New York State Democratic Committee records, 1970-2020, bulk 1990-2004

This collection includes administrative correspondence, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and ephemera that documents the Democratic Party, particularly as it exists in New York State. The bulk of the documentation relates to elections and to the State Committee's administration of the Party, but there are also records relating to national political processes.

Series I: Files, 1980-2006 This series is comprised of documentation regarding various aspects of the political process in the United States, particularly as it relates to New York State's Democrats.

Subseries I.1: General, 1980-2006. This subseries is comprised of logistical and statistical information related to the functioning of political parties within the United States and especially within New York State. The folders within this subseries contain information that is not directly related to the State Democratic Committee, but involves members of the Democratic Party or issues that confront it. Many of these folders are related to individual counties in New York State or to financial records kept by the party.

Subseries I.2: Conventions, 1990-2006. The bulk of the convention files is concerned with New York State Democratic conventions, although there is some information about national conventions for the Democratic and Republican parties. Many of the conventions held between 1990 and 2006 are included in the records of sign-in sheets, hotel plans, proxy forms, correspondence, rules and regulations, and plans for important election years. The state conventions of 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2006 are the most extensively covered.

Subseries I.3: Delegates and Electoral College, 1991-2004. This small subseries includes information regarding delegate selection and the role of the Electoral College in elections. Prominently featured are statements of candidacy, as well as official DNC rules and regulations for selecting delegates.

Subseries I.4: Elections and Campaigns, 1990-2004. A major aim of the New York State Democratic Committee is to elect Democrats into political offices throughout the state. This subseries chronicles recent elections. Extensive coverage is given to the senate election of 2000 between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rick Lazio and to polling throughout this eight year span. Advertisements and media coverage or relations for other statewide elections, local elections throughout the state, and national elections are also included.

Subseries I.5: Judicial, 1988-2006. This subseries is almost wholly comprised of information regarding Judicial Nominating Conventions in New York State between 1994 and 2006. Every year between 1997 and 2006 has its own folder, which contains general information about the convention. A party call is also available for every year starting in 1994 and ending in 2005.

Subseries I.6: State Committee, 1990-2006. The State Committee subseries deals largely with the New York State Democratic Committee's biannual meetings between 1995 and 2004. The subseries holds more detailed information in regards to scheduling and logistics about the meetings than information about substantive policies and strategy discussed; however, minutes are included in the material corresponding to most meetings.

Series II: Audiovisual, 1996-2004 This series includes video tapes, CDs, and audiotapes that cover a variety of topics related to the New York State Democratic Committee, including events and advertisements.

Subseries II.1: Videotapes, 1996-2004. In this subseries, the State Democratic Convention of May 2002 is covered extensively, as is the New York State Senate race of 2000. Many of the videotapes are campaign advertisements.

Subseries II.2: Audiotapes, 1998-2004. The eleven audiotapes included in this collection all focus on elections, especially the gubernatorial election of 1998 and the senate election of 2000. Most of the tapes contain advertisements against Republican governor George Pataki.

Subseries II.3: CDs, 2002-2004. The four CDs in the collection, like the audiotapes, appear to be focused on election material.

Series III: Photographs, 1970-2006 Most of the events the photographs were taken at seem to have taken place in New York State. Represented in these photographs are notable state and national Democrats, such as the Clintons, Eliot Spitzer, and Al Gore. There are also group shots from state conventions and other events sponsored by the state's Democratic Committee.

Series IV: Ephemera, 1996-2007 This series includes banners, posters, bumper sticks, and pins from major elections, including Hillary Clinton's reelection campaign and the bids that both Gore and Kerry made for the presidency.

Subseries IV.1: Printed Material, 1996-2007. Most of the materials in this subseries are stored in oversize boxes, and are related to major elections. There are also a few posters regarding Democratic conventions. Many of the materials are not dated.

Subseries IV.2: Realia, 1996-2004. The materials in this subseries include buttons, pins, and bumper stickers that show support for the Democratic party as a whole and for specific candidates like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry.