POLITICAL PARTIES
I.
A.
ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES
Political party – group of citizens who
want to influence/control government by
getting their members elected to office
B.
Five Roles of Political Parties
Nominate candidates for public office
2. Influence policy
1.
•
3.
Should support the party’s platform – statement of
the party’s official stand on major public issues
Unite government
•
Links members at different levels of government
4. Create balance
•
Minority party works to make sure their voice is
heard
5. Inform citizens
II.
HISTORY OF POLITICAL PARTIES
A. First political party = Federalists
1. Led by Alexander Hamilton
2. Supported a strong national government
3. Power declined in the early 1800s
B. Rival to Federalists = Democratic-
Republicans
1. Led by Thomas Jefferson
2. Opposed strong national government
3. Turned into Democratic Party in 1828
C. 1820s: Democrats
replaced Democratic-
Republicans
D. 1834: Whig party replaced the Federalists
E. 1854: Current 2-party system emerged
Republican Party replaced the Whigs
• Formed by groups opposed to slavery
• Abraham Lincoln = 1st Republican president
• Was the majority party until the 1930s
2. 1932: Election of Franklin Roosevelt shifted power
back to the Democrats
1.
III.
ROLE OF THIRD PARTIES
A. Usually emerge during elections
B. Rarely win major elections but can
change the outcome
•
2000: Ralph Nader won many votes that
likely cost Al Gore the election
C. Can bring up new ideas
•
1992: Ross Perot focused on the national
debt causing other candidates to talk about
the problem
D.Famous Third Party candidates
•
•
1860: Abraham Lincoln
1912: Teddy Roosevelt
IV.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TODAY’S PARTIES
A.Party organization
•
Have local, state and national
organizations
B.Maintaining party strength
1. System of patronage – system in which
party leaders perform favors for loyal
supporters of the party
2. Help candidates campaign
3.Voter loyalty
a.
Some vote a straight ticket – ballot cast
for all the candidates of one party
b.
Some vote a split ticket –voting for
candidates of more than one party on
the same ballot
c.
Some are independent voters – people
who don’t support a particular political
party
•
Highest among young voters
PARTY IDENTIFICATION IN THE US, 1952 – 2000
YEAR
DEMOCRATS
INDEPENDENTS
REPUBLICANS
1952
48.6%
23.3%
28.1%
1956
45.3
24.4
30.3
1960
46.4
23.4
30.2
1964
52.2
23.0
24.8
1968
46.0
29.5
24.5
1972
41.0
35.2
23.8
1976
40.2
36.8
23.0
1980
41.7
35.3
23.0
1984
37.7
34.8
27.6
1988
35.7
36.3
28.0
1992
35.8
38.7
25.5
1996
39.3
32.9
27.8
2000
34.8
41.0
24.2
V.
CHOOSING CANDIDATES
A.Nominating candidates
1. Self-nomination – declaring that you
are running for office
2. Write-in candidate – one who asks
voters to write his /her name on the
ballot
B.Caucus- meeting of party leaders to
discuss issues or to choose
candidates
C.
Primaries
1. Direct primary – an election in which voters
of a political party choose candidates to run
for office for that party
2. Closed primary – voter must be registered as
a party member and may vote only in that
party’s primary
3. Open primary – voter doesn’t need to declare
a party before voting but they may vote only
in one party’s primary
D.
Choosing presidential candidates
1. Paying for a campaign
Most $ comes from individual
donations
a.
•
b.
Individuals may contribute $2,000 to
each candidate/election
Public financing – government will
match individual donations to a
candidate
2. Choosing delegates
a.
b.
Through a presidential preference
primary election
Or through a statewide caucus or
convention process
3. National conventions
a.
b.
Held by political parties in
presidential election years
Officially choose candidates who
then give acceptance speeches