美国游说（英语：Lobbying in the United States）指的是美国的特殊利益集团雇佣人脉广泛的专业倡导者——通常是律师——在美国国会等决策机构为特定立法进行论证、争辩等有偿活动。这是一个极具争议的现象，美国民众及新闻记者常以负面眼光看待此事，[1] 一些评论家将此描述为合法的贿赂、权力寻租及敲诈勒索（英语：Extortion）。[2][3] 虽然游说活动受到广泛而复杂的规则约束，如果不遵守这些规则将由可能导致监禁等惩处；但是法院的裁决已经将游说活动解释为受《美国宪法》“第一修正案”所保护的两项自由，即：言论自由和集会自由。自1970年代以来，美国的游说活动在游说从业人数和游说预算规模等方面大幅增长，并成为许多人批评美国统治方式的焦点。
在华盛顿哥伦比亚特区从事游说活动的从业者超过12,000人，但大部分的游说活动却由不到300家公司负责处理且公司间的人员流动率较低。[5] 根据《国家》在2014年的一份调查显示，虽然2013年的注册说客人数只有12,281人，相较于2002年有所下降。但游说活动却在增加并“转入地下”，因为说客使用“越来越复杂的策略”来掩盖他们的活动。分析师詹姆斯·瑟伯（英语：James A. Thurber）估计游说业的实际从业人数在10万以上，而年产值在90亿美元规模。[6]华尔街曾花费20亿美元来试图影响2016年总统大选。[7][8]
政治学家托马斯·戴伊（英语：Thomas R. Dye）曾经说过，政治就是争夺稀缺的政府资源；谁在何时何处因何原因而又以何方法获得它。[9] 由于政府负责在美国如此复杂的经济体中制定规则，因此受这些规则影响的各种组织、企业、个人、非营利组织、贸易团体、宗教、慈善机构和其他团体都会施加相应的影响于那些它们可以得到并有利于它们事业的决定。自从文明时代以来，任何有组织的社会都会发生影响力之争。无论是古代雅典（英语：Ancient Athens）、美第奇时期的佛罗伦萨、中国封建时代末期，还是现在的美国都如此。从某种意义上说，现代的说客类似于旧制度下的幸臣（英语：Courtier）。如果说投票是民众控制政府的一种方式，那游说则是一种更具体且更有针对性的努力，因为它专注于范围更小的问题。[1]
Robert Reich. Robert Reich: Lobbyists are snuffing our democracy, one legal bribe at a time. Salon.com. 2015-06-09 [2021-08-30]. （原始内容存档于2021-08-30）. ...This second scandal is perfectly legal but it’s a growing menace ... the financial rewards from lobbying have mushroomed, as big corporations and giant Wall Street banks have sunk fortunes into rigging the game to their advantage....
Martin Gilens; Benjamin I. Page. Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens. Perspectives on Politics (Cambridge University Press). 2014-09-18, 12 (3): 564–581. ISSN 1541-0986. doi:10.1017/S1537592714001595.
酒店歷史. 威拉德酒店. [2021-08-31]. （原始内容存档于2022-03-28）. It was in the Willard lobby that Ulysses S. Grant popularized the term “lobbyist.” Often bothered by self-promoters as he sat in the lobby and enjoyed his cigar and brandy, he referred to these individuals as “lobbyists.”
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i Vidal, Jordi Blanes, Mirko Draca, and Christian Fons-Rosen. "Revolving door lobbyists." The American Economic Review 102.7 (2012): 3731.
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