The National Committee for an Effective Congress was founded in 1948 by Eleanor Roosevelt and her friends to help elect progressive candidates to the United States Congress. James Roosevelt, her son, served as the NCEC's first chairman.With the help of small-dollar donors across the country, the NCEC contributes valuable campaign analysis and planning tools to progressive candidates.An effective congress must be both guided by values and willing to seek common ground. An intractable attachment to partisan dogma has eroded Congress' ability to legislate and threatened the public's faith in our democracy. It's important that we work to elect progressive candidates who can engage in a constructive and responsible government.