Does a candidate having “party backing” actually have financial and political support from their party? No, not exactly. The political parties may seem like monolithic blocks on paper, but in practice they are not. Each party has a division which is run by legislative leaders. Their task is to help members of their party win election to the legislature in hope of obtaining a majority of the chamber and the Speakership or Senate Presidency. There is little to no coordination with party activity on the county level or cabinet level. The buck usually starts and stops with the incoming Speaker or Senate President Designate. Neither has a say in how the other raises or expends funds, which candidates to support or oppose, or which seats to target. The party Chair usually only deals with cabinet level elections. Federal elections are usually handled by the DC-based party operations.
by Doug McAlarney