1. POLITICAL PARTIES Chapter 12 O’Connor and Sabato American Government:
Continuity and Change

2. POLITICAL PARTIES In this chapter we will cover…
What is a Political Party?
The Evolution of American Party Democracy
The Roles of American Parties
The Basic Structure of American Political Parties
The Party in Government
The Modern Transformation of Party Organization
The Party in the Electorate
One-Partyism and Third-Partyism

3. What is a Political Party?
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.

4. 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.

5. 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
closely competitive
Republican dominance
1930s and 1940s -- Democratic dominance
1950s and 1960s -- closely competitive
1970-present -- neither party dominant

6. The Roles of the American Parties
The two-party system has been used to resolve political and social conflicts.
Mobilizing Support and Gathering Power
A Force for Stability
Unity, Linkage, Accountability
The Electioneering Function
Party as a Voting and Issue Cue
Policy Formulation and Promotion

7. The Basic Structure of American Political Parties
The organizational structure of America’s political parties remains fairly simple with aspects of national, state, and local influence:
National Committees/Conventions
State Central Committees
Local City/Precinct Committees
Informal Groups: Think Tanks and Reform Groups

8. The Basic Structure of American Political Parties

9. The Party in Government
The Congressional Party
The Presidential Party
The Parties and the Judiciary
The Parties and State Government

10. The Modern Transformation of Party Organization
Republican Party Strengths:
Party Staff – several hundred operatives stationed in key districts
Voter Contact – telephone canvassing and bulk mailings
Polling
Media Advertising – in-house media division
Staff Training and Research

11. Political Party Finances, 1978-2002

12. The Party In The Electorate
The ‘party in the electorate’ is the mass of potential voters who identify with a specific party.
American voters often identify with a specific party, but rarely belong formally.
Party identification is often a voter’s central political reference symbol.
Party identification generally comes from one’s parents.
However, party identification can be affected by a number of factors such as education, peers, charismatic personalities, cataclysmic events, and intense social issues.

13. Declining Party Loyalty?
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 Democratic or Republican party.
“Leaners” do feel party affiliations, but choose not to self-identify with a party.

14. Loyalty Trends - Democratic
Labor union members tend to vote Democratic.
Democrats have a lead in garnering the women's vote.
Over 80% of African Americans and Hispanics vote Democratic.
Young people are once again more Democratic.
Most blue-collar workers and unemployed are Democrats.
Catholics and Jews are mostly Democrats.
The widowed are mostly Democrats.
Liberals tend to be Democrats.

15. Loyalty Trends - Republican
Chambers of Commerce members tend to vote Republican.
The West tends to be more Republican.
Men tend to split fairly evenly between the two parties.
Cuban-Americans are generally Republicans (anti-Castro).
Professionals, executives, and white-collar workers tend to be Republican.
High-status Protestants tend to be Republican.
Married couples tend to be Republican.
Conservatives tend to be Republican.

16. Websites Major Parties Democratic National Committee
Republican National Committee
Third Parties
Third Party Central
Libertarian Party
Reform Party.

17. One-Partyism and Third-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.
There are no exclusively Republican or Democratic states at this time.
Many individuals split their vote between the parties, and sometimes vote for third parties.

18. Minor Parties: Third-Partyism
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