1. Chapter 5 – Political Parties: Texas in Blue and Red

2. Learning Objectives
5.1 Describe the function of political parties in Texas
5.2 Explain the levels of organization of political parties and their roles
5.3 Outline the changes in party dominance since the Civil War
5.4 Analyze the factors that affect party competition
5.5 Evaluate the impact third parties have had on Texas party politics and the challenges they face

3. The Functions of Parties
Simplifying Electoral Choices
Conservative: political philosophy that believe in limited government, free markets, and individual entrepreneurship
Liberal: a political philosophy that emphasizes social equality and a large role for government to protect liberties and alleviate social problems
Recruiting Candidates

4. The Functions of Parties
Mobilizing Voters
Articulating Interests
Partisans: strongly committed members of a party
Organizing Government

5. Party Organization
Decentralization: distribution of authority between national, state, and local party organizations so that each level exercises a degree of independent authority
Precinct Chairs
Most local party leader
County Party Chairs
State Party Chair
Party Executive Committee
Party Conventions
State Party Platforms
Party Platform: list of values, beliefs, and policy issues that are endorsed and supported by a political party

6. Rise and Fall of Political Parties in Texas
Democratic Reign in the Postbellum Era
1871, 1872, 1873 broke Republican stranglehold on state politics
Won all Congressional seats: 1871
Control of state legislature: 1872
Governorship: 1873
Decline of Democrats
New Deal: federal economic recovery program in response to the Great Depression
Shivercrats
Last Hurrah: 1982
December 2, 1997: Dan Morales retires
Party in Texas collapsed

7. Rise and Fall of Political Parties in Texas
Decline of Democrats
New Deal: federal economic recovery program in response to the Great Depression that stabilized the banking industry, created jobs, promoted fair labor standards, and created a social welfare network
Shivercrats
Pro-Ronald Reagan Democrats
Blue Dog Democrats
Last Hurrah: 1982
December 2, 1997: Dan Morales retires
Party in Texas collapsed

8. Rise and Fall of Political Parties in Texas
Rise of the Republicans
John Tower first Republican to win statewide office since Reconstruction
Southern Strategy
Expose divisions within the Democratic Party
1998 Watershed Year for Republicans
Republicans swept all state offices
2002 Republican Party of Texas controlled every statewide office and both chambers of state legislature

9. Rise and Fall of Political Parties in Texas
Tea Party
Mid 2000s
Relief from taxation
Higher support in Texas than nationally
Senator Ted Cruz
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick
Fissures in the Republican Party

10. Rise and Fall of Political Parties in Texas
Lessons from Texas Party Politics
Develop New Party Blood
Offer a Bigger, Better Vision
Give Goodies
Co-Opt Emerging Ideologies
Build from the Bottom Up

11. Party Competition
Party Competition: electoral conflict that signals how successful one party is over another
Reapportionment: redistribution of representation based on decennial recounting of residents
Following last two censuses Texas gained seats in the US House of Representation
State legislatures redraw district lines
Legislative Redistricting Board
Group of officials who draw the district lines if it were the case that the legislature was not able to agree
Lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, attorney general, state comptroller, land commissioner

12. Party Competition
Gerrymander: process of manipulating district boundaries to benefit a single group
2000 census Texas gains two Congressional seats
Angles of Power
2003 Redistricting Battle and the Killer Ds
Redistricting in 2011: Maps and More Maps
Redistricting in 2013: Back to Court
Party Switching

13. Third Parties and Independents
Why only two political parties?
Winner-take-all elections: whichever candidate wins the most votes wins the seat
Suyerger’s law: a winner-take-all electoral system generally leads to a two-party system
La Raza Unida Party
Libertarian Party
Green Party
Independents

14. Texas Takeaways
Parties engage in three basic functions: assisting voters (parties-in-the-electorate), facilitating party goals (parties-as-organizations), and organizing government by structuring and controlling government (parties-in-government).
Partisans are the most strongly committed party loyalists and can be counted on to volunteer, donate money, and vote for the party candidates.
The state party chair’s primary responsibility is to develop and communicate the party’s brand to the voters and to raise and manage political funds for the party at the state level.
A party platform is a list of values, beliefs, and policy issues that are endorsed and supported by a political party. It serves as a roadmap for the party during elections and in agenda setting.

15. Texas Takeaways
Parties engage in three basic functions: assisting voters (parties-in-the-electorate), facilitating party goals (parties-as-organizations), and organizing government by structuring and controlling government (parties-in-government)
Partisans are the most strongly committed party loyalists and can be counted on to volunteer, donate money, and vote for the party candidates
The state party chair’s primary responsibility is to develop and communicate the party’s brand to the voters and to raise and manage political funds for the party at the state level
A party platform is a list of values, beliefs, and policy issues that are endorsed and supported by a political party. It serves as a roadmap for the party during elections and in agenda setting

16. Texas Takeaways
Democrats won all the Congressional seats in 1871, took majority control of the state legislature in 1872, and easily won the governorship in Observers point to December 2, 1997, as the day the Democratic Party in Texas collapsed.
The Democrats were divided along ideological grounds. Republicans began to see federal intervention as a primary cause of economic troubles. The growth of the suburbs gave rise to new conservatives. Residents arriving from other states did not have the same attachments to the Democratic Party as long-term Texans.
The Tea Party reached national prominence when it held a series of rallies in 2009 in response to the Obama Administration’s economic recovery plans and the Affordable Care Act.

17. Texas Takeaways
Party competition is defined as the relative electoral winning success between the parties.
Gerrymandered district lines drawn over time lead to “safe” seats where one party or the other dominates given the voters stacked into a district. It tends to reduce party competition.
More Democrats have switched to the Democratic Party since the 1980s.

18. Texas Takeaways
One winner generally leads to a two-party system because individuals and groups band together to win that single available seat.
A third party must create a state executive committee, establish procedures for governing the party meetings and selection of candidates, and file a list of party participants with the secretary of state.