Climate Action
Money Talks: A History of Lobbying in American Politics
September 5, 2025
Senator Mark Hanna said, “There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second one is.” His words, spoken more than a century ago, reign true in today’s political sphere as they did back then.
Money fuels American politics. It lets people share ideas, run campaigns, and amplify voices in government. Yet, when left unchecked, money can buy influence, reshape priorities, and hand control to the wealthiest players and corporations at the table. Lobbying is a central aspect of this dynamic.
In theory, it is a way for citizens, organizations and businesses to petition their government. In practice, lobbying has been shaped by moneyed interests, often down right corruption and scandal, and shifting laws meant to keep it in check. The history of lobbying in America is a constant battle of influence and regulation, and it is ongoing.
What is Lobbying? What makes a Lobbyist?
Lobbying refers to the art of trying to influence government actions through written or spoken communication. However, not everyone who talks to a politician is a lobbyist. A regular citizen calling their representative to hear their point of view, or lawmakers rallying support for their bills, or staffers working behind the scenes are not lobbyists.
Today, lobbyists are defined as those who spend more than 20% of their time lobbying others for pay. Though states differ in how exactly they define lobbying and lobbyists, all require registration and transparency.
Origins of Lobbying
Lobbying has been woven into the American political system since the very beginning. The First Amendment promises the “right of the people to petition their government”.
At the time it was not about professional lobbyists but a simple promise that citizens could bring their concerns directly to their leaders. After independence, Congress regularly considered bills born from citizen petitions, giving early Americans faith that their voices could shape law.
While the Founding Fathers possessed remarkable foresight, they could not have fully anticipated the trajectory of the United States centuries later and how the wording of the Constitution could be twisted. Over time, lobbying has stretched far beyond this idea of handwritten petitions, becoming a professional industry that can amplify voices, open doors, and sometimes bend power toward those with the most resources.
The First “Lobbyist”
The first recorded lobbyist, William Hull, was hired by Virginia veterans of the Continental Army to persuade Congress to grant them additional compensation. His efforts were completely legal under the First Amendment and set a precedent that citizens and groups could directly push for changes in public policy.
By the mid-1800s, lobbying was far from subtle. Samuel Colt, inventor of the famous Colt revolver, handed out firearms to lawmakers – even to a 12-year-old son of one Congressman — to push for a patent extension.
During the Gilded Age money and politics became inseparable. Sam Ward, nicknamed the “King of the Lobby,”, charmed legislators with lavish dinners, fine wines, and witty conversation. He openly admitted to bribery when questioned by Congress.
“I do not say I am proud — but I am not ashamed — of the occupation,” Ward declared.
First Attempts at Regulation
As lobbying gained influence, concerns over transparency grew. In 1938, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) required anyone lobbying on behalf of foreign governments to disclose their activities. This was passed partly out of fear that Nazi propaganda might seep into American politics.
Eight years later, Congress turned its attention to domestic lobbying with the 1946 Lobbying Registration Act. This law required anyone spending 50% their paid time directly lobbying the federal government to register and file quarterly reports. While groundbreaking for its time, the act left loopholes that lobbyists quickly learned to exploit, particularly by avoiding direct, in-person lobbying that the law explicitly targeted.
In 1954, the Supreme Court narrowed the law further in United States v. Harriss, ruling that only lobbyists who met lawmakers in person and tried to influence a specific bill had to register. This opened the door for many to quietly operate off the radar.
Scandals & Crackdowns
For decades, lobbying largely escaped serious reform. That changed in the 1990s, when scandals exposed just how little oversight existed.
In 1995, President Bill Clinton signed the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA). This legislation redefined a lobbyist as anyone spending at least 20 percent of their time lobbying and introduced new restrictions on former government officials entering the industry. It also imposed significant penalties, including fines up to $200,000 and prison sentences up to five years for violations. The LDA attempted to close the “revolving door” that allowed public officials to transition seamlessly into lucrative lobbying roles.
Old habits die hard. In the early 2000s, lobbyist Jack Abramoff became the face of corruption in Washington by defrauding Native American tribes and bribing politicians to secure favorable legislation. His scandal exposed widespread unethical lobbying practices, leading to his 2006 guilty plea and prison sentence.
His conviction shook public confidence and prompted Congress to pass the 2007 Honest Leadership and Open Government Act,, which tightened gift rules and doubled reporting requirements.
The Birth of The “Unlobbyist”
Even with new rules, lobbying didn’t disappear, but it adapted. The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a rise in “unlobbyists” who acted like lobbyists but avoided registration by calling themselves consultants, advisers, or strategists.
Former members of Congress and high-ranking officials often moved into these roles, influencing policy without triggering disclosure requirements. This cycle is coined the “revolving door”. Some, like former Senator Chris Dodd, became high-profile advocates for industries while remaining officially unregistered.
Chris Dodd avoided registering as a lobbyist by exploiting loopholes in the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), which requires registration only if an individual spends at least 20% of their time making lobbying contacts, earns certain fees from lobbying, and has multiple lobbying contacts.
By framing his role as a “government affairs” or “policy adviser” position rather than direct lobbying, and by spending less than the threshold time on explicit lobbying activities, Dodd avoided the legal requirement to register as a lobbyist while still influencing policy as head of the Motion Picture Association of America. This practice, known as “shadow lobbying,” is common among former lawmakers who use their influence without triggering disclosure rules. Chris Dodd was never convicted of any lobbying-related crimes. He received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Joe Biden in 2025.
A Quieter, But Still Powerful Force
Reported lobbying spending peaked in 2010 at $3.6 billion, and has begun a slow decline ever since. Stricter rules, a sluggish economy, and a less active Congress pushed firms to shift resources to grassroots organizing, social media campaigns, and public relations efforts, which often fall outside disclosure laws.
On paper, lobbying may be shrinking. In reality, it’s simply changing form. The players are still there, the money still flows, and the influence remains.
Increasingly Super PACs, formally known as “independent expenditure-only committees,” which emerged prominently after the 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United decision, allow unlimited fundraising and spending by corporations, unions, and individuals for political campaigns independent of candidate coordination.
This has substantially amplified the role of money in politics and represents another powerful force influencing elections and policymaking outside traditional lobbying structures. Super PACs now play a worrying role as a parallel channel for political influence worth mentioning in any discussion of modern lobbying and political spending
Lobbying has worn many faces, some noble, some notorious, but it is a form of politician posturing and persuasion that has survived every attempt to rein it in. When money flows without accountability, it can bend priorities away from the public good toward those with the deepest pockets.
The question today isn’t whether lobbying will disappear. It’s whether the balance between influence and transparency will tilt toward a healthier democracy or a system where the loudest voices are still the ones with the deepest pockets.
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