Name: Date: INTEREST GROUPS AND LOBBYING WEBQUEST

Directions: Using the chromebooks, answer the following questions and respond to the following prompts.

Questions:

  1. Go to From the menu, select “Lobbying” under “Interest Groups and Lobbying.” Under the lobbying database, what year did we have the largest and smallest number of lobbyists?
  2. Largest
  1. Smallest
  1. Under the lobbying database, look at the top spenders. Which organization is the most interesting to you?
  1. Based on your answer to the above question, what are some of the major issues that this group is concerned with? What are their specific motivations behind lobbying? Click on the group’s name and check their issues to find out. Give me a few.
  1. Search for Ohio’s two Senators on Open Secrets. View the senate committee assignments our two Ohio senators have been assigned. List them below. For each committee, which groups do you think attempt to influence legislation and contribute the most to the campaigns of our Senators based on their committee assignments? Find these under “Ranked Sectors” on Open Secrets.

ROBERT PORTMAN / SHERROD BROWN
Committee: / Interested Sector: / Committee: / Interested Sector:
  1. Now find our US House of Representative Member on Open Secrets.
  2. Who donated the most to his campaign? Give me the top five.
  1. Were more donations made inside of the state or outside of the state?
  2. Were more donations made inside of the district or outside of the district?
  3. Which zipcode gave him the most money?
  4. How much is this candidate worth?
  5. What is the largest area of investment that he has made?
  6. Do you find any similarities between their donors and where they’ve invested their money? If so, explain.
  1. Go to Home / Influence & Lobbying / Interest Groups / Top Interest Groups to Congress. Make a list of comparing the top 5 industries that gave the most to each of the following political parties in the 2016 election cycle. Your are encouraged to click on the different industries and read about their background.

Industries that supported Republicans / Amount / Industries that supported Democrats / Amount
  1. From Open Secrets Find the Top 10 Things Every Voter Should Know About Money-In-Politics (yes, there are eleven even though it is billed as a top ten list). Read through each of the 11 Things and answer the question that corresponds with each “Thing”

The “Thing” / Answer the question
1. / How do Congressional committee assignments strategically affect how interest groups donate money to members of Congress?
2. / Why do major donors tend to donate more to incumbent Congressional candidates?
3. / Describe the trend in the cost of beating a House incumbent candidate.
4. / Why do politicians care more about big donors compared to small donors?
5. / List some of the campaign donation trends listed:
6. / Why does an interest group care about developing a long-term relationship with a member of Congress?
7. / Why is there so much pressure for members of Congress to constantly be fundraising?
8. / What is one reason why the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is considered relatively weak?
9. / How did the Citizens United v FEC decision affect the rules of campaign contributions?
What is an independent expenditure?
10. / How do interest group ratings affect members of Congress?
11. / Besides money, what are some other factors that help politicians get elected?

8. What is Dark Money?

9. How much dark money was spent in the 2012 campaign? How does that compare to the three other elections
the page presents? (Including 2016, even without the completion of the reporting)

10. What are the three court cases which have contributed to the rise in dark money in campaigns? What issue did
each case decide?

11. Where can dark money be channeled through? What are the parameters for each?

12. From 2008 -2014 what entity has spent the most “dark” money?

13. Visit a website from the largest dark money contributors list. This group advocates for what issues?