Chapter 10 Section 2 Political Party Organization

Party Organization  Political parties exists to nominate & elect candidates to office 1.An effective party must be well organized. 2.Party must be organized at national, state and local levels. 3.Must be able to raise money to pay for campaigns. 4.Must be able to plan campaign strategies.

Decentralized Nature of Parties  Parties are decentralized, fragmented and have factions  No party has clear chain of command that runs from national to state level  Local party organization often independent of state organizations

Reasons for Decentralization 1.Federalism  Half a million elected offices  Distributed at national, state, and local level Major parties are decentralized to serve a decentralized government

Reasons for Decentralization 2.Nominating Process  Candidates chosen from within party  Fight over nomination  Divisive

National Party 1.The National Convention  Picks presidential and vice presidential candidates  Creates party rules  Writes party platform

National Party 2.The National Committee  Handles affairs of the party  Includes committee members from each state  Stages national convention

National Party 3.National Chairperson  Leader of National Committee  Chosen to 4 year term by National Committee after National Convention -Often actually chosen by Presidential Candidate  Directs party headquarters  Works to promote party unity, raise money, recruit voters, prepare for elections

National Party 4.Congressional Campaign Committees  Work to reelect members of Congress  Unseat incumbents of other party

State and Local Party State Organization  State Central Committee  Headed by State Chairperson  Work for party interest in State -Build organization, find candidates, raise funds

State and Local Party Local Organization  Varies from state to state  Follow electoral map of the state -districts, counties, cities, towns  Cities divided into wards for election of city council members  Precinct- smallest unit, each precinct reports to one polling place

Components of the Party 1.Party Organization  Leaders, activists, fund raisers 2.Party in the Electorate  Loyal voters 3.Party in Government  Elected officials, officeholders

Financing Campaigns  Running for political office is expensive  Effective candidates need to be able to raise money to pay for advertising and organization

Private Financing  Direct contributions to political party or candidate by:  Voters, business groups, labor unions and other organizations.

How might private donations influence a political candidate?

Campaign Financing  Federal Election Campaign Act (1972)  Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002)  Limit political contributions ($2,100 for primary and $2100 for general elections)  Required candidates to disclose names of donors  Enforced by the Federal Elections Commission

Campaign Financing  Individuals and groups can still make unlimited donations to activities that are not directly part of the candidates campaign  “Soft Money”

Public Financing  Money donated by taxpayers used to pay for presidential election campaigns -Optional $3 donation

Public Financing Primary Campaign  To receive money, must raise at least $5,000 in private donations from 20 states  Candidates receive matching funds ($1 raised, $1 from gov’t)  Limits the amount of money a campaign can spend  2008= $42.05 Million

Public Financing General Election  Candidates who accept public financing cannot accept private contributions  Camping's paid for only with public funds  2008= $84.1 Million

2008 Elections  Barack Obama opted out of public financing -Raised $336 million from individuals  John McCain raised $120 Million form individuals