The chapter focuses on the organization of American political parties. It offers a historical perspective on the evolution of parties, and examines them within the context of electoral politics. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the relationship between party organization and public influence on government. These are the main points in the chapter:

America’s political parties are relatively weak organizations. They lack control over nominations, elections, and platforms. Candidates can bypass the party organization and win nomination through primary elections. Individual candidates also control most of the organization and money necessary to win elections and run largely on personal platforms.

Primary elections are the major reason for the organizational weakness of America’s parties. Once the parties lost their hold on the nominating process, they became subordinate to candidates. More generally, the political parties have been undermined by election reforms, some of which were intended to weaken the party and others of which have unintentionally done so. Recently the state and national party organizations have expanded their capacity to provide candidates with modern campaign services and are again playing a prominent role in election campaigns. Nevertheless, party organizations at all levels have few ways of controlling the candidates who run under their banner. They assist candidates with campaign technology, workers, and funds, but cannot compel candidates’ loyalty to organizational goals.

Because America’s parties are decentralized and fragmented organizations, the relationship among local, state, and national party organizations is marked by paths of common interest rather than lines of authority. The national party organization does not control the policies and activities of the state organizations, and they in turn do not control the local organizations. The fragmentation of parties prevents them from acting as cohesive national organizations. Traditionally the local organizations have controlled most of the party’s work force because most elections are contested at the local level. Local parties, however, vary markedly in their vitality.

American political campaigns, especially those for higher office, are candidate-centered. Candidates are usually "self-starters" who spend most of their time raising campaign funds and who build their campaign organizations around professional consultants. Strategy, image making, and television are key components of the modern campaign.

America’s party organizations are flexible enough to allow diverse interests to coexist within them; they can also accommodate new ideas and leadership, since they are neither rigid nor closed. However, because America’s parties cannot control their candidates or coordinate their policies at all levels, they are unable to present many of America’s voters with a coherent, detailed platform for governing. The national electorate as a whole is thus denied a clear choice among policy alternatives and has difficulty influencing national policy in a predictable and enduring way through elections.