ABSTRACT

The national Democratic and Republican parties are among America’s billionaires. Both national committees have a long history: the Democrats created theirs in 1848 and the Republicans in 1856. For years, every state was represented equally on both national committees, regardless of the size of its population or the extent of its party support. The national committee’s chair and the staff he or she chooses are the heart of the national party organization. Members of the full national committees come together only two or three times a year, mainly to call media attention to the party and its candidates. The national committees have the power to select their own leaders. Donald Trump ran for president as a Republican, but his relationship with the Republican National Committee (RNC) started with suspicion on both sides. The national party committees work closely with a network of allied groups, just as state and local parties do.