Political Parties
“Linkage Institution”
What is a political party?
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A political party is a group of
voters, activists, candidates, and
office holders who identify with
a party label and seek to elect
individuals to public office.
The Evolution of American
Party Democracy
• Hamilton and Jefferson, as heads of the
Federalist and Anti-Federalist groups
respectively, are often considered
'fathers' of the modern party system.
• By 1800, this country had a party
system with two major parties that has
remained relatively stable ever since.
Goal of a Political Party?
• WIN ELECTIONS
Party Structure
• National Convention – meets every 4
years, nominates President
• National Committee – manages party
affairs on daily basis
• Congressional campaign committee –
supports party’s candidates
• National chair – manages daily work
Function of Parties
1. Connecting citizens to government
(linkage institution)
-Political Efficacy – citizen participation level
and awareness of government decisions
2. Run candidates for political office
3. Inform the public – help voters decide
who to vote for in elections
4. Organizing government – coordinate
government policy-making
Why 2 parties?
• Winner-take-all system
• Winner receives a seat while loser
receives nothing
• 3rd party usually joins one of other parties
• Opposite – Proportional Representation –
% of votes is directly applied as the % of
representatives
Democrats and Republicans:
The Golden Age
• From the presidential elections of 1860 to the
present, the same two major parties have
contested elections in the United States:
• Democrats and Republicans.
• – Reconstruction -- Republican dominance
• Republican party formed 1854 by anti-slavery activists
• – 1876-1896 -- closely competitive
• – 1896-1929 -- Republican dominance
• – 1930s and 1940s -- Democratic dominance
• – 1950s and 1960s -- closely competitive
• – 1970-2000 -- neither party dominant
• Election of 2008—Democratic dominance
• Currently—Democrats losing ground in Congressional
elections
“Grass Roots”
• “Grass Roots” – parties can also reach the
voters personally and “get-out-the-vote” on
a local level
One-Partyism
• A significant trend of recent times is the demise
of one-partyism (one party dominance of
elections in a given region).
• The formerly "Solid South" is no longer only
Democratic.
* Many individuals split their vote between the
parties, and sometimes vote for third parties.
Results of the past 4
Presidential elections
Red=The Republican
candidate carried the state in
all four most recent
presidential elections (1996,
2000, 2004, 2008).
Pink=The Republican
candidate carried the state in
three of the four most recent
elections.
Purple=The Republican
candidate and the Democratic
candidate each carried the
state in two of the four most
recent elections.
Light blue=The Democratic
candidate carried the state in
three of the four most recent
elections.
Dark blue=The Democratic
candidate carried the state in
all four most recent elections
Minor Parties: ThirdPartyism
• Minor parties are not a threat to the two major
parties.
• Only eight third parties have won any electoral
votes in a presidential contest.
• The third parties that have had some success
are:
• – 1996 and 1992: Ross Perot’s Reform Party
• – 1968: George Wallace’s American Independent
Party
• – 1924: Robert LaFollette’s Progressive Party
• – 1912: Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party
• – 1856: Millard Fillmore's American Party
Minor Parties
Third Parties have played a role in politics
Types
1. Individual personality – those dominated
by one figure head (Ex. – 1912 Theodore
Roosevelt – Bull-Moose, 1968 George
Wallace – American Independent Party)
2. Long-lasting goal or ideology – (Ex. –
Abolitionists, Prohibitionists, Socialists)
The Golden Age of Political
Parties 1874-1912
• Party stability-rare
• Big city and big party organization-political
“machines” Chicago
• Party was viewed as government-party
provided social services directly=patronage
and allegiance
• Intense devotion=high voter turnout 76% or
better in elections form 1876-1900
Modern Era
• 1930s-social services began to be provided
by national gov. not parties
• Direct primaries meant power of party
diminished
• Loose ties between candidate and party
• Post WWII-issue oriented politics
• – Individual candidate became focus
• – Interest groups rather than party stepped into
void
• – More ticket splitting-voters vote for candidate
as much as the party
Party Identification
• Dealignment – weak membership, more
“independents” or moderates – popular
trend in the last 50 years
• Strait ticket voting – strong party
membership, support all candidates for
one party
• Ticket splitting – voting for candidates from
multiple parties
Declining Party
Loyalty?
• Dealignment-general decline in partisan id
• The number of independents in the U.S. rose
from 19% in 1958 to 37% twenty years later.
• Identification with the two major parties today is
in the mid 80% range.
• Pollsters often find that many self declared
independents often 'lean' quite strongly to either
the Democrat or Republican party.
• “Leaners” do feel party affiliations, but choose
not to self-identify with a party.
Realignment
• A shifting of party coalition groupings in
the electorate that remains in place for
several elections
• – Jefferson formed Dem-Rep party
• – Whig dissolved, Republican emerged won
pres. 1860
• – Great Depression-many voters realigned to
Dem
More on Realignment?
• “Gridlock” – Congress and Presidency controlled
by different parties
• 2004 - Republican sweep of Congress and
Presidency - party loyalty stronger?
• 2006 - split the Presidency and Congress again
• 2008 - brought a Democratic sweep
• Mid elections 2010—backlash from economy
and BP oil spill + Tea Party MAY see a shift back
towards Republican party
• Since the early 1980s, the Republican
Party platform has been increasingly
influenced by
A) environmental activists
B) evangelical Christians
C) civil libertarians
D) labor unions
E) active military officers
• Since 1972, voters in presidential elections have
A) become more focused on individual candidates
B) increasingly based their votes on televised
debates
C) become more influenced by party platforms
D) become more likely to focus on local rather than
national conditions
E) become more likely to rely on print media for
information
• An election in which there is a significant
shift in the bases of electoral support from
one political party to another is called a
A) deviating election
B) maintaining election
C) realigning election
D) primary election
E) dealigning election