PARTY-ORCHESTRATED ACTIVITIES FOR LEGISLATIVE PARTY GOALS - CAMPAIGNSFOR MAJORITIES IN THE US HOUSE-OF-REPRESENTATIVES IN THE 1990S

Recent efforts by the congressional campaign committees (CCCs), the pa rty organizations charged with electing candidates to the US House of Representatives, have been unusually proactive in pursuing House major ities. The CCCs convinced other party-related actors, such as the nati onal committees, political action committees (PACs) and members of Con gress, to help achieve majorities in the House. These party-orchestrat ed activities are notable for their focus on the legislative party's g oals, rather than on the party's presidential candidate. The cooperati ve efforts of the CCCs with their respective national committees, thei r attempts to induce cooperation from the PAC community, and their out reach for assistance from their own office-holders are explored. These initiatives in the 1990s reflect a significant shift in tactics. They are a reaction to changes in the level of electoral competition, conc urrent with the presence of party entrepreneurs who convinced other po litical actors to view the party's House electoral success as consiste nt with their own goals.