National Parties in the Twenty-First Century

This chapter examines the national parties' development and their evolving relations with state and local party committees, interest groups, political consultants, and others who participate in contemporary elections. American political parties are principally electoral institutions. Party organizations—the Demo cratic and Republican national, congressional, and senatorial campaign committees—entered the twenty-first century as financially secure, institutionally stable, and highly influential in national politics. The national party organizations, and especially the national committees, provided the financial, administrative, and communications resources necessary to coordinate and set the tone of a nationwide campaign. Candidate recruitment is one of the areas where party influence is limited. National party organizations, however, may get involved in nominating contests for House, Senate, and state level offices. The national conventions are technically a part of the nomination process. Candidate recruitment and nominations reinforce the candidate-centered nature of US elections. National party organizations also play a big role in congressional elections.