The real power brokers in Raleigh

Editorial by The Wilmington Star, February 13, 2015.

It's no secret that powerful special interests drive the legislative agenda in Raleigh. But a new report, "Tar Heel Power Brokers," lays out clearly who those groups are and which ones wield the most influence, via a combination of lobbying clout and money sunk into elections.

The biggest names are hardly surprising – Duke Energy, the N.C. Realtors Association, insurers Nationwide and State Farm, the N.C. Chamber, AT&T and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Less prominent names include the N.C. Beer and Wine Wholesalers, the Alliance for Access to Dental Care and the state's electric cooperatives.

Previous studies have cataloged lobbying influence or campaign spending, but the report Facing South/the Institute of Southern Studies in Durham put the two together to come up with a list of the most influential power brokers. And it put into context why that matters.

The study by Alex Kotch and former StarNews reporter Brian Freskos, now a research intern at the nonprofit institute, ranked Duke Energy as the No. 1 power broker. The pair noted that Duke employs some of the most influential lobbyists in the state and donated more than $944,000 to candidates, political action committees and independent groups in the 2012 and 2014 election cycles.

Legislators and Duke Energy have tried to downplay the perception of a pay-to-play environment. But it is no coincidence that in August 2014 the company's lobbyists managed to get the General Assembly to pass a coal-ash cleanup bill that was much weaker than many residents and environmental groups demanded in response to last February's massive Dan River coal-ash spill.

Duke was able to influence legislation because it has bought access with its money and its lobbyists.

And while many of the groups that wield influence with the current Republican-led General Assembly are conservative or business-oriented, liberal-leaning groups such as the N.C. Advocates for Justice (trial lawyers) and N.C. Families First also spend money to influence elections, hire lobbyists, or both in an effort to get legislation favorable to their cause.

Most lawmakers will claim they are not beholden to special interests, but voters know that these groups are not spending that kind of money merely for a seat at the table. They want to shape the results.

The institute's hard work has resulted in a report and a user-friendly interactive graphic that makes it easy to compare groups' spending, see who the top lobbyists are and get a snapshot of which groups spent the most to get the election results and legislation they wanted.

It is not all-inclusive, and some groups that don't spend the most but nevertheless have a strong lobbying presence – such as the N.C. League of Municipalities, to name one – are not on the list.

But it's worth a look to get an idea of which groups likely will be the driving forces behind the legislative agenda this year and state elections next year.

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