2. Political Parties
• Political parties form for the simple purpose of winning
elections.
• It is a group of people who share common goals and
attempt to control government.
• Difference between political parties and interest groups
is that:
• Larger
• Address more issues
• Nominates and runs candidates for office.
• Interest Group- Group of individuals who strongly
support a certain political cause. The cause may be an
item of legislation, an industry, or a particular section of
society. Such as the NRA.
3. Political Structure
• The basic structure of the
two major political parties
in the U.S. are described
as coalitional.
• Coalition means each
party consists of a variety
of groups that come
together to win elections.
• These groups usually
agree on vague ideas,
however there’s a lot of
tension that forms.
• Parties in other countries
exhibit a structure
labeled as ideological.
• This means a group or
party that is built around
a set of principles.
• Because there is a lot of
cultures throughout
Texas, ideological groups
tend to not work because
the political parties need
to appeal to a broad sets
of ideas.
4. Conventions
• Conventions- are formal party meetings to
select leadership delegates and create
platforms.
• Platforms - the statement of principles
passed by a political party’s convention.
• There are 4 types of conventions.
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•
•
•
State
County
Precinct
Senatorial District
5.
6.
7. Democratic Party
• One of the first political parties to organize in
Texas were the Democrats, who were established
in 1884.
• During this period in time, there wasn’t much
competition so Democrats fought Democrats
in elections. The key group in this would be
factions.
• Factions- divisions within a political party
• Each faction varied in size but had similar views
on issues.
8. Factions
• Redeemers- got their name because they wanted
to “redeem” the South from the Republicans.
• Liberals- supported Roosevelt's New Deal
programs.
• Conservatives- disliked Roosevelt and
HATED his New Deal programs.
• Texas Regulars- A conservative faction of the
Democratic party during the 1940’s.
• Democrats of Texas- A liberal faction of the
Democratic Party during the 1950’s.
9. Retrenchment
• Fun Fact: The victory of Republican Bill Clements
in the 1978’s governor’s race ended 105 years of
Democratic control of that office.
• At that point Democrats realized that they no longer
have the luxury to fight amongst themselves. They
wanted to keep all their supporters which included
•
•
•
•
Minorities
Labor unions
Blue collar workers
Rural Conservatives (Yellow Dog Democrats)
• The Democrats still till this day do well among both
African Americans and Hispanics.
10. Democratic Platform
• Believe in a strong national government that
protects the interest of individuals while
promoting a stronger union. Calls for increased
national government spending.
11. Republican Platform
• Believes that decision making should be closest
to the people, with significant powers dispersed
to state and local governments. Downsizing
the federal government.
12. Republican Party
• Before 2003, the last republican party that
controlled Texas was during the reign of E.J.
Davis.
• Although Democrats were dominating, two factors
caused the state to turn more Republican.
• One factor was that the national party started to
become more liberal but the state party stayed
conservative.
• The other factor was the differences between the
Republican and Democratic parties in 1952.
13. Slow Growth
• Senator Tower’s 1961 victory started the
foundation for the growth of the Republican
Party. He won again in 1966 and 1972.
• In 1978, Tower not only won again, but a
Republican Governor was also elected for the
first time since Reconstruction.
• Democrats still controlled the legislature though.
14. The Reagan Revolution
• In 1982, the Republicans took a step back when they lost
the governor’s office.
• They rebounded quick in 1984 when Reagan and Bush
ran the ticket again.
• Texas couldn’t be considered a two-party state in 1986
because the Republicans showed an inability to win
statewide down-ballot races.
• Down-ballot races- contests below the level of the
president, governor, or U.S. senator.
• So these include the lieutenant governor, attorney
general, Supreme Court justice, railroad
commissioner, and comptroller.
15. Two-Party State
• Texas became a two-party
state on Election Day of
1988.
• Texans voted for
Republican candidate
George Bush.
• Then in the down ballot
races, Republicans won 3
Supreme Court seats, chief
justice, and railroad
commissioner.
16. Party Politics in the New Millennium
• As the Republican Party has risen, it was
plagued with factionalism.
• It’s divided into 3 different factions:
• Economic Conservatives- believe in lower
taxes and less business regulation
• Libertarian Conservatives- fear government
intrusion on an individual’s life
• Social Conservatives- believe the biggest
problems are caused by nation’s moral decay
