This document provides an overview of political parties in the United States. It defines political parties as coalitions that recruit and elect candidates to control government according to their ideas. It discusses the role of parties in organizing voters, government, and managing conflict. It also examines the development of the party system over time through realigning elections and issues that have divided the electorate and led to the rise and fall of parties.

1. PO 101
Spring 2017

5. “A body of men united,
for promoting by their
joint endeavors the
national interest, upon
some particular
principle in which they
are all agreed”
Edmund Burke

6.  Inter and Intra-PartyVariation
 Political Party vs. Political Ideology
 Conservative Democrats, Liberal Republicans
 Politicians’ Choices
▪ Vote or caucus with another party
▪ Defect party and join another

7.  A broad coalition of individuals who:
 (1) Recruit, nominate, and elect candidates for office
 (2) Under a given label
 (3)To control the government
 (4) In accordance with their ideas and policies.

10.  Party-in-the-Electorate
 Loyalty and Identification with Party
 Party Identification (“PID”)
 What happens if someone has different views?
▪ Likert Scale
Strong
Lib
Weak
Lib
Lean
Lib
Mod
Lean
Cons
Weak
Cons
Strong
Cons

11.  Party Organization
 Party Officials, Committees,Volunteers, Staff
 Functions of Party Organizations
 Party-in-Government
 Officeholders and Candidates
 Local, State, National Levels
 Examples: President, Majority/Minority Leaders

13.  Intermediary Between Citizens and Govt.
 Bring PublicTogether to AccomplishObjectives
 “Linkage Institutions”
 Nominate Candidates for Office
 National, State, and Local Levels
 Contest Elections
 Mobilize Electorate; EncourageVoting
 Engage Supporters, Persuade Undecided, Minimize
Opposition

15.  Organize Government
 Provide Accountability
 Government Responsibility
 Importance of Party ID
 Retrospective and ProspectiveVoting
 Sincere and StrategicVoting
 Manage Conflict
 Reconciling Group Demands

16.  Parties present clear ideological position/
ideology to voters
 Candidates support and implement party goals
 Voters hold party responsible during elections
 Parties control elected members

18.  1912 Election: Bull Moose Party
 Teddy Roosevelt broke from Republicans
 Split GOP vote; DemocratWilson wins
 1948 Election: Dixiecrat Party
 StromThurmond broke from Dems over civil rights
and anti-segregation views
 1992 Election: Reform Party
 Ross Perot,TX billionaire, ran on budget platform
 Participated in major debate b/c of support

23. MAURICE DUVERGER DUVERGER’S LAW
 Two parties emerge in countries
with simple plurality vote
 Example: Election with 100 voters
 Candidate A received 49% of vote
 Candidate B receives 26% of vote
 Candidate C receives 25% of vote
 Candidates B and C will work
together over time to defeat A,
producing two parties

26. DonaldTrump Marco Rubio

31.  Regional support for the parties change
 Social groups supporting the parties change
 New groups of citizens are mobilized and
become part of electorate
 Voters change not just which party they vote for,
but also the party that they identify with
 Realignments are typically caused by new
issues that divide citizens

34. Hamilton and
Jefferson both
served in
Washington’s
cabinet.
Despite being
influential to
our founding,
they had
different
conceptions
concerning
government.

36.  Presidential electors now popularly elected
 Property qualifications for voting dropped
 Voter turnout increased dramatically
 “King Caucus” replaced by nominating
conventions

37. The Whigs formed in opposition to
Jackson’s presidency and policies.

38. Racial issues
and sectional
strife in the
1850s divided
the North and
South in
America.
This resulted in theThird Party System—
and the birth of the Republican Party

40. The Whig party dissolved at this point. It could not survive the slavery
issue while also grappling with the anti-slavery Republican party.

41. Rise of Political
Machines, including
Tweed’sTammany Hall.
The
Australian
or Secret
Ballot was
adopted to
counteract
party
machines.

43. Standard Oil
Company,
John D.
Rockefeller

44.  Beginning of Republican Dominance
From L to R:
Presidents
Warren G.
Harding,
Calvin
Coolidge,
and Herbert
Hoover.

46. The “New Deal Coalition” helped FDR win election.
The “New Deal” was the name given to various
social welfare programs passed during his administration.

48.  Changes Regarding Ideology and Party ID
 African-Americans: Republican  Democrat
 White Southerners: Democrat  Republican
 Rise of candidate-centered system
 Continuance of Third-Party Candidates
 Defined by intense partisanship and gridlock