Interest Groups Vs Political Parties

Interest groups and political parties each play an important role in the United States political system, but differ in their fundamental goals. An interest group is an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy (Janda 298). The fundamental goal of an interest group is to influence public policy in a way that advances their cause. For example, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) tends to support more Medicare funding because it directly benefits their members (“Fighting”). A political party is “an organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization’s name (Janda 228).” The fundamental goal of a political party is to get their candidate elected. For example, the Democratic