The systematic impact of intraparty factions in the U.S. House of Representatives

In the modern U.S. Congress, plagued by partisan polarization, scholars stand to learn much from turning inward and examining the dynamics and priorities within the two parties. This dissertation identifies eight intraparty factions, measures their policy agendas, and examines their member-to-member contribution behaviors from 2001 to 2018. The original agenda data contain more than 15,000 policy documents, press releases, and endorsed bills, which I collected from the factions’ websites, social media accounts, and other documented activities in Congress. The contribution data are collected from Leadership Political Action Committee (LPAC) disbursements from the Federal Election Commission's official website. These quantitative data are paired with a set of interviews with current and former members of Congress and staffers both in member offices and faction offices. The data and analyses reveal the asymmetric nature of the legislative parties with Republican intraparty factions battling over a small set of ideologically charged issues and Democratic intraparty factions engaging in diverse agendas consistent with their “big tent” coalition. I argue—and find evidence—that intraparty factions provide a vital avenue for rank-and-file members to extract policy concessions from party leaders in a highly centralized power structure and to support ideological allies in their pursuits for reelection.Governmen