In this groundbreaking work, Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q Kelly draw on significant new data from congressional archives--gleaned from the papers of both Democratic and Republican leaders from the 85th to the 103rd Congress--to reveal the complex process through which congressional members get assigned to the powerful committees of the House. They conclude that parties differ in their committee assignment methods and that party approaches can change over time depending on leadership. They also pay particular attention to the increasing roles of race and gender in the assignment process.

Based on extensive primary and secondary research, this volume fills a crucial gap in our understanding of the internal dynamics of the American political system.