The Efficiency of Congressional Campaign Committee Contributions in House Elections

Abstract

The Republican Party has historically held a strong financial advantage over the Democrats in Congressional elections. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) generally has a large resource advantage over the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in Congressional elections, allowing the Republicans to outcontribute the Democrats in most Congressional districts. Further, the NRCC also led the DCCC in developing a centralized organization for managing Congressional campaigns. Thus, many scholars of political party activity in US Congressional elections believe that in the 1970s and 1980s the NRCC was the more effective campaigning force in terms of both total resources and efficiency (targeting close races for contributions). Although there is no question the Republicans were more effective fundraisers than the Democrats, empirical evidence reveals it was the DCCC that was better at targeting close races for contributions in the late 1970s and the 1980s. In the 1990s, NRCC efficiency improved relative to the DCCC, with both committees now operating as efficient campaign organizations.