Parties: Essential to Democracy  History of parties Early parties  Jefferson and Madison, Democratic-Republican  Adams and Hamilton, Federalist

Party Functions  Organize the competition Party column ballot vs. Office block ballot  Unify the electorate  Organize government patronage  Translate preference into policy  Provide “loyal opposition” “honeymoon”

Nominating Candidates  Recruitment  Caucuses & direct primaries  Rise of “candidate-centered” politics

Minor (third) Parties  Often personality-driven  Forever a two-party system?

Party Patterns  Theory of “Realigning Elections”  The 1932 FDR Realignment  Divided Government

Shifting Populations of the Parties  Democrats New Deal Coalition united low-income, working class whites with minorities African-Americans – still solidly Democratic Catholics, Southerners, and Hispanics – once Democratic, now moving Republican  Republicans White middle- and upper-class Protestants Major gains in middle class, particularly in the South Evangelicals – the “Religious Right”

Parties as Institutions  Structure: National Party Convention – every 4 years  Nominate Pres. & VP Candidates  Adopt Party Platforms National Committee National Chair State Organizations

Parties in the electorate  Party Registration  Party Identification  Dealignment?