time? What impact can this have on citizens\u2019 knowledge, perceptions, and behavior?<\/p>\r\n

    What are the primary purposes of the media in a democratic system of government? How is that role being satisfied or unfulfilled in the current political culture?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    Introduction<\/h1>\r\n

    In 2010, Ohio Republicans won control of both the statehouse and governor\u2019s office. Then-Governor John Kasich and the Ohio Republican legislative caucus made it a priority to pass legislation enshrining a \u201cright-to-work\u201d law, as did several other Midwestern states that elected Republican majorities in the wave of 2010. Right-to-work laws make union membership optional, even in workplaces that are unionized, and are seen as a way to weaken unions that are most often allied with the Democratic Party. Ohio passed such legislation into law in 2010 via SB 5. Ohio unions mobilized and were able to collect enough signatures to trigger a referendum, Issue 2, on the law in 2011. Union efforts on Issue 2 were successful, winning by a wide margin in 2011, repealing the right-to-work law. This was a major victory for Ohio unions, who organized under the banner of the group \u201cWe Are Ohio,\u201d raising $30 million to best their opposition in spending by a 3 to 1 margin.[footnote]Fields, \u201cOhio Voters.\u201d[\/footnote]<\/sup><\/p>\r\n

    Groups also play a key role in legislative sessions themselves. In 2023, the Indiana state legislative session was a resounding victory for school choice advocates. The state legislatures passed a near-universal expansion of the state school voucher program, enabling almost all children in Indiana to be eligible to attend the school of their choice and ensuring that millions of dollars go to charter schools as opposed to public schools in the years to come. The legislation was passed on the heels of an intense lobbying campaign by a group called Hoosiers for Quality Education that saw them spend $433,754 on lobbying during the sessions and hundreds of thousands more on a marketing campaign supporting charter schools. Overall, $20.7 million was spent on lobbying the Indiana General Assembly in 2023, and an array of groups employed hundreds of lobbyists.[footnote]Lange, \u201cLobbyists Spent .7 Million.\u201d[\/footnote]<\/sup><\/p>\r\n

    These stories highlight instances where interest groups are involved in politics and affect policy in state government. Interest groups<\/strong><\/span> are organized groups of people who participate in the political process and try to affect politics and\/or policy in such a way as to benefit themselves or their constituencies. Second only to political parties, interest groups are a major player in state politics and policymaking across all fifty states. They typically can call upon a large number of members, have offices in and around state capitols, and have access to significant amounts of money that are employed to influence politics and elections throughout the state and policy during legislative sessions. As the stories point out, they can be quite successful in their endeavors.<\/p>\r\n

    The number of interest groups has increased in the states over time,[footnote]Gray and Lowery, Population Ecology.[\/footnote]<\/sup> and with that has come an increase in memberships, fundraising and spending on campaigns, and general presence in state politics just as in national politics. Depending on the state, certain interest groups are major players in state politics. In some states with weaker political party infrastructures, interest groups fill the void by providing funds, recruiting candidates, and offering guidance on policymaking.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    What Are the Different Types of Interest Groups?<\/h2>\r\n

    There are a variety of interest groups active in each state that vary in size, activity, and influence. In many cases, the legislation proposed will dictate how active interest groups are. Certain policy and spending initiatives will attract the attention of groups, with some organizing to oppose the legislature and others organizing to support it, depending on how the proposals are written and, more often today, the partisan makeup of the state legislature and who wrote the legislation. Several groups have to be active every session, as their issues are at the forefront of legislative business. If you attend a state university, your university employs at least one if not a team of lobbyists who constantly monitor legislation and budgets. Ultimately, if you can either visit or be an intern at a state legislature during a session, you will see a variety of interest groups.<\/p>\r\n

    Overall, the largest line items of every state\u2019s budget are K\u201312 education and Medicaid, both encompassing a large number of groups who have varying interests in the activities and funds spent on them. Furthermore, states regulate economic activity, including beer and alcohol sales, insurance, professional licensing, natural resources, taxes, and several others. Given the breadth of involvement in several domains and the large amount of money at stake, groups of various types, backgrounds, and goals feel it is in their best interest (or in some cases, their survival is at stake) to influence state government.<\/p>\r\n

