Democratic National Committee

The United States political system has been dominated by two parties since 1860, the Republicans and the Democrats. The Democratic Party, which traces its roots to Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson is formally governed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is the job of the Democratic National Committee to organize the convention every four years, coordinate strategy for candidates on a national level, and formulate the Party Platform, the statement of principles.

In 2016, the Chair of the Democratic National Committee was Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a U.S. Representative from Florida's 23rd Congressional district. She as appointed as the 52nd Chair by President Obama in 2011. When the President is a member of the Democratic party, as President Obama was, the DNC works closely with the President to promote the platform into policy. The Democratic National Committee is the umbrella organization, with party organization reaching down to the state, county, city, and ward level.

Another major function of the Democratic National Committee is fund-raising. Money is the essential ingredient in modern politics, and the DNC raised over $61 million dollars in 2006, a non-presidential election year. In an election year, the DNC establishes the rules for the Democratic caucuses and primaries, and the selection of delegates to the Democratic National Convention.