National Party Organizations and Party Brands in American Politics

Abstract

Abstract National Party Organizations and Party Brands in American Politics reassesses the role and influence of national party organizations in American politics. This book argues that the Democratic and Republican National Committees (DNC and RNC) have particular roles that previous scholarship has ignored: party leaders turn to the DNC and RNC after electoral defeats with the goal of using these institutions to reshape their party’s brand. Politicians believe such a brand—the basic understanding voters have of what a party stands for—helps mobilize voters and, because of this, care deeply about what kind of party image their national committees promote. Through qualitative case studies covering the history and development of the DNC and RNC between 1912 and 2016, this book shows that the committees have had major influence on when, and how, parties tried to adjust their positions on important issues such as civil rights, Prohibition, economic policies, and foreign affairs. In addition to the qualitative historical assessments, it also relies on new quantitative data measuring DNC and RNC activity across time on the basis of a content analysis of more than 40,000 New York Times articles covering both committees. These data help illustrate temporal changes in committee activity, often in response to the demands or lack of interest of American presidents serving as party leaders. National Party Organizations and Party Brands in American Politics showcases the importance of national party organizations in American political development throughout the 20th century and beyond.