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The Majority Whip is a high-ranking position in US politics responsible for keeping party members in line during important votes. The position was adopted from the UK, where it was used in parliament. Other countries, including Australia, India, and New Zealand, also use whips. The first Majority Leader was nominated in 1897, and Democrats responded with their own whip in 1899. Whips often use auxiliary whips to cover different regions, and there are various classifications of whip positions.
The Majority Whip is a position in United States (US) politics that is delegated to an elected official belonging to the majority party in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both the Republican and Democratic parties use a majority whip. Minority whips are also used by the party holding the fewest seats in one or both houses of Congress. Majority and minority whips are primarily responsible for keeping track of party members, to ensure that members are present for important votes and events. In other words, whips help enforce important party protocols and procedures, as a commander could help keep soldiers in their proper briefcase. In the United States, the Majority Whip is one of the highest positions in both the House and Senate.
The United States is not the first country to use party whips, nor is it the only nation to continue using them today. Before the United States adopted the position, whips were used in parliament in the United Kingdom (UK). Parliament derived the title of whip from fox hunting. When hunting foxes, it was the job of the “whipper” to keep the foxhounds in order during hunting expeditions. This idea translated easily into politics, where whips were appointed to keep their party members focused and in line when it came to voting on important measures. Some other nations to adopt the position are Australia, India and New Zealand. Like the United States, many of the nations that used whips were originally influenced by British colonial rule or some other political relationship with the United Kingdom
The first Majority Leader to be nominated in the United States was Minnesota Representative James A. Tawney in 1897. Tawney was nominated by then Speaker of the House Thomas B. Reed, who created the position for Tawney to keep tabs on members of the Republican Party. Democrats were quick to respond with their whiplash stance. In 1899, the Democratic Party nominated Oscar W. Underwood as their first whip. He was, however, a minority whip; the first whip of the Democratic majority, Thomas M. Bell, was not nominated until 1913. Although Republicans had used whips in every session of Congress since 1897, Democrats did not use whips consistently until Bell’s nomination, after whereof it became standard practice for both parties to nominate whips for each session of Congress.
Majority and minority whips often use auxiliary whips to help cover different geographic regions. These are sometimes called regional whips. Congressional whip structures often include other whip position classifications as well, such as Senior Chief Deputy Whips, At-Large Whips, and Chief Deputy Whips. While whips are most commonly referred to in reference to Congress, many state legislators also name whips.
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