While the perceived traditional roles of the political parties are eroding, North Dakota's legislative caucus committees are increasingly active, particularly in fundraising. Increasingly, citizens react negatively to the appearance of partisan politics in the legislature. Citizens see the future of the Legislative Assembly as being concerned less with partisan politics and more with statesmanship and long-range planning. The roles and importance of state political parties in influencing the election and legislative processes are declining. Legislative discipline is weaker, encouraging greater parochialism on the part of individual legislators and diminishing the authority of the legislative leadership to hold the institution together.
Campaigns even attack the legislative institution and process.
Suspicion and cynicism are encouraged as each side attacks the motivations and ethics of the other. Legislators are generally becoming more personally responsible or PAC-reliant for political campaigns, displacing the traditional role of state and local parties. The political parties do not have the sources of fundraising available to wean candidates from PAC contributions. This theme for 2010 focuses on the changing role of state political parties and their future importance in the election process, strengthening legislative leadership, policy development, public education, and public consensus building on major policy issues. In 2010, an increasingly vigorous and disciplined party system provides a key to meeting the problems of increased campaign costs and undue special interest group influence on legislative candidates.