The National Congressional Campaign Committees: Their Role and Relationships to Political Interest Groups

Every two years the members of the United States House of Representatives stand for re-election in 435 contests. Each of these contests contains a different set of candidates with different resources and issues. The congressional campaign committees of the Republican and Democratic parties have been involved in congressional campaigns for over a century. With different resources, styles and leaders each committee has tried to gain a majority of seats in Congress and thus control of the House of Representatives. In attempting to achieve this goal, each committee has been assisted by a variety of interest groups, each of which has its own self interests. Some groups work with the congressional campaign committees more than others, but each has its own resources to contribute to the electoral process and different ways in which the interest groups invest their resources. As federal legislation has expanded into more areas of our daily lives, so too, have more groups become involved in Congressional elections