Political Clout Analysis

A category of interest groups that has the most political clout in Texas is business, which includes oil and technology. These business groups have the ability to lobby lawmakers to pass legislation that would benefit them. They are able to do this because many of the businesses are big businesses with much money at their disposal. Because of this, business groups are able to maintain professional staff, lawyers, or a legal relations department in Austin to communicate with the legislature. This will allow them to keep lawmakers constantly informed of events related to their cause and about their position. The staff will also have the ability to entertain lawmakers at dinners and other events in which the lobbyists try to convince the lawmakers to vote for their cause. These business interest groups, as well as other interest groups, can also influence elections by forming political action committees (PACs) that support a candidate. They
One of the reasons why this group has little political clout is that Texas has historically been dominated by business interests. This dominance continues today, as lobbyists for business groups continue to entertain and spend time with legislators, which will help them be more likely to vote in favor of the viewpoints of the business groups. This decreases the influence of consumer groups and lowers the chances that legislation benefitting the consumer passes in the state legislature. Another reason why consumer interests have one of the least political clouts in the state is that they often have poor funding. Because of this, consumer interest groups are often unable to maintain professional staff in Austin, entertain lawmakers effectively, and spend a considerable amount of time in Austin. As a result, their efforts to win over lawmakers and convince lawmakers to vote in favor of laws they support will likely be