An interest group is an organized group of people who come together to attempt to influence politicians at any level of government. They influence different levels of government by giving money to a political candidate. They write letters, e-mails and telephone politicians. They attempt to convince politicians to make laws that reflect the group's goals (This Nation, 2008). Americans choose to join these interest groups because they are motivated by the group's goals. They believe the group will protect their interests in the political sphere. For example, a Texas restaurant owner might join the local chamber of commerce to have his business's interests represented in local government. If the same owner were to join the Texas Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association, his business interests would also be represented in the state and federal governments (This Nation, 2008). There are three main interest groups. They are of economic, environmental and public interest. The most common are economic interest groups. These groups are formed to represent the economic interests of the group members. Sectors in this group include business, agriculture, unions, public employees, and professionals (Schmidt, S., Shelley, M., Bardes, B., 2011, p.145). Environmental groups are formed to influence politicians on environmental issues. They influence politicians to establish laws that protect the environment. These groups also seek to purchase land to protect it from others who want to destroy it, such as mining (Schmidt, S., et al., 2011, p.148). Public interest group is a group that exists for the public good. This group... middle of the paper... Congress. The NRA holds conferences where a restaurateur has the opportunity to speak to Congress. NRA-PAC is a voluntary, nonpartisan political action committee to support and elect pro-industry and pro-business congressional candidates for Congress (National Restaurant Association, 2011). Works CitedNational Restaurant Association. (2011). Defense and representation. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.restaurant.org/advocacy/Schmidt, S., Shelley, M., Bardes, B. (2011). American Government Policy Today 2010-2011, short edition. Boston, MA: Cengage LearningTexas Politics. (2011, June 5). Introduction: interest groups and representation in Texas. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/5_1_0.htmlThis Nation (2008). Interest groups. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www.thisnation.com/textbook/participants-groups.html