Democratic Party

Leadership in the Democratic Party

Leadership in the Democratic Party

Though there are several political parties in the United States- Libertarian, Green and others, the Democrats and Republicans are the two biggest by far. Because they are so huge, they need a solid leadership structure in order to have influence and try to further their agenda. With elections of some sort being held every two years, the Democratic Party must maintain a very visible and public presence. Much of that presence starts at the very top of the party chain.

At the Top

The Democratic National Committee is Democrats’ national organization. It is run by the Democratic National Committee Chairman, who is currently Howard Dean. Since February 12, 2005 Dean has held this position. He is a former Governor from Vermont who was also a medical doctor for several years before deciding to pursue a career in politics. His role as Chairman is to coordinate the Democratic Party at all levels- whether that be national, state or local level. He also helps set the tone for the Democratic National Convention that is held every four years in order to elect a party nominee for President of the United States.

National Leaders

At the National level, the Democratic Party has two main leaders who are members of Congress. One is the Senate Democratic Leader and the other is the House Democratic Leader. Since all Bills that are trying to be passed into law must go through both the House and Senate, these positions can be quite important. Each leader must ensure that all members of the party toe the ‘company line’ and ensure that measure introduced by Democratic members of Congress pass. Currently, the Senate Democratic leader is Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. The House Democratic Leader is Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California. Pelosi’s appointment to this title was historic, as it made her the first woman of either party to ever be elected as a leader of the party at the national level.

State Leaders

Since many rights and lawmaking are left up to the individual States, being a governor in the Democratic Party is quite important as well. For this reason, they have a DGA (Democratic Governor’s Association) Chairman. Founded in 1983, their mission is to lend support to any and all incumbents or nominees who are members of the party and running for governor or other state leadership. The Chairman is currently Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico with the Vice Chair being Gov. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia.

Of course, there are several other leadership roles within the Democratic Party. Some of these include financial Chairman positions, campaign Chairman positions during election years and many more. All of these jobs are essential in ensuring the political success of the Party. Though some positions may pay higher or get you more exposure, none can survive without the other. It takes teamwork and leadership to achieve results, and the Democratic Party has both.