The
Hill committees are the common name for the
political party committeeIn the United States, a political party committee is an organization, officially affiliated with a political party and registered with the Federal Elections Commission , which raises and spends money for political campaigning...
s that work to elect members of their own
partyThis article presents the historical development and role of political parties in United States politics and outlines more extensively the significant modern political parties.-History:...
to
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
("Hill" refers to
Capitol HillCapitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
, where the seat of Congress, the
CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though not in the geographic center of the District of...
, is located). The four major committees are part of the
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
and
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
parties and each work to help members of their party get elected to each house (the
House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and the
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
).
The four major committees are the:
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body...
(DCCC, or "D-triple-C")
- National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....
(NRCC)
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing more Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current chairman is Sen. Robert Menendez, who succeeded Sen. Charles Schumer...
(DSCC)
- National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
(NRSC)
Two
third partiesThe term third party is used in the United States for a political party other than one of the two major parties, at present, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. It is used as shorthand for all such parties, or sometimes only the largest of them. The term is often used dismissively; also...
have Hill committees as well: The
Libertarian National Congressional CommitteeThe Libertarian National Congressional Committee was created by the Libertarian National Committee for the purpose of electing Libertarians to the US Congress...
(LNCC) for the
Libertarian PartyThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
and the
Green Senatorial Campaign CommitteeThe Green Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Green Party committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Greens to that body. The GSCC filed with the FEC for official recognition in September 2006, it was received in February 2007...
(GSCC) for the
Green Party of the United StatesThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
.
Each committee works to recruit, assist, and support candidates of their own party, for their own chamber, in targeted races around the country.
The
Hill committees are the common name for the
political party committeeIn the United States, a political party committee is an organization, officially affiliated with a political party and registered with the Federal Elections Commission , which raises and spends money for political campaigning...
s that work to elect members of their own
partyThis article presents the historical development and role of political parties in United States politics and outlines more extensively the significant modern political parties.-History:...
to
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
("Hill" refers to
Capitol HillCapitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
, where the seat of Congress, the
CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though not in the geographic center of the District of...
, is located). The four major committees are part of the
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
and
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
parties and each work to help members of their party get elected to each house (the
House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and the
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
).
The four major committees are the:
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body...
(DCCC, or "D-triple-C")
- National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....
(NRCC)
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing more Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current chairman is Sen. Robert Menendez, who succeeded Sen. Charles Schumer...
(DSCC)
- National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
(NRSC)
Two
third partiesThe term third party is used in the United States for a political party other than one of the two major parties, at present, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. It is used as shorthand for all such parties, or sometimes only the largest of them. The term is often used dismissively; also...
have Hill committees as well: The
Libertarian National Congressional CommitteeThe Libertarian National Congressional Committee was created by the Libertarian National Committee for the purpose of electing Libertarians to the US Congress...
(LNCC) for the
Libertarian PartyThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
and the
Green Senatorial Campaign CommitteeThe Green Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Green Party committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Greens to that body. The GSCC filed with the FEC for official recognition in September 2006, it was received in February 2007...
(GSCC) for the
Green Party of the United StatesThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
.
Each committee works to recruit, assist, and support candidates of their own party, for their own chamber, in targeted races around the country. The committees contribute directly to candidates' campaigns, while also lending expertise, providing campaign-related services, and making
independent expenditureIn elections in the United States, an independent expenditure is a political activity intended to assist or oppose a specific candidate for office which is made without their cooperation, approval, or direct knowledge. Most commonly, this takes the form of advertising. In some cases, independent...
s. They raise funds at the national level from donors whose focus is on Congress as a whole, rather than individual campaigns.
Hill committee chairs are
incumbentThe incumbent, in politics, is the holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
s of each body chosen each election cycle by the leadership of their caucus (the
House Democratic CaucusThe House Democratic Caucus nominates and elects the Democratic Party leadership in the United States House of Representatives. The group is composed of all Democratic Representatives in the House...
,
House Republican ConferenceThe House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members...
,
Senate Democratic CaucusThe Senate Democratic Caucus is the formal organization of the current 58 Democratic Senators in the United States Senate. In the 111th Congress, the Democratic Caucus additionally includes two independent senators who formally caucus with the Democrats for the purpose of committee assignments...
, and
Senate Republican ConferenceThe Senate Republican Conference is the formal organization of the 40 Republican Senators in the United States Senate. Over the last century, the mission of the Conference has expanded and been shaped as a means of informing the media of the opinions and activities of Senate Republicans...
). Typically they are proven fundraisers with national political ambitions who are not facing competitive re-election campaigns. The committees are run on a day-to-day basis by a professional staff with campaign experience.