    One of the oldest and most prominent types of interest groups are those that represent individual businesses<\/strong><\/span> or a collective of businesses such as the state Chamber of Commerce. Depending on which state you live in, there may be several prominent businesses that are headquartered there or have significant interests or presence in the state. For instance, Walmart is the largest business in Arkansas, whereas Nike is the largest in Oregon, and General Electric is the largest in Massachusetts. Businesses sometimes have a direct interest in policy considered by the state legislature or the budget. Sometimes businesses benefit from tax cuts or portions of the tax code for employing citizens within the state or may have or wish to have direct business with the state. There are instances when businesses are indirectly affected by state policy, such as more recent policies surrounding the LGBTQ community, because businesses want to be able to hire the best and brightest, with potential employees feeling welcome. Also, transportation spending is important to businesses so that products can move easily to and from facilities.<\/p>\r\n

    Another one of the oldest and most well-known groups is unions<\/strong><\/span>. Unions represent organized labor in both the private and public sectors. The Service Employees International Union is active in many states and is a union you may belong to if you work in the service industry, such as in restaurants, while in college. Teachers are represented by several groups but most prominently by state affiliates of the National Education Association, who actively work to increase pay, rights, and the general well-being of public school teachers. Even some of your professors are represented by the American Association of University Professors. These groups all work for workers\u2019 rights and often together to forward or stop legislation that threatens them all, such as right-to-work legislation. Unions will often work proactively to stop antilabor legislation while also supporting prolabor legislation.<\/p>\r\n

    Professional organizations<\/strong><\/span> are another type of interest group that is active in state government. These groups represent different professional organizations and industries, such as accountants, beer and liquor vendors, home builders, physicians, farmers (including specific types of farmers, like corn, soybean, sugar, etc.) car dealerships, and so on. Unlike unions, which bargain and sign contracts on behalf of their members, professional associations represent particular industries or fields and may be more active at times when policy is being considered that could affect the constituency they represent.<\/p>\r\n

    States also have interest groups that are ideological<\/strong><\/span> in nature and represent a particular side of a single issue<\/strong><\/span>. Given the ideological nationalization of partisanship that has occurred at the state level,[footnote]Caughey and Warshaw, Dynamic Democracy.[\/footnote]<\/sup> several ideological groups that are visible at the national level have state affiliates or state offices. In several cases, ideological groups form as part of a broader coalition to push a particular issue or, if a state has direct democracy, to organize to support or oppose the issue on the ballot.<\/p>\r\n

    Finally, there are public-sector interest groups<\/strong><\/span>. These represent multiple public-sector entities and can include state and private universities, municipal and county associations, school board associations, and a host of other public entities within a state. These interest groups can represent both local elected officials and public employees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    Why Join an Interest Group?<\/h1>\r\n

    There are several motivations for people to join interest groups. First, people join interest groups for information purposes<\/strong><\/span>. Interest groups are active and informed about state laws and changes that are made. They can offer conferences, newsletters, and training to inform their members about state laws and policies that pertain to their particular interest group members and keep them aware of changes that affect them. City and county associations across the country have annual conferences to inform members of state budgets and policies that affect these local governments.<\/p>\r\n

    An obvious advantage of joining many interest groups is the material benefits that come from joining. Material benefits<\/strong><\/span> come in many forms. Union members join because these groups provide job security and negotiate their contracts and, in doing so, generally try to get increased pay and benefits. State teachers\u2019 associations have done this for years and, across many states, have large numbers of members because they actively attempt to improve teacher pay and benefits. Several professional associations and businesses actively seek state contracts for a variety of services and may live or die by their ability to obtain contracts and keep them in the state budget.<\/p>\r\n

    Finally, people join interest groups because of solidarity with the purpose<\/strong><\/span> of the group. Many interest groups have members who believe in the cause and mission of the group. This is especially true of the many ideological and single-issue groups that exist in the states either as state affiliates of a national group or as state-level groups. In different states at different times, the issue of medical malpractice reform has come up for debate in state legislatures. Interest groups that represented patient rights and lawyers would compete with groups representing hospitals and doctors for legislatures\u2019 attention. It is the goal of these interest groups to either encourage or stop legislation passing medical malpractice reform that would put limits on payments in lawsuits dealing with medical malpractice. More recently, state affiliates of the National Rifle Association have competed with antigun groups such as the Brady Campaign regarding gun rights that are still hotly debated in state capitols across the country.[footnote]Walker, Mobilizing Interest Groups.[\/footnote]<\/sup> These groups will donate money to supportive legislators; plan protests; conduct email, phone call, and letter-writing campaigns; and make endorsements in primary and general election races to mobilize their constituents to support and vote for like-minded legislators.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    How Do Interest Groups Influence?<\/h1>\r\n

