lobbyist
n.someone who is paid to talk to government leaders and try to influence their decisions. They usually work for a specific group or company to help change laws.
n.a person who takes part in an organized attempt to influence legislators or government officials on behalf of a specific interest group. Often associated with corporate or non-profit advocacy.
“The lobbyist met with the senator to discuss new environmental laws.”
“A professional lobbyist for the tech industry spent weeks explaining the benefits of the new bill to committee members.”
“While some view the role of a lobbyist as essential for informing policy, others argue that it grants disproportionate political power to wealthy special interest groups.”
Often followed by the preposition 'for' to indicate the group being represented.
“Drinks industry lobbyists had previously warned that the time taken to appoint Wales' operator had risked delaying the launch of the scheme.”
From lobby + -ist.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.