Funny, I thought putting forth a State's interests in Washington were the responsibility of it's Representatives and Senators. I would never have thought they were really in the hands of a paid Lobbyist. I guess I'm just Old Fashioned about these things though.
You are not old fashioned . We all know thousands of dollars are spent with lobbyists and by lobbyists and accepted in some form by politicians of both sides. Its unethical its immoral and it just aint right. But it goes on. What they are buying is a foot in the door. Now we all have a right to go see our Representatives , but these guys get appointments while we talk to staffers.
The article (the part I couldn't post) discusses the efforts of the State's senators and representatives and that they have been very successful in "bringing home the bacon" [or pork!]. It also mentions that the Republican predecessor did not have a lobbing firm or staff office there.
Richardson's chief-of-staff said "Obviously, with the governor's profile and the delegation's assistance, we have a lot of influences in Washington for a small state. However, a lot of things get done in the depths of the bureaucracies and that's where a lot of these firms know people and know how to get things done."