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Lobbying in the New Millennium: Evidence of Continuity and Change in Three States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Anthony J. Nownes  and
Krissy Walker DeAlejandro
Anthony J. Nownes
Affiliation:
University of Tennessee
Krissy Walker DeAlejandro
Affiliation:
University of Tennessee
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Abstract

We report the results of a survey of over 300 lobbyists in three states—Colorado, Ohio, and West Virginia. In the first half of this article, we provide a comprehensive portrait of state lobbyists' attempts to affect state government decisions. In the second half, we address the following research question: What factors affect the lobbying behavior of state lobbyists? Our results suggest a number of conclusions about lobbying in the new millennium, including the following: (1) state lobbyists target the governor's office more than most previous studies suggest; (2) state lobbyists aim their grassroots lobbying efforts at the governor and executive agency bureaucrats as well as legislators; (3) state lobbying remains an intensely personal game, as techniques involving face-to-face contact with government officials remain the most effective; and (4) several variables affect a lobbyist's decisions regarding which techniques to use and where to aim his or her efforts, including the receptivity of potential targets and the type of group for which the lobbyist works.

Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , Winter 2009 , pp. 429 - 455
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

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