ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the parties' response to the emergence of a mass society and to the rise of candidate-centered elections. It begins by sketching the roles that parties played during their heyday and the reasons for their subsequent decline. The chapter examines the adaptation of party organizations in Washington, D.C. and, in particular, the strengthening of party leadership organizations in Congress. Ward heelers, precinct captains, and other party functionaries kept close watch over their neighborhoods. The relationships needed to make the efforts of the party effective ensured that most people would not feel politically isolated. Just as democracy thrives on the free flow of ideas, political parties thrive when they control resources needed to communicate those ideas to voters. The 1994 congressional elections expanded the boundaries of party activity in an age of mass politics. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the implications of the changes for the party system.
