National Party Organizations and Party Brands in American Politics

Boris Heersink is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Fordham University. His research focuses on American political parties as organizations at the national and state level and on campaigns and elections. He is the co-author of Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968 (with Jeffery A. Jenkins), which was a co-winner of APSA's 2021 J. David Greenstone Prize for best book in politics and history and a winner of the SPSA's V.O. Key Award for best book in Southern politics. His articles have appeared in many journals, including The Journal of Politics, Political Analysis, Party Politics, Studies in American Political Development, and Political Behavior.

• List of TablesList of FiguresAcknowledgementsChapter 1: Introduction: National Committees and Party BrandsChapter 2: Examining DNC and RNC Party Branding Quantitatively: Presidential Control and National Committee Branding DeclineChapter 3: Building Permanently Active National Committees, 1912-1932Chapter 4: National Committees and the New Deal, 1933-1952Chapter 5: "We Either Have a National Party or We Do Not Have," 1953-1968Chapter 6: Managing Mixed-Ideological Parties, 1969-1980Chapter 7: "Reagan's Party" vs. "Recapturing the Center of American Politics," 1981-2000Chapter 8: "Near Obscurity": The Deterioration of National Committee Branding, 2001-2016Chapter 9: Conclusion: The Past and Future of National CommitteesReferencesIndex

Heersink offers a fresh and important new perspective on American political parties, challenging claims that formal party organizations are merely in service to candidates. Drawing on wide-ranging historical evidence, Heersink demonstrates national party committees have played a pivotal role in shaping their party's 'brand,' defining the party's positions and identity for voters. This impressive account will be of wide interest to students of political parties and representation.