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Political parties frame the debate, recruit candidates and raise money. The Democratic and Republican parties dominate American politics and are organized at the national, state, and local level level. Other parties (click here) are struggling to gain a foothold. |
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....Campaign Finance Reform: New law faces many hurdles. ....The Libertarian Party held its 2002 National Convention in Indianapolis on July 3-7; the Green Party held its 2002 Midterm Convention (report) in Philadelphia on July 18-21; and the America First Party held its Founding National Convention in Orlando, Florida on August 8-10. ...The parties gear up for 2002 and beyond. |
2002 Election Cycle
National Committees | . |
Republican National Committee
summary
165 Members of the RNC Executive Committee: 11 Members Officers: Chairman: Marc Racicot (MT) Co-chair: Ann Wagner (MO) Treasurer: Robert M. "Mike" Duncan (KY) Secretary: Linda Shaw (NC) General Counsel: Tom Sansonetti (WY) Finance Chairman: Lewis M. Eisenberg Top Political Staff: Deputy Chairman: Jack Oliver Deputy Chief of Staff/Exec. Dir. of Political Operations: Terry Nelson Political Director: Blaise Hazelwood National Field Director: Randy Kammerdiener Communications Director: Mindy Tucker Press Secretary: Jim Dyke Research Director: Tim Griffin Director of Network and Online Services: Steve Ellis Finance Director: Bev Shea Chief Counsel: Tom Josefiak Pollster/Strategist: Matthew Dowd .................................................................finances |
Democratic National Committee
summary
442 Members of the DNC Executive Committee: 67 Members > Officers: Chairman: Terry McAuliffe Vice Chairs: Joe Carmichael, Linda Chavez-Thompson, Bill Lynch, Gloria Molina, Lottie Shackelford Treasurer: Andrew Tobias Secretary: Alice Travis Germond National Finance Chair: Maureen White Top Political Staff: Chief Operating Officer: Josh Wachs Chief of Staff: Leah Daughtry Political Director: Gail Stoltz Base Vote Director: Mark Spengler Director of Elections: George Rakis Director of Intergovernmental Affairs: Ted Nakata Communications Director: Maria Cardona Press Secretary: Jennifer Palmieri Research Director: Jason Miner Director of Technology and Infrastructure: Doug Kelly Finance Director: Jay Dunn General Counsel: Joseph E. Sandler Senior Counselor/Dir. of Message Dev. and Polling: Michael Meehan National Chair, Voting Rights Institute: Donna Brazile ................................................................finances |
Republican Governors Association
Chairman: John G. Rowland (CT) Vice Chairman: Bill Owens (CO) Executive Director: Ed Tobin Policy Director: Flip Casper Finance Director: Susan Nelson Corporate Affairs: Tom Katina Communications Director: Kirsten Fedewa |
Democratic
Governors Association
Chairman: Parris N. Glendening (MD) Vice Chairman: Gary Locke (WA) Executive Director: B.J. Thornberry Deputy Director: Maureen Garde Director of Campaigns & Elections: Pam Womack Director of Policy and Compliance: Cheryl Parker Rose National Finance Director: John Blandford Communications Director: Ramona Oliver |
National Republican Congressional
Committee
Chairman: Rep. Tom Davis (VA) Executive Director: John Hishta Political Director: Michael McElwain Finance Director: Joe Rachinsky Communications Director: Steve Schmidt Research Director: Brian Jones Legal: Don McGohn (sp?) .. ...........................................................contribs | expends |
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Chairwoman: Rep. Nita M. Lowey (NY) Executive Director: Howard Wolfson Political Director: Michael Matthews National Field Director: Cathy Duvall Finance Director: Jonathan Mantz Washington Finance Director: Erin Graefe Communications Director: Jenny Backus Research Director: Jamison Foser CFO: Ann Marie Habershaw Legal: Judy Corley of Perkins Coie ................................................................contribs | expends |
National Republican Senatorial
Committee
Chairman: Sen. Bill Frist (TN) Executive Director: Mitch Bainwol Political Director: Chris LaCivita Finance Director: Linus Catignani Corporate Affairs: Ed Rahal Communications Director: Ginnie Wolfe Research Director: J.T. Mastranadi Legal: Alex Vogel ................................................................finances |
Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee
Chairwoman: Sen. Patty Murray (WA) Executive Director: Jim Jordan Political Director: Andrew Grossman Finance Director: Diana Rogalle Communications Director: Tovah Ravitz Research Director: Michael Gehrke Legal: Marc E. Elias of Perkins Coie ................................................................finances |
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
Chairman: Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr (MD) Executive Director: Rob Engle |
|
State Parties | . |
Links to Republican State Parties | Link to Democratic State Parties |
Official Party Auxiliaries | . |
National Federation of Republican Women
President: Heidi Smith (NV) 31st Biennial Convention - Sept. 21-23, 2001 in San Antonio, TX. 32nd Biennial Convention -Sept. 19-21, 2003 in Salt Lake City, UT. |
National Federation of Democratic Women |
Republican National Hispanic Assembly
Chair: Massey Villarreal (TX) |
|
Republican Mayors and Local Officials
President: Patrick McCrory, Mayor of Charlotte, NC |
National Conference of Democratic Mayors |
Young Republican National
Federation
Chair: Dee Dee Benkie (IN). Co-chair: Michael Mack National Convention--July 9-13, 2003 in Boston, MA. |
Young Democrats of America
President: Scott Butler (GA) National Convention--August 13-17, 2003 in Buffalo, NY. |
College Republican National
Committee
Chair: Scott G. Stewart |
College Democrats of
America
President: Ashley Bell (GA) National Convention--January 18-20, 2002 in Washington, DC. National Convention--February 20-23, 2003 in Washington, DC. |
Republicans
Abroad
Co-Chairs: Joan Shepherd, Christopher Fussner |
Democrats Abroad
Chair: Joseph Smallhoover Vice Chair: Rachelle Jailer Valladares |
Republican National Lawyers Association
President: Craig S. Burkhardt |
|
Nat'l Fed. of the Grand
Order of Pachyderm Clubs, Inc.
