Whip

Whip in the United States

Whip

Introduction to Whip

Whip, political party official in a legislative body. In each house of the United States Congress, a Democratic and a Republican whip assist the floor leaders of their respective parties. With the aid of assistants (all members of the legislature), the whip maintains contact with other legislators of the party, asks opinions, reports to the floor leader and to the party members, and gathers votes on major bills. In the British House of Commons (see the United Kingdom), the chief government whip has additional responsibilities in arranging the order of business.” (1)

Concept of Whip

In the U.S., in the context of the U.S. Congress (Senate and House of Representatives), Whip has the following meaning: A legislative party official whose job is to be the eyes and ears of the party Leader, taking polls of members on upcoming votes and, when necessary, negotiating or applying pressure to help the Leader win enough members’ votes to gain a majority on the floor. (Source of this definition of Whip : University of Texas)

Whip

Resources

See Also

  • Congress
  • Senate
  • House of Representatives

Resources

Notes and References

Guide to Whip


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