Party Organization

National Level

State Level

Local Level

Party Organization: Decentralized Control

• Because of our Federal System of government, political parties are fragmented and decentralized at the National, State, and Local levels. (factor of why U.S. parties are weak)

• Neither party has a chain of command running from the national level through the state down to the local level.

• State party organizations are only loosely tied to the national party, and the local party organizations are often very independent of their state party organization

• The various party units usually cooperate with each other but that is not always the case

National Party Organization• President and Presidential Candidate

• National Convention

• National Committee

• National Chairperson

• Congressional Campaign Committee

The Role of the President• The current President is automatically the leader of

his party• The President asserts that leadership by access to

the media, his popularity, and his power to make appointments to federal jobs and influence policy

• The other party has no one in an even faintly comparable position

• The party not in power must wait for a Presidential Candidate to emerge during the election year

2009

National Convention• Held every 4 years during the late summer of the

Presidential election year (AUG or SEP)• Each state sends a number of delegates to represent

their state at the convention • Delegates nominates the party’s Presidential and

Vice Presidential candidates (Primary Purpose)• Primaries “weed out” most candidates and generally

one is left for the national convention• Adopts the parties rules and writes the party’s platform• Seen today as a major televised campaign

advertisement for the party along with a celebration and festival

RNC (Republican National Convention)

DNC (Democratic National Convention)

National Committee • Lead by the National Chairman and

comprised of delegates from all the states• Handles the affairs of the party during the 4

years between the national conventions and plans and organizes the national convention

• Tries to strengthen the party by raising money, recruiting new voters, and supporting party members in other offices

• Runs campaigns

National Chairperson • Official leader of the party’s National

Committee

• Chosen for a 4-year term by the President or Presidential Nominee and ratified by the national committee

• Works with the National Committee to plan the national convention

DNC Chairperson: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (2011)

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (born September 27, 1966) is the U.S. Representative for Florida's 20th congressional district, serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate

DNC Chairperson

DNC Chairman: Gov.

Howard Dean 2004-2008

RNC Chairperson: Reinhold Reince Priebus (2011)

Reinhold Reince Priebus (born March 18, 1972) was the previous chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Priebus is of Greek and German descent. He was raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Aged 16, he began volunteering for political campaigns. He attended law school at the University of Miami School of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate in 1998.

RNC Chairman: Michael Steele 2009-2011 (Only African American Chairman of RNC)

Congressional Campaign Committee

• Found in both houses of the US Congress (House and Senate)

• Committee works to re-elect incumbents and to make sure that seats given up by retiring party members remain in the party

• Raises money for incumbents and helps to run their campaigns

• Committee members are chosen by the legislators and serve for 2 years (term of Congress)

State Party Organization• State Central Committee

• State Chairperson

• Selects delegates to attend

National Convention

Local Party Organization• Based on Counties, Cities and Towns

• Wards and Precincts

Three Components of the Party:

• Party in the Government (Leaders):The party office holders who have already won elections (President, Congress, Governors, state legislators)

• Party Organization (Machine):Party leaders and activists who give their time, money, and skills. Committees and chairpersons who held to run campaigns and raise money

• Party in the Electorate (Party Label):Party loyalists who regularly vote straight party ticket (always vote for the party) The Voters