A lobbyist’s job is to persuade politicians to vote in a certain way, usually to maximize the interests of the particular group that employs him or her. A lobbyist typically provides information to politicians and their staffs that is favorable to his or her employer’s point of view. Some
lobbyists also attempt to wine and dine politicians and take them on trips, a practice that, at the federal level, has been limited by recent ethics rules. While a lobbyist cannot directly offer money to a politician in exchange for a vote, executives of the interest groups that lobbyists represent are often campaign contributors.