1960s and 1970s. In the following years increased numbers of women and blacks were able to attain county offices. The Democratic Party also moved away from its reliance on courthouse cliques and began building a more top-down, institutionalized party structure with a professional, permanent staff. Southern candidates stopped seeking the endorsement of local politicians and their networks and instead began appealing directly to the electorate through mass media for support. Legacy Journalistic exposés, scholarly works, movies, fictional writings have emphasized the historical importance of courthouse cliques in Southern politics and led to the creation of a stereotype portraying county governments in the South as dominated by corrupt politicians who use undemocratic methods to protect their power and their wealthy allies. While no longer forming extensive political networks or wielding wide influence, county office-holders still retain a significant amount of responsibility for law enforcement and the delivery of public services in their jurisdictions. References Works cited Political machines in the United States