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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 footholdOver the past decade in many states, an increasing percentage of the electorate has chosen to remain unaffiliated (ex.1, ex.2).

Articles
....Campaign Finance Reform: New law faces many hurdles.
....2002 Midterm Elections: Overview.
 

2003 Edition
 July 2003   [for 2002 edition >]
National Committees .
Republican National Committee
Summer Meeting: New York, NY  July 23-26, 2003
Chairman Ed Gillespie 
Co-chair Ann Wagner (MO) 
.................................................................finances
Democratic National Committee
Fall Meeting: Washington, DC   October 2-4, 2003
Chairman Terry McAuliffe

................................................................finances

Republican Governors Association
Chairman Bill Owens (CO)
Vice Chairman Bob Taft (OH)
Democratic Governors Association
Chairman Gary Locke (WA)
Vice Chairman Tom Vilsack (IA)
National Republican Congressional Committee
...........................................................contribs | expends
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
................................................................contribs | expends
National Republican Senatorial Committee
................................................................finances
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
................................................................finances
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
State Parties .
Links to Republican State Parties Link to Democratic State Parties
Official Party Auxiliaries .
National Federation of Republican Women
President - Heidi Smith (NV), from Jan. 2002.
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 National Conference of Democratic Mayors
Young Republican National Federation
Chair - Dee Dee Benkie (IN), from mid-2001.
2002 conference March 13-17, 2002 in Washington, DC.
National Convention--July 9-13, 2003 in Boston, MA.
Young Democrats of America
President - Scott Butler (GA)
College Republican National Committee
Chair - Scott Stewart, from July 1999.
College Democrats of America
President - Ashley Bell (GA), from Jan. 2002
Republicans Abroad Democrats Abroad
Republican National Lawyers Association
Nat'l Fed. of the Grand Order of Pachyderm Clubs, Inc.
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
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

Irish American Democrats

Republicans for Environmental Protection
environmental conscience of the GOP
July 2003-Several new Democratic or Democratic leaning groups are in the works: 
Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy
promoting fair, community-based solutions to environmental challenges
-In June, Joe Carmichael, general chair of the Missouri Democrats and president of  ASDC, left to become co-chair of Grassroots Democrats, which will help state and local Democratic Party committees with fundraising and mobilization. 
Teen Age Republicans -John Podesta is among those leading the effort to launch a progressive think tank, the American Majority Institute.
House .
Speaker -  Denny Hastert (IL)* Minority Leader - Nancy Pelosi (CA)*
Majority Leader - Tom DeLay (TX) Minority Whip - Steny H. Hoyer (MD)*
Majority Whip - Roy Blunt (MO)* Democratic Caucus Chairman - Robert Menendez (NJ)
Republican Conference Chair - Deborah Pryce (OH)* Democratic Caucus Vice Chair - James Clyburn (SC)
Chair, Nat'l Rep. Cong. Comm. - Thomas M. Reynolds (NY) Assistant to the Democratic Leader - John Spratt (SC)
Republican Conference Secretary - John T. Doolittle (CA) Chair, Dem. Congr. Campaign Comm. - Robert Matsui (CA)
Republican Policy Comm. Chair - Chris Cox (CA)* Democratic Steering Committee Co-chair - 
Chief Deputy Whips - to be named by Hoyer
Progressive Caucus
Blue Dog Coalition
Senate .>
Majority Leader - Bill Frist (TN) Minority Leader - Tom Daschle (SD)*
Asst. Majority Ldr/Majority Whip - Mitch McConnell (KY) Minority 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. - John Kyl (AZ)* Policy Committee - Byron Dorgan (ND)
Steering and Coordination Committee - Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY)
Tech. and Comms. Committee - Jay Rockefeller (WV)
Chair, Nat'l Rep. Sen. Comm. - George Allen (VA) Assistant Floor Leader - Richard Durbin (IL)
Chair, Dem. Sen. Campaign Comm. - Jon Corzine (NJ)
. .
*leadership page


More Parties
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). 
Green Party of the United States | Greens/Green Party USA
Libertarian Party
Natural Law Party
Reform Party  | Reform Leadership Council  | American Reform Party  | America First Party
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

And
Campaign Finance Reform
The Center for Public Integrity, The Center for Responsive Politics and The National Institute on Money in State Politics "State Secrets: A joint investigation of political party money in the states" (6/25/02)

 
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Copyright 2002, 2003 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.