1. POLITICAL PARTIES

2. An organized effort by office holders, candidates, activists, and voters who pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the political process WHAT IS A POLITICAL PARTY?

3. – Linkage Institution: the channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda – Parties Pick Candidates – Run Campaigns – Give Cues to Voters – Articulate Policies – Coordinate Policymaking PURPOSE OF A PARTY

5. THE PARTY IN THE ELECTORATE Party image – A voter’s perception of what Republicans or Democrats stand for Party identification – A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other – Republican, Democrat, or Independent

6. THE PARTY IN THE ELECTORATE Ticket-splitting – Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices – Independents are most likely to split tickets. – No state or race is completely safe due to split tickets.

7. Party Identification: – A citizen’s personal affinity for a political party – Usually expressed by his or her tendency to vote for the candidates of that party – Sources Parents Marriage and other aspects of adult life can change one’s party loyalty Charismatic political personalities, cataclysmic events, and maybe intense social issues Social class remains a powerful indicator of likely partisan choice. PARTY IN THE ELECTORATE

9. WHY?????

10. What Impact Have They Had? Teddy Roosevelt (1912) Ross Perot (1992 and 1996) Ralph Nadar (2000 and 2004) The Spoiler Effect! MINOR PARTIES

11. GROUP AFFILIATIONS Geographic Region – South still has Democratic Party affinity at local election level. Gender – Gender gap Race and Ethnicity – African Americans – Hispanics Age – Very young and very old more Democratic Social and Economic Factors – Republicans have higher SES (occupation, income, and education) supporters. Religion – Protestants favor Republicans; Catholics and Jews are predominantly Democratic. Marital Status – Married people lean more towards Republicans. Ideology – Few surprises

13. THE PARTY IN GOVE RNME NT: PROMI SES AND POLIC Y