Lobbyist Make How Much?

Lobbyist everyone’s heard the term but most people couldn’t tell you what it is a lobbyist actually does. The dictionary definition for lobbying reads, "seek to influence [a political or public official] on an issue". Even though becoming a lobbyist requires only a Bachelors degree the median annual Lobbyist salary is $106,762, as of March 31, 2017. So what exactly are lobbyist getting paid so much money to do?  Although lobbying in government has been around for decades it has only recently gained mainstream attention. With the emergence of the internet and social media platforms people are being exposed to information they never previously would have had access too. These knew technologies have enabled people from all over the world to communicate with each other and exchange ideas. While this new communication is good for the growth of society as a whole it isn’t good for those who like things the way they’ve always been. Prior to the internet big business sought to limit how much the average American voter knew about lobbyist influence in government. Big business has used lobbyist for years to influence government to benefit their views and needs. Whether that be from tax cuts to government policy itself when money is on the line people tend to have strong opinions on how it gets spent. While few people like to talk about moneys role in government one cannot deny that it does have an impact on the election process. A study conducted by Jasper Mchesney a designer at United Republic analyzed 467 congressional races held in 2012 and found that the candidate with the most money wins the elections 91% of the time (Federal Election Commission). How are these potential candidates raising so much money? Most of it comes from private interest groups and through campaign donations and the number one way for these interest groups to influence politicians is through hiring lobbying firms to act as 3^rd party negotiators. A lobbyist is someone hired by a business or a cause to persuade legislators to support that business or cause. Lobbyists get paid to win favor from politicians. An example of these private interest groups would the Oil companies or the Prison Guard Union. Who’s going to give money to someone for free? Private interest groups donate money to campaigns with the hopes that once these candidates are elected they’ll answer the phone whenever they call or that they’ll always be available to speak to them. Big business will always attempt to influence government and with this ability becoming increasingly difficult with todays current culture and technology a good lobbyist will go along way in expressing an interest’s groups views to a politician. So with no end to the desire for lobbyist in sight it might be a good idea to become a lobbyist yourself.