ABSTRACT
It is widely accepted by party scholars that US congressional elections have become increasingly “nationalized”. The primary evidence scholars cite when supporting the nationalization claim is voting behavior. Curiously, what has not been as closely examined is how parties, or candidates, in the otherwise highly federated US party system have been able to coordinate their activities at a national level. It is an oversight that follows largely from the tendency in the political science literature to overlook the internal, institutional workings of political parties, specifically the work unique to the political practitioner – candidates, party leaders, and elected officials – who manage and direct campaigns, parties, and public offices. Such is a key insight of new research in the field of political management, which seeks to apply managerial concepts to the strategic and organizational challenges faced by political practitioners as they seek to achieve their political and policy goals. The goal of this chapter is to examine the political management challenges that have confronted both the Democratic and Republican Parties as they have sought in the last three midterm elections to organize around a common set of national policy priorities.
