<P> A sea - change in government, such as a shift in control of the legislature from one political party to the other, can affect the lobbying business profoundly . For example, the primarily Democratic - serving lobbying firm Cassidy & Associates learned that control of Congress would change hands from Democrats to Republicans in 1994, and the firm acquired Republican lobbyists before the congressional handover of power, and the move helped the lobbying firm stay on top of the new political realities . </P> <P> There are numerous examples of lobbying activity reported by the media . One report chronicled a somewhat unusual alliance of consumer advocates and industry groups to boost funding for the Food and Drug Administration; the general pattern of lobbying efforts had been to try to reduce the regulatory oversight of such an agency . In this case, however, lobbying groups wanted the federal watchdog agency to have tougher policing authority to avert expensive problems when oversight was lax; in this case, industry and consumer groups were in harmony, and lobbyists were able to persuade officials that higher FDA budgets were in the public interest . Religious consortiums, according to one report, have engaged in a $400 million lobbying effort on such issues as the relation between church and state, civil rights for religious minorities, bioethics issues including abortion and capital punishment and end - of - life issues, and family issues . </P> <P> While national - level lobbyists working in Washington have the highest salaries, many lobbyists operating at the state level can earn substantial salaries . The table shows the top lobbyists in one state--Maryland--in 2011 . </P> <Table> Top Maryland lobbyists (2011) <Tr> <Th> Lobbyist </Th> <Th> Income </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Gerard E. Evans </Td> <Td> $7006123200000000000 ♠ 1,232,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Timothy A. Perry </Td> <Td> $7006121779300000000 ♠ 1,217,793 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Joel D. Rozner </Td> <Td> $7006121516100000000 ♠ 1,215,161 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Robin F. Shaivitz </Td> <Td> $7006115636800000000 ♠ 1,156,368 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Gregory S. Proctor Jr . </Td> <Td> $7006110714400000000 ♠ 1,107,144 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> John R. Stierhoff </Td> <Td> $7006105976600000000 ♠ 1,059,766 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Michael V. Johansen </Td> <Td> $7006105023400000000 ♠ 1,050,234 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nicholas G. Manis </Td> <Td> $7006101625000000000 ♠ 1,016,250 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> D. Robert Enten </Td> <Td> $7005863193000000000 ♠ 863,193 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lisa Harris Jones </Td> <Td> $7005857000000000000 ♠ 857,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Source: State Ethics Commission </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who has the most registered lobbyists in state capitals