⇒ Seek strong ties with relevant government departments, agencies and regulatory commissions. Regulatory agencies have been accused of having a cosy relationship with the interest groups
⇒ Trumps recent rollback of Obama-era climate change regulations via executive order can be explained by him having a number of oil-friendly billionaires in his cabinet (e.g. Rex Tillerson, former head of Exxon mobil was a cabinet member)
⇒ Candidate endorsements - Let Freedom Ring and Progress for America were two 527 groups that endorsed Bush. Planned Parenthood endorsed Clinton
⇒ Public advocacy - Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ran attack adverts questioning Kerry's Vietnam record
⇒ Funding - Super PACS fundraise on behalf of presidential candidates. The Great American PAC raised millions for Trump, as did Rebuilding America Now
⇒ Dark money groups have also allowed rich donors to give anonymously to "charities" in exchange for influence
⇒ Bureaucracy - very complex to get through and influence the executive
⇒ Term limits - second term Presidents aren't looking for re-election so they’ll often ignore pressure groups
⇒ Multiple pressures on Presidency - worldwide opinion is a bigger threat than pressure groups (e.g. Trump saying America may re-enter a new Paris climate agreement)
⇒ Presidential preference - Presidential ideology (e.g. left/right wing or liberal/conservative) can influence impact of pressure groups. Obama focused on environmental regulation, Trump wants to bring the coal industry back with "clean coal"
⇒ Other branches of government can block the President (e.g. Congress denied wall spending for Trump)