Voters support incumbents for a lot of reasons, and not all of them are logical. With the ever-increasing costs of campaigns, legislators know special interests are a ready source of reliable support. So to broaden their base of support, they begin to adopt special interests as constituents too. The more special interests contribute to a legislator's campaign, the more obligated he is to dispense favors after he's elected. These favors become an important commodity in the legislative process.
Special interests contribute big money to legislators even during the legislative session .
This is perhaps the most unsettling realization for the average voter. Unfortunately for taxpayers, legislators who succumb to the temptations of special-interest money often find themselves with dual loyalties that aren't always easy to reconcile. Many decide not to try. Over time, legislators can begin to believe the real key to being reelected is not solving legitimate problems through the legislative process, but instead broadening their support base with special interests so they can afford the next campaign. They also begin to believe that a legislator's success with the average voter is more a matter of perception than reality.