Political parties are complex organizations that serve several functions in the US political system. They organize elections, help candidates get elected, and work to advance their policy platforms. Parties have different components, including the party in government made up of elected officials, the party in the electorate of citizens who identify with the party, and formal party organizations. While parties have dominated US politics for over 200 years, minor third parties face challenges to disrupting the two-party system due to electoral and legal barriers.

1. Political Parties Michael P. Fix

2. What is a Political Party?

5. Political Parties Defined VS. How do parties and interest groups differ? Images from www.wikipedia.org

7. Party Functions

9. Party Roles

10. The Components of Political Parties Party-In-Government Party-in-the-Electorate Party Organization The Tripartite View of Parties

11. Party-in-Government All of the elected officials serving under a party’s banner

12. Party-in-the-Electorate Every citizen who attaches him or herself to a political party

16. Party Identification and Voting

17. Party Identification and Voting Straight-Ticket Voters Voters who support candidates of the same party in every election. Split-Ticket Voters Voters who support candidates of different parties in the same election or from one election to the next.

18. Primary Elections

19. Party-as-Organization The formal apparatus of the party, including party headquarters, offices, and leaders

20. Layers of the Party System

21. National Party Committees DNC Chair Tim Kaine RNC Chair Michael Steele

22. Party Machines Chicago Mayor Richard Daly, Jr. in front of an image of his father, one of the most powerful party boss in U.S. history.

23. Party Systems

24. Party Realignment A “partisan realignment” takes place when a large number of voters do not return to their party in the next election

26. Party Systems 1 st Party System (1790s-1824)‏ Federalists (Gone by 1812)‏ Democratic-Republicans

27. 1 st Party System The Whiskey Rebellion in 1784 was one of the key events that led to the development of the first two party system.

28. Party Systems 2 nd Party System (1824-1860)‏ Whigs Democrats

29. 2 nd Party System Image from userwww.sfsu.edu Partisan Realignment over slavery and immigration led to the end of the 2 nd party system.

30. Party Systems 3 rd Party System (1860-1896)‏ Democrats Republicans

31. 3 rd Party System Images from www2.ccs.k12.va.us

32. Party Systems 4 th Party System (1896-1932)‏ Democrats Republicans

33. 4 th Party System Images from www.tqnyc.org

34. Party Systems 5 th Party System (1932-?)‏ Democrats Republicans

35. What about 1968? Image from news.bbc.co.uk

36. Minor Parties

37. Third Parties in the U.S. System Ideological Parties Protest Parties Single-Issue Parties Splinter Parties

38. Ideological Parties Ideological Party Third party that exists to promote an ideology rather than to win elections In nearly every US presidential election this century the socialist parties have fielded a candidate. Image from www.sp-usa.org

39. Protest Parties Protest Parties Third party that arises in response to issues of popular concern which have not been addressed by the major parties William Jennings Bryan of the Populist Party did not win the presidency in 1896, but he came very close

40. Single-Issue Parties Single-Issue Party Third party formed around one particular cause Image from www.gp.org

41. Splinter Parties Splinter Party Third party formed by a dissatisfied faction of a major party Strom Thurmond (left) was a States’ Rights Democratic candidate for the presidency in 1948. The party formed in protest to the civil rights plan in the Democratic Party platform

44. Twentieth-Century Third-Party Presidential Votes