Financing State Party Organizations

• In Event: Parties and Changing Organizations

Abstract

The tripartite structure of parties guides the conceptual understanding of parties and elections in state politics. Of the three legs, party organizations in particular hold the responsibility of fielding candidates for office, fundraising, and maintaining the party. It is in regards to state party organizations that the field of state politics faces two problems. First, the lack of macro level measures of state party organizational capacity and sustainability over time. Second, an explanation of state party organizational strength over time. This article seeks to address these two issues in studying party organizational strength. First, I develop a new macro level measure of party organizational capacity and sustainability through the measurement of aggregated donations per capita to party committees as weighted by the breadth of the donor base. Second, I test the rational hydraulic framework of campaign finance, where campaign finance structure and perceived utility of donating to party committees over other organized interests explain party organizational strength. I employ a time series linear panel regression model to test the determinants of party committee strength, from 2000 to 2010. The initial results support a rational hydraulic framework, where increasingly competitive legislative chambers drive up donations to party committees. Further, results suggest increased polarization is strongly associated with a reduction in donations to party committees. These results therefore offer new means to measure party organizational strength dynamically, while also more insight into potential long term externalities of the increased prevalence of gerrymandering and polarization.

Author

• John Alexander Curiel, Ohio Northern University