A long-standing assumption among congressional election scholars is that traditional forms of party financial assistance to candidates - that is, coordinated expenditures and direct contributions - have little or no influence on the electoral performance of those candidates. Yet that assumption has never been tested directly. This paper attempts to determine whether or not candidates benefit from the financial support of their parties. It establishes a baseline for future studies of party financial activity by examining data from the 1990 and 1992 congressional election cycles. The results provide qualified evidence that party support can increase a candidate's share of the vote. Specifically, those candidates who face systematic electoral hurdles are likely to benefit from traditional forms of party assistance.
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