<P> Provide Campaign Assistance . Minority leaders are typically energetic and aggressive campaigners for partisan incumbents and challengers . There is hardly any major aspect of campaigning that does not engage their attention . For example, they assist in recruiting qualified candidates; they establish "leadership PACs" to raise and distribute funds to House candidates of their party; they try to persuade partisan colleagues not to retire or run for other offices so as to hold down the number of open seats the party would need to defend; they coordinate their campaign activities with congressional and national party campaign committees; they encourage outside groups to back their candidates; they travel around the country to speak on behalf of party candidates; and they encourage incumbent colleagues to make significant financial contributions to the party's campaign committee . "The amount of time that (Minority Leader) Gephardt is putting in to help the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) is unheard of," noted a Democratic lobbyist. "No DCCC chairman has ever had that kind of support ." </P> <P> Devise Minority Party Strategies . The minority leader, in consultation with other party colleagues, has a range of strategic options that he or she can employ to advance minority party objectives . The options selected depend on a wide range of circumstances, such as the visibility or significance of the issue and the degree of cohesion within the majority party . For instance, a majority party riven by internal dissension, as occurred during the early 1900s when Progressive and "regular" Republicans were at loggerheads, may provide the minority leader with greater opportunities to achieve their priorities than if the majority party exhibited high degrees of party cohesion . Among the variable strategies available to the minority party, which can vary from bill to bill and be used in combination or at different stages of the lawmaking process, are the following: </P> <P> Cooperation . The minority party supports and cooperates with the majority party in building winning coalitions on the floor . </P> <P> Inconsequential Opposition . The minority party offers opposition, but it is of marginal significance, typically because the minority is so small . </P>

The top ranking officer of the house of representatives is the