A party unity vote is a vote in which a majority of voting Democrats oppose a

majority of voting Republicans, and it can measure party strength, because the
more people from opposing parties vote similarly, the weaker each party
supposedly is. Unity:
While parties don’t play that big of a role in helping candidates, Congressmen still Party
vote in support with their party, probably because they have certain ideological
traits, turn to one another when unsure of how to vote, and follow what their
leader says.
While party is not as important to a politician today as it was, it is still very vital.
the Speaker is the most powerful and important person because he controls who
can speak and influences decisions (there are limits on speaking and debating times
in the House).
House:
He decides who to recognize, what bills to debate, and what rules to obey.
Each party in the house also has a majority or minority leader that can become
Speaker if/when the Speaker dies or retires, provided that his party is still the
majority one.
The majority party chooses one of its members (usually the one with greatest
seniority) to be president pro tempore of the Senate—a position that is really just
honorary and has no real power.
The president of the Senate is the vice president of the U.S., but he has little power
too. Senate:
The real leadership is in the hands of the majority leader, who schedules business
and can be recognized first in the Senate but can do much more if he is skilled at
political bargaining and has a strong personality (i.e. Lyndon Johnson), the minority
leader, and the whip, who basically enlightens the party leader and also makes sure
party members are present for and vote for important decisions.
Party Organization & Influence in Congress