With Congress more partisan than ever, the White House eager to mobilize group support, the appropriations process in flux, and important interest group litigation in the courts, this volume confirms that navigating the complex world of inside-the-beltway politics is especially tricky. For interest groups, the name of the game is access. The Interest Group Connection’s twenty chapters show how organized interests gain that access in Washington. Brief and accessible readings explore the connections between lobbyists’ influence and American policymaking institutions and processes, as well as the crucial role interest groups play in organizing constituencies, protecting their rights, and giving them entrée into the political process. Given the current environment—new campaign finance laws, the prevalence of “527” committees, and a near-even electoral environment—the second edition provides an inside look at a changed political world.

With Congress more partisan than ever, the White House eager to mobilize group support, the appropriations process in flux, and important interest group litigation in the courts, this volume confirms that navigating the complex world of inside-the-beltway politics is especially tricky. For interest groups, the name of the game is access. The Interest Group Connection’s twenty chapters show how organized interests gain that access in Washington. Brief and accessible readings explore the connections between lobbyists’ influence and American policymaking institutions and processes, as well as the crucial role interest groups play in organizing constituencies, protecting their rights, and giving them entrée into the political process. Given the current environment—new campaign finance laws, the prevalence of “527” committees, and a near-even electoral environment—the second edition provides an inside look at a changed political world.

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Part I. Introduction

1. Making the Connection: Organized Interests, Political Representation, and the Changing Rules of the Game in Washington Politics, Ronald G. Shaiko

Part II. Electoral Connection

1. Interest Groups and Campaigns: The Electoral Connection, Paul S. Herrnson


2. Interest Groups and Federal Campaign Finance: The Beginning of a New Era, Robert Biersack and Marianne H. Viray


3. Interest Groups in Congressional Elections, Richard Semiatin and Mark Rozell


4. Group Advocacy in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, Linda L. Fowler, Constantine J. Spiliotes, and Lynn Vavreck


5. Presidential Elections: Travelling the Hard and Soft Roads to the White House, Stephen J. Wayne

Part III. Congressional Connection

1. Continuity and Change in the Congressional Connection, Clyde Wilcox and Dong-Young Kim


2. Musical Chairs: Interest Groups, Campaign Fundraising and Selection of House Committee Chairs, Paul R. Brewer and Chris J. Deering


3. Making Connections to the Appropriations Process, Joseph White


4. The Christian Right Goes to Washington: Social Movement Resources and the Legislative Process, John C. Green and Nathan S. Bigelow


5. Protecting America’s Workers in Hostile Territory: Unions and the Republican Congress, Peter L. Francia


6. Dolly Goes to Washington: Coalitions, Cloning, and the Role of Inter-Group Trust, Kevin W. Hula

Part IV. The Executive Connection

1. Lobbying the Executive Branch: Outside-In and Inside-Out, Kathryn Dunn Tenpas


2. The Legal-Institutional Framework for Interest Group Participation in Federal Administrative Policymaking, David H. Rosenbloom and Suzanne J. Piotrowski


3. Exploring Interest Group Participation in Executive Policymaking, Scott R. Furlong


4. Who Serves Special Interests? The President, Congress, and Interest Groups, Paul J. Quirk and Bruce F. Nesmith

Part V. The Judicial Connection

1. Lobbying the Justices or Lobbying for Justice? The Role of Organized Interests in the Judicial Process, Karen O’Connor


2. Cigarettes, Firearms, and the New Litigation Wars: Smoking Guns Behind the Headlines, Wayne V. McIntosh and Cynthia L. Cates


3. Defending the Faithful: Conservative Christian Litigation in American Politics, Hans J. Hacker

Part VI. Conclusion

1. Only Permanent Interests'? Creating and Sustaining Interest Group Connections in Changing Political Environments, Paul S. Herrnson, Ronald G. Shaiko, and Clyde Wilcox

“The readings in The Interest Group Connection are solidly rooted in our theories about organized interests and American politics more generally. Yet, they are strongly anchored in very real and fascinating cases of contemporary Washington politics. Given these strengths, it is hardly surprising that this reader has become an essential tool in classes on the politics of organized interests.”

“Interest group politics in the U.S. is enormously rich and complex. The Interest Group Connection brings interest group politics to life in a variety of issue areas and institutional settings, dispelling any simplistic notions of 'special interest' influence. This collection is ideal for classroom use, providing comprehensive coverage in a lively and readable style, and incorporating the latest scholarly research in the context of recent changes to campaign finance and lobbying regulations.”

“This is the book that those of us who teach interest group courses have been waiting for — a stimulating mixture of high-quality, up-to-date scholarship and intriguing insider perspectives.”

“A detailed portrait of the creative, complex, and sometimes surprising ways in which interest groups respond to political change. The authors lead the reader through the web of relations between groups and the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as the electoral connections and efforts to shape public opinion that are increasingly important tools of policy influence. The result is a renewed appreciation of the role of interest groups in a democratic society and the means by which they foster representation and promote civic participation.”

“The Interest Group Connection touches all the bases of Washington-based interest group research. The authors cast a new, positive light on a feature of American politics most critics have come to view with disdain. That they are convincing should be reason enough to recognize this book as significantly different from other books on interest groups.”

Paul S. Herrnson is director of the Center for American Politics and Citizenship and professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland. He is the author of Congressional Elections: Campaigning at Home and in Washington, 4th ed. (2004) and Party Campaigning in the 1980s (1988) and coauthor of The Financiers of Congressional Elections (2003). He is coeditor of several volumes, including War Stories from Capitol Hill (2003), Responsible Partisanship? The Evolution of American Political Parties Since 1950 (2003), Multiparty Politics in America, 2nd ed. (2002), and Playing Hardball: Campaigning for the U.S. Congress (2000). He has served as an American Political Science Association congressional fellow and has received several teaching awards, including an Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Maryland.

Ronald G. Shaiko is visiting associate professor in the department of government at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Voices and Echoes for the Environment: Public Interest Representation in the 1990s and Beyond (1999). In addition, Shaiko has published widely in the areas of interest groups and lobbying, Congress, and nonprofit organizations.

Clyde Wilcox is a professor of government at Georgetown University. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Serious Money: Fundraising and Contributing in Presidential Nomination Campaigns (1995), Onward Christian Soldiers: The Christian Right in American Politics (1996), and Interest Groups in American Campaigns: The New Face of Electioneering (1999). His edited books include Women in Elected Office: Past, Present, and Future (1998), The Politics of Gay Rights (2000), and Understanding Public Opinion, 2nd ed. (2002).