Political Parties
Dr. Christopher S. Rice

What is a political party?

Political Party
An ongoing coalition of
interests joined together in an
effort to get its candidates for
public office elected under a
common label.

2

Parties give citizens the
capacity to act together

Enables people from
diverse backgrounds
with diverse interests to
unite behind a single
alternative

“It is the competition of [parties]
that provides the people with an
opportunity to make a choice.
Without this opportunity popular
sovereignty amounts to nothing.”
- E.E. Schattschneider

Party Coalition
the groups and interests
that support a party

The Necessity of
Coalitions

Democratic coalition tends to
draw from society’s “underdogs”

Democratic Party Coalition
• Blacks • Jews
• union members • Gays and
• the poor Lesbians
• Urban dwellers • and other
• Hispanics minorities

Republican Party Coalition
• White, less-educated working-
class (mostly male)
• Upper-class Protestants
• Southern evangelicals
• Socially-conservative Catholics
•

Image (c) 2007 Young America Foundation

Republican Party Coalition
• GOP tends to do better in the
suburbs, the South and
Midwest, and among white
fundamentalist Christians.

The Reagan Coalition
Social
Conservatives
Fiscal Neo-
Conservatives Conservatives

Party Organization
the formal organizational
apparatus of a political party

Roles and Functions of
Party Organizations
• Primary purpose of a party
organization is to run candidates
for election.
• Aggregate Interests
• Facilitate Participation
• Simplify Alternatives
• Stimulate Interest in Politics and
Government

Some of these functions
are being taken over by 527
groups

Nomination
selection of individual who will
run as the party’s candidate in
the general election.

VS.

Change in Nomination Process
+
Decline in Patronage
__________________________
Decline in Party Organizations

VS.

Republicans:
Ahead of the Game?

Democrats:
Lagging Behind but Catching Up

Blogs & the
Emerging “Netroots”

3
Types of Party Systems

One-party system
A political system in which
representatives of one political
party hold all or almost all the
major offices in government.

Two-party system
A political system in which
only two political parties have
a realistic chance of
controlling the major offices of
government.

Multi-party system
A political system in which
three or more political parties
effectively compete for political
office and no one party can win
control of all offices.

Why does the US have
a two party system?
• Electoral Rules
• Restrictions on Minor
Parties
• Attitudes of the American
Public

Most democratic nations use a
proportional representation
system.

United States uses a
Plurality, Single-Member District
system

“Winner Takes All”

US system discourages rise of
Third Parties
(cc) 2005 Grant Neufeld - Creative Commons, Some Rights

Why does the US have
a two party system?
• Electoral Rules
• Restrictions on Minor
Parties
• Attitudes of the American
Public

The major parties often establish rules
that make it difficult for other parties to
get on the ballot.
(cc) 2006 Adrian Liem - Creative Commons Some Rights Reserved

Qualification rules for third-party
presidential candidates can create
financial difficulties…
(cc) 2006 Steven Hoang - Some Rights Reserved

Suspension of the FCC’s “equal time” and
“fairness doctrine” requirements creates
difficulties for third party candidates to get
invited to the debates.
(cc) 2000 Ruby Sinreich - Some Rights Reserved

Why does the US have
a two party system?
• Electoral Rules
• Restrictions on Minor
Parties
• Attitudes of the American
Public

The broad belief
in The American
Creed leaves
little room for
parties outside
the mainstream.
(cc) 2006 Samuel Eichner - Some Rights Reserved

People grow comfortable with the
system they are used to…
(cc) 2006 Mattias Berg - Some Rights Reserved

“Human institutions have an
impressive capacity to
perpetuate themselves, or
at least to preserve their
form.”
~V.O. Key

Minor parties in the
two-party system

PROTEST IDEOLOGICAL
Types of Minor Parties
SINGLE-ISSUE SPLINTER

PROTEST IDEOLOGICAL
Types of Minor Parties
SINGLE-ISSUE SPLINTER

PROTEST IDEOLOGICAL
Types of Minor Parties
SINGLE-ISSUE SPLINTER

PROTEST IDEOLOGICAL
Types of Minor Parties
SINGLE-ISSUE SPLINTER

PROTEST IDEOLOGICAL
Types of Minor Parties
SINGLE-ISSUE SPLINTER

The Role of Minor Parties

Articulate and popularize
new ideas

Allow people with grievances to
express themselves in a way not
possible within the major parties.

Minor parties are usually not as
cautious as the major parties
• Tend to be loud, unambiguous about
policies, ideologically committed.
• Expand the scope of conflict in
American politics.
• Increase interest and attention among
at least some segments of the public.
• Bring a few more Americans into the
political process.

Realignment
When a new party system has
taken the place of the old system
because of a fundamental shift in
the types of groups that support
the parties.

Realignment
Why are they caused?

Realignment
When do they tend to occur?

Critical elections?

1932