Getting Out the Quid Pro Quo

"Washington lobbyists are being deployed in droves to tight congressional races and presidential battleground states around the country," reports The Hill. "Both parties have been recruiting," but some Republican officials have set "participation quotas, requiring [firms] to supply a certain number of volunteers." The pressure is high; "People who didn't go may be looked on negatively" after the election, said one lobbyist. The help isn't given "out of a particular patriotism but because it's a good way to help reinforce relationships," warned Celia Wexler of Common Cause. The lobbyists "will come back to [officials] later and ask them to look kindly on issues they are advancing."