Governors Go National

The author traces the development of the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations from the 1960s through the 2020 election and argues that by building new party organizations, governors of both parties, along with national party elites in Washington, contributed to a more nationally oriented and programmatic party system.

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This book examines the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations from their creation in the 1960s through the 2020 elections. The author argues that the creation of these partisan organizations marked an important moment in the nationalization of American party politics. Governors created these Associations along with party elites in Washington because they recognized that decisions being made in Washington increasingly affected decision-making in the states. Governors sought to contribute to the development of national partisan electoral strategies and policy programs through these organizations to benefit their own electoral fortunes and the standing of the national parties to which they belonged. Through organization building, governors of both parties contributed to the development of more nationally focused and programmatic parties despite being state-level elected officials.