Editing Politics of the United States (section)

===Political pressure groups===
{{See also|Lobbying in the United States|Advocacy group}}
[[File:K Street NW at 19th Street.jpg|thumb|[[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], has become a [[metonym]] for the American lobbying industry.|alt=Street sign for K Street, with tall office buildings in background]]
Special-[[Advocacy group|interest groups]] advocate the cause of their specific constituency. Business organizations, for example, will favor low corporate taxes and restrictions on the right to strike, whereas labor unions will support minimum wage legislation and protection for collective bargaining. Other private interest groups, such as churches and ethnic groups, are more concerned about broader policy issues affecting their organizations or beliefs.

One type of private interest group that has grown in number and influence in recent years is the [[political action committee]] or PAC. These are independent groups organized around a [[single issue]] or set of issues, which contribute money to political campaigns for [[United States Congress]] or the presidency. PACs are limited in the amounts they can contribute directly to candidates in federal elections. There are no restrictions on the amounts PACs can spend independently to advocate a point of view or to urge the election of candidates to office. As of 2008, 4,292 PACs were operating in the U.S..<ref>{{Cite web |title=Number of Federal PACs Increases |url=https://www.fec.gov/updates/number-of-federal-pacs-increases-2/ |access-date=2022-03-11 |publisher=FEC |language=en}}</ref>

<blockquote>The number of interest groups has mushroomed, with more and more of them operating offices in Washington, D.C., and representing themselves directly to Congress and federal agencies.  Many organizations that keep an eye on Washington seek financial and moral support from ordinary citizens. Since many of them focus on a narrow set of concerns or even on a single issue, and often a single issue of enormous emotional weight, they compete with the parties for citizens' dollars, time, and passion.<ref>[[Michael Schudson]] in his 1998 book ''The Good Citizen: A History of American Civic Life''.
</ref></blockquote>

The amount of money these special interest groups spend continues to grow as campaigns become increasingly expensive. Many Americans feel that these wealthy interests, whether [[Corporate personhood|corporations]], [[Labor unions in the United States|unions]], or PACs, are so powerful that ordinary citizens can do little to counteract their influences.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

A survey of members of the [[American Economic Association]] (i.e., the Association of Professional Economists) found the vast majority—regardless of political affiliation—felt the prevalence and influence of special interest groups in the political process led to benefits for the special interest groups and politicians at the expense of society as a whole.<ref>Davis, William L., and Bob Figgins. 2009. Do Economists Believe American Democracy Is Working? ''[[Econ Journal Watch]]'' 6(2): 195-202. [http://econjwatch.org/articles/do-economists-believe-american-democracy-is-working Econjwatch.org]</ref>

==== Religious groups ====
{{See also|Religion and politics in the United States|Religion in the United States|Christianity in the United States|Freedom of religion in the United States|Religious discrimination in the United States}}

Despite the First Amendment of the constitution's [[Establishment Clause]] ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion ..."), for historical and demographic reasons, religious groups (primarily [[Christianity|Christian]] groups) have frequently become political pressure groups and they have also become parts of [[Political alliance|political coalitions]].<ref name=":12" />  In recent decades, conservative [[Evangelicalism|evangelicals]] have been particularly active within the broader [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last1=BERNSTEIN|first1=ELIZABETH|last2=JAKOBSEN|first2=JANET R |date=2010 |title=Sex, Secularism and Religious Influence in US Politics |journal=Third World Quarterly |volume=31 |issue=6 |pages=1023–1039 |doi=10.1080/01436597.2010.502739 |jstor=27896595 |pmid=20857575 |s2cid=39112453 |issn=0143-6597}}</ref> This influence has often translated into the passing of laws related to morality and personal conduct.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal|last=Fairbanks|first=David|date=1977|title=Religious Forces and "Morality" Policies in the American States |journal=The Western Political Quarterly|volume=30|issue=3|pages=411–417|doi=10.2307/447941|jstor=447941|issn=0043-4078}}</ref> State [[Blue laws in the United States|alcohol and gambling laws]], for example, are more restrictive in states with a higher percentage of [[Conservative Christianity|conservative Christians]].<ref name=":13" />