Understanding the Democratic Party

A Guide to Herding Donkeys

Note: this post is less political for friends who don’t work in politics or understand what the party is, isn’t, does, or doesn't do. If this isn’t you, no need to read, but I’d love you to sign up for our GAIN Power talent table and advisory committee.

Who Are "The Democrats," Anyway?

A conversation with a friend last night inspired me to write this. If I had a nickel for every time someone said, "I wish the Democratic party would do X," I'd be wealthy. And I get it. People care deeply, they’re frustrated, and they want progress. But here's the thing: the Democratic Party isn’t a single actor with a unified brain or a streamlined chain of command. It’s a constellation of players, organizations, and institutions. It’s time to build it up rather than break it down, but to do that, we need to talk about what it is.

Even people working inside the party or its ecosystem hold wildly different expectations about what it should be doing—and how. So let’s demystify it together.

The Truth About Party Power

They say herding cats is hard, but try herding donkeys, each with their agenda, history, community, and accountability. That’s the reality of the Democratic Party: not a corporate-style institution, but a living, breathing—and often chaotic—ecosystem. It includes elected leaders, national committees, state and local parties, campaigns, unions, advocacy organizations, and movement groups, all operating under different rules, funding streams, and audiences.

The Democratic Party is not one monolithic organization with a CEO handing down top-down directives. It's an ecosystem. A sprawling, decentralized network of campaigns, committees, coalitions, donors, labor unions, advocacy groups, and movement partners—each with different roles, resources, legal constraints, and accountability structures. And that doesn’t even include the wider movement groups.

When a Democrat is not in the White House, the party lacks a natural center of gravity. Power is more diffuse. Policy doesn’t come from the DNC or a central playbook but from elected officials and movements.

That complexity can feel frustrating. But understanding it gives us tools to navigate and reshape it.

Why Understanding the Ecosystem Matters

This post is part of a new Democracy Ecosystem series in which I’ll examine and explain the democracy infrastructure—what's working, what's missing, and what we can build. We need to understand this system not to excuse its shortcomings but to organize, influence, and evolve it.

This is your guide to who does what in the Democratic universe. It’s a call to shift from blaming "the party" to building collective power.

A Call to Action: From Blame to Building

We need solutions, not scapegoats. The stakes are high, and the threats to democracy are urgent, local, and real. This is not the time to sit back or tear down. It's time to build.

You matter whether you're inside the party, in the movement space, working a campaign, organizing in your community, or voting for the first time. Your voice matters. And your participation matters.

Let’s unify around shared values: democracy, equity, dignity, and justice. Let’s move forward together—not around perfection, but around purpose.

The National Committees

Democratic National Committee (DNC)

They run presidential primaries and the national convention, and set party rules. Coordinate between state parties.

What they DON'T do: Write legislation. Control congressional campaigns. Dictate policy to elected officials.

Leadership: Chair elected by committee members (currently Ken Martin).

Reality check: While the DNC typically facilitates primaries where voters choose nominees, extraordinary circumstances can change this, as we saw when the DNC nominated Kamala Harris in 2024 after Biden stepped aside.

Important context: Ken Martin was elected to serve the state party chairs and DNC committee members, not the Democratic electorate. His job is to support the infrastructure that helps elect Democrats, not to dictate ideology or policy. Rather than criticize from afar, we should invite him and the DNC into a broader conversation about strengthening and modernizing our party together, rather than expecting him to solve all our problems.

Want to follow Democratic Party developments more regularly?

My friend Kim Scott runs DemList, a daily newsletter that explains party structure, updates, and major moves. This post is beneficial if you want a quick overview of the DNC and its leadership.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)

• What they do: Help elect Democrats to the House of Representatives.

• Leadership: Controlled by House Democratic leadership, currently led by Hakeem Jeffries, and Chaired by Congresswoman Susan DelBene

• How they work: Recruit candidates, provide campaign resources, and yes, sometimes pick favorites in primaries.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC)

• What they do: Help elect Democrats to the Senate.

• Leadership: Controlled by Senate Democratic leadership currently under Chuck Schumer's leadership and chaired by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

• Key difference: Senate races are more expensive and complex, so DSCC involvement is often more intensive.

Democratic Governors Association (DGA)

• Mission: Elect Democratic governors.

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC)

• Mission: Win state legislative races and form Democratic majorities.

Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS)

• Mission: Elect Democratic secretaries of state.

Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA)

• Mission: Elect Democratic attorneys general.

Democratic Municipal Officials (DMO)

• Mission: Support Democratic mayors and local officials.

Young Democrats (YDA)

• An independent committee, but with seats on the DNC.

College Democrats (CDA)

• An affiliated group inside the DNC.

Elected Government Leaders

Elected officials are the Democratic Party in action:

• Chuck Schumer leads in the Senate

• Hakeem Jeffries (and still Nancy Pelosi) in the House

• Democratic governors and legislators across the country

These leaders shape the party's positions and policies more than any committee could.

State and Local Party Structures

• State Democratic Parties: Autonomous, state-specific priorities

• County & Local Parties: Volunteer-based, often underfunded, vital to local engagement

Candidate Campaigns

Let's not forget the candidate campaigns. While we could lump them with the party committees, many work with other candidate pipeline organizations.

Final Thoughts

Understanding this infrastructure is the first step to organizing within it or transforming it. This guide is not meant to be exhaustive; it’s a snapshot, and it’s meant to empower action.

Our party has amazing leaders, and we should be lifting them all. Our coalition must be broad enough to embrace the full range of leadership—from bold, inspiring voices like Zoran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who challenge us to think big and act boldly, to pragmatic, effective leaders like Governor Andy Beshear, who are making real progress in red states. That’s the strength of a truly big-tent party: we are more powerful when we include, not exclude.

Stop tearing down. Start building. With each other. From the grassroots to the halls of Congress. From inside the party and from outside it.

Our democracy depends on it.

About GAIN Power

GAIN Power sits uniquely at the intersection of the Democratic Party and the outside left-of-center democracy groups. Because we don’t do voter contact or lobbying, we’re not bound by FEC or IRS restrictions, giving us a special vantage point. We see the whole board. We support the entire ecosystem. And we’re here to amplify everyone doing this work.

We'd love to collaborate if you’re interested in helping coordinate across this movement. We’re always building. Let’s create together.

We exist to support the work of others in our ecosystem, so ask us for partnership. We're not trying to own or control, but to connect, uplift, and spark innovation. We have ideas about how to make meaningful improvements to how we all work: more efficiency, deeper coalitions, and better ways to engage the people we need to win.

We hope to organize a coalition around some of these ideas. We’re happy to see others take on them, with our support.

Right now, our priorities center on these core areas: collaboration and coordination, talent development, consultant services, building community, and real-world spaces for organizing—not just online, but on the ground.

Interested in being part of these conversations? Join our advisory board and pick a working group - it isn't about a bunch of meetings, it is about synergies, collaborations, and sharing ideas. Let’s make this ecosystem stronger, together. at the intersection of all of these groups. Because we don’t do voter contact or lobbying, we’re not bound by FEC or IRS restrictions, giving us a special vantage point. We see the whole board. We support the whole ecosystem. And we’re here to amplify everyone doing this work.

We'd love to collaborate if you’re interested in helping coordinate across this movement. We’re always building. Let’s build together.