    Interest groups are heavily involved in state politics and policymaking. Every interest group is interested in ensuring the best outcomes for their members and employs a variety of tactics to influence. Overall, interest groups use four main tactics to influence. These include (1) lobbying; (2) grassroots lobbying; (3) making political contributions to friendly state policymakers, especially through political action committees<\/strong> (<\/strong>PACs<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/span>; and (4) conducting public relations campaigns to successfully institutionalize or block policy.<\/p>\r\n

    Lobbyists<\/strong><\/span> are representatives hired by interest groups to influence the decisions of government officials. Interest groups will sometimes hire their own in-house lobbyists or contract with a lobbying, law, or public relations firm to represent them. Several firms are located near the state capitol with the expressed intention of having a regular and visible presence for lawmakers. Law firms around the state capitol will often have a government relations department as part of their firm that employs lobbyists. In state capitols across the country, hundreds of lobbyists are employed, and groups spend hundreds of millions of dollars to influence state officials.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    Table 11.1 - <\/span>Number of Registered Lobbyists and Spending on Lobbying Activities in Certain States<\/em>\r\nData Source:<\/span> OpenSecrets. 2023. Accessed December 6, 2023. https:\/\/www.followthemoney.org\/show-me?dt=3&lby-y=2022&lby-f-fc=2&lby-f-fc=2#[{1|gro=lby-s,lby-y<\/span><\/a><\/span>. Table by the author.<\/em>\r\n<\/strong><\/caption>\r\n
    \r\n

    State<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    Year<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    Registered Lobbyists<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    Total Spending<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    AK<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    95<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $21,287,317.79<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    CA<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    1802<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $445,524,124.55<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    CO<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    367<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $68,518,640.82<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    CT<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    769<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $110,899,868.51<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    FL<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    1855<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $276,009,000.00<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    IA<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    656<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $21,635,921.06<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    KY<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    685<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $24,383,228.38<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    MA<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    1401<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $111,822,713.83<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    ME<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    185<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $3,307,168.41<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    MI<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    1371<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $49,934,738.39<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    NE<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    443<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $22,232,038.47<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    NJ<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    986<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $95,076,033.71<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    NY<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    1329<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $330,542,990.00<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    OR<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    937<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $45,516,102.64<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    SC<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    411<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $26,058,732.61<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    TX<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    1607<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $229,328,494.05<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    VT<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    642<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $10,113,300.16<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    WA<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    1074<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $79,290,399.53<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    WI<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    2022<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    694<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    $31,917,844.00<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

    Table 11.1<\/span><\/span> shows several state lobbying records for 2021 and 2022. The number of lobbyists and the amount spent varies significantly by state. Large states such as California, Florida, Texas, and New York have over a thousand lobbyists employed, with spending that goes into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Smaller states such as Alaska, Maine, Kentucky, and Connecticut reveal significant diversity, with variation in the number of lobbyists (ranging from less than a hundred to several hundred lobbyists) and the amount of money spent (ranging from a few million dollars in Maine to states spending tens of millions of dollars). The number of lobbyists in a state is also affected by the political culture of the state (moralistic, individualistic, or traditionalistic), whether the legislator is full or part time, and even how states define what a lobbyist is\u2014some states have expansive definitions requiring large-scale registration, while others have restrictive definitions requiring fewer people to register as lobbyists.<\/p>\r\n

    Lobbyists play a critical role in the policymaking process. Their number-one job is to inform legislators and others involved in policymaking about the interest(s) they represent. Much of lobbyists\u2019 time is spent before and during sessions getting meetings with legislators, ranging from conversations in their offices to group-financed dinners and social gatherings in and around the state capitol. Many legislators are elected and have a background in or passion for certain policies, but most are not well versed in all areas taken up by state government. This provides lobbyists an opportunity to fill this void by providing information to legislators on the policy preferences of the group they represent. For instance, if a legislator is a retired teacher and ran based on their knowledge and passion for education, they may not know much about banking, medical malpractice, or a range of other critical issues the state legislature will consider. Lobbyists help provide critical information to state legislators, including personal narratives, statistics, and data to help convey their main points. Lobbyists must be experts in the areas they represent.<\/p>\r\n

    Research on core lobbyists\u2019 activities in several states found that their successful tactics include the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n