President: Joe Briggs (Great Falls, MT) |
|
Partisan Groups | . |
Republican Liberty Caucus
represents the G.O.P's libertarian tradition |
Democratic Leadership Council
New Democrats |
Ripon Society
to promote moderate Republican principles (also see: The Moderate Republican) |
New Democrat Network
the political action arm of the New Democrat movement |
Republican Leadership Council
emphasizes economic issues and inclusiveness over a narrow moral agenda |
Americans for Democratic
Action
independent liberal political organization |
National Federation of Republican Assemblies
conservative Republican group |
National Committee for an Effective Congress
supports progressive candidates |
Republican Main
Street Partnership
a voice for centrist Republicans |
|
GOPAC
Republican training and education |
21st Century Democrats (formerly
Democrats 2000)
recruiting and electing progressive candidates |
Republican Jewish Coalition
voice of Jewish Republicans |
National Jewish Democratic
Council
promoting Jewish values in the Democratic Party |
Log Cabin Republicans
gay and lesbian Republican organization National Convention April 19-21 in Washington, DC. |
National Stonewall
Democrats
federation which links clubs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democrats |
The WISH List
raises funds for Republican pro-choice women candidates |
EMILY's List
electing pro-choice Democratic women candidates |
Republican National Coalition
for Life
works to ensure adoption of the pro-life plank in the Republican platform |
Democrats for
Life of America
elect pro-life Democrats to office and support pro-life Democrats |
Republicans for Choice
(2)
seeks to remove the anti-choice plank in the Republican platform |
|
Republican Pro-Choice Coalition
seeks to get abortion out of politics |
Italian American Democratic Leadership Council |
Republicans for Environmental Protection
environmental conscience of the GOP |
|
Teen Age Republicans | |
House | . |
Speaker - Denny Hastert (IL)* | Minority Leader - Richard A. Gephardt (MO)* |
Majority Leader - Richard A. Armey (TX)* | Minority Whip - Nancy Pelosi (CA)* |
Majority Whip - Tom DeLay (TX)* | Democratic Caucus Chairman - Martin Frost (TX)* |
Republican Conference Chair - J.C. Watts (OK)* | Democratic Caucus Vice Chair - Robert Menendez (NJ) |
Chair, Nat'l Rep. Cong. Comm. - Tom Davis III (VA) | Assistant to the Democratic Leader - Rosa DeLauro (CT) |
Republican Conference Secretary - Deborah Pryce (OH) | Chair, Dem. Congr. Campaign Comm. - Nita M. Lowey (NY) |
Republican Policy Comm. Chair - Chris Cox (CA)* | Democratic Steering Committee Co-chair - Steny Hoyer (MD) |
Chief Deputy Whips - John Lewis (GA), Chet Edwards (TX), Ed Pastor (AZ), Maxine Waters (CA), Max Sandlin (TX), Jan Schakowsky (IL) | |
Progressive Caucus (57 House members and 1 Senator in the 107th) | |
Blue Dog Coalition (33 members in the 107th) | |
Senate | .> |
Minority Leader - Trent Lott (MS) | Majority Leader - Tom Daschle (SD)* |
Asst. Minority Ldr/Minority Whip - Don Nickles (OK) | Majority Whip - Harry Reid (NV) |
Chair, Senate Rep. Conference - Rick Santorum (PA)* | Sec. of the Conference - Barbara Mikulski (MD) |
Vice Chair, Senate Rep. Conference - Kay Bailey Hutchison | Chief Deputy Whip - John Breaux (LA) |
Chair, Rep. Policy Comm. - Larry Craig (ID)* | Policy Committee - Byron
Dorgan (ND)
Steering and Coordination Committee - John Kerry (MA) Tech. and Comms. Committee - Jay Rockefeller (WV) |
Chair, Nat'l Rep. Sen. Comm. - Bill Frist (TN) | Assistant Floor Leader - Richard Durbin (IL) |
Chair, Dem. Sen. Campaign Comm. - Patty Murray (WA) | |
. | . |
*leadership page |
In a political landscape dominated by the Democratic and Republican parties, third or minor parties have had trouble getting rooted. (See Ballot Access News). Currently, five third parties are working to build a national presence and are running candidates in various states: Greens, Libertarian Party, Natural Law Party, Reform Party, and Constitution Party (formerly U.S. Taxpayers Party). |
Yet More Parties
In addition, there are a
number of other small national parties operating at the fringes:
Communist Party U.S.A.
Labor Party
New Party
Socialist Party USA
Workers World Party
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