Interest group

From Metapedia

An interest group (also called an advocacy group, lobbying group, pressure group (UK), or special interest) is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected.

The term special interest is a term often used for an interest group which is opposed to a politician or political group’s own agenda. It is rarely used to refer to ones own political allies. The use of this term, especially in the United States, is often understood to imply that the "special" interest is not the "public" interest.