Party Organization

1
Party Organization

• American Political Parties
• Prof. Wolbrecht
• 21 January 2009

2
Party Decline and Resurgence

• PARTY DECLINE
• Weakening connection between voters and parties
• Loss of party control over nomination
• Other groups and individuals more important to
  political outcomes

3
Party Decline and Resurgence

• PARTY RESURGENCE
• Growth in organizational presence
• New activities
• More responsible government

4
National committees

• Distinct organizational structures
• RNC
• each state and territory receives three seats on
  its committee (state chair and a committeeman and
  committeewoman from each state)
• DNC
• almost three times the size of the RNC
• state representation on the basis of population
  and party support
• also at-large positions representing particular
  constituencies

5
Campaign committees

• Separate entities for each party and chamber
• NRCC National Republican Campaign Committee
• DCCC (D Triple C) Democratic Congressional
  Campaign Committee
• NRSC National Republican Senatorial Committee
• DSCC Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

6
State party organizations

• Traditionally, loose federations of powerful
  local party organizations (counties or cities)
• Increasingly institutionalized and organized
• 1960s
• 50 permanent headquarters
• 63 full-time chairs
• 39 voter mobilization programs
• late 1970s
• gt90 permanent headquarters / full-time chairs
• 75 voter mobilization programs

7
Burbank, Matthew J., Ronald J. Hrebenar, and
Robert C. Benedict. 2008. Parties, Interest
Groups, and Political Campaigns. Boulder
Paradigm Publishers.
8
Burbank, Matthew J., Ronald J. Hrebenar, and
Robert C. Benedict. 2008. Parties, Interest
Groups, and Political Campaigns. Boulder
Paradigm Publishers.