Party Organization at the State and Local Level

1
Party Organization at the State and Local Level

• Session 16

2
State Parties

• State parties and the law
• Variation by state
• Regulation as a result of direct primaries
• Tashjian v. Connecticut (1986) party can choose
  its primary voters
• Secretary of State of California v. San Francisco
  County Democratic Central Committee (1989)
  party can endorse a primary candidate
• But, Timmons v. Twin
• Cities New Party (1997)
• parties cannot manipulate the ballot

3

• The state committees
• State statutes determine basis for membership
• Rely on executive committees
• The state chairmen vary in their degree of
  independence from the governor, work with the
  governor to fundraise, recruit candidates,
  develop local organizations, and pass the
  governors legislation in the state legislature

4

• The demise of the traditional state organization
  controlled nominations and patronage
• The contemporary service-oriented state party
  must deal with candidate-centered, interest-group
  funded campaigns, intense two-party competition
  in states, strong national parties
• Permanent headquarters
• Professional staffing
• Finances equal amounts but different sources
• Organization building and maintenance activities
• Candidate support activities

5

• Party differences make us aware of the informal
  component of parties
• State legislative campaign committees tend to
  be most active in states where the parties are
  competitive, campaign costs are high, and the
  state central committee is weak, and where
  serving in the state legislature is a real,
  full-time job
• Here, Democrats are as strong as Republicans
• As with the Hill committees, resources are
  concentrated on close races
• Independent of state central committees

6
County and Local Parties

• Two contemporary models of local parties 1)
  machines and patronage, 2) volunteers
• Most are not bureaucratic or hierarchically run
• The step-back and think question about state and
  local parties . . .
• Does party organization make a difference?
• - outcomes, turnout,