Political Parties (EXAM 2)

What is a Political Party in America?

a group of voters, activists, candidates, and office holders who identify with a party label and seek to elect individuals to public office.

Party Dominance Over the Years

v  Reconstruction -- Republican dominance

v  1876-1896 -- closely competitive

v  1896-1929 -- Republican dominance

v  1930s and 1940s -- Democratic dominance

v  1950s to present -- closely competitive

Minor Parties’ Impact on Recent Presidential Elections

• When it comes to winning presidential elections, minor parties are not a threat to the two major parties.

• However, minor parties can have a significant impact on who ends up winning a presidential election

Ross Perot in 1992 (Minor Party Impact)

• He won 18.9% of the popular vote nation-wide.

• Clinton easily won the Electoral College with 370 electoral votes to Bush’s 168, with Perot winning 0.

• Ross Perot took votes from George H. Bush before suspending his campaign (middleman in converting George H. Bush (Republican) voters into Clinton voters)

Ralph Nadar (Green Party) in 2000 (Minor Party Impact)

• He won 2.74% of the popular vote nation-wide.

• In Florida, Nader got 97,488 votes (1.635% of the popular vote in Florida).

• Against Al Gore who could’ve gotten those votes and benefitted George W. Bush (Republican)

Only _____ third parties have won any electoral votes in a presidential contest

eight

Minor Parties’ Impact Beyond the Presidential Elections

• Minor parties also can win a small number of elected offices outside the presidency.

• The third parties that have had some success are:

2000: Ralph Nader and the Green Party

1996 and 1992: Ross Perot’s Reform Party

1968: George Wallace’s American Independent Party

1924: Robert LaFollette’s Progressive Party

1912: Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party

1856: Millard Fillmore's American Party

The Congressional Party

• Party groups select the leadership of both houses, arrange committees, and organize and operate the Congress.

• Congressional party leaders have some methods of enforcing party discipline

methods of enforcing party discipline:

• good committee assignments

• prime office assignments

• fund raising help

• legislative assistance

• endorsements

The Presidential Party

• The president raises money, campaigns, and sometimes his “coattails” help party nominees.

• On the other hand, sometimes party members running for office do not want to be associated with a president in his second term because they are afraid they may be associated with the failures of that president’s term in office.

The Party and the Judiciary

• Many state and local judges are elected, whereas federal judges are appointed.

• Elected judges tend to be more heavily influenced by public opinion and election returns.

• Appointed positions usually go to judges who agree politically with the elected official who appoints them. (over time, they become less loyal to party/candidates that put them in power, b/c they have no fear of being reelected)

The Parties and State Government

• Most of the same logic of the party’s relationship to the national legislature, executive, and judiciary apply at the state level as well.

• How electors are selected to electoral college is driven by party.

• There are a few differences….

Differences between politcal parties in state governments vs. legislative, executive, and judicial

• Governors have more rewards and incentives to help them maintain party discipline and promote their agenda than does the President.

•  State legislatures generally have more party unity and cohesion than the U.S. Congress. Members of state legislatures tend to also be more likely to work with the opposing party on passing legislation.

The Party-in-the-Electorate

• The party-in-the-electorate is the mass of potential voters who identify with a specific party.

• American voters often identify with a specific party, but rarely formally belong to it.

• Party identification generally comes from one's parents, but it can be affected by a number of other factors.

Loyalty Trends - Democrats

v  Labor union members

v  People living in large inner-cities

v  Women

v  African Americans and Hispanics

v  Young people (18-24)

v  Most blue-collar workers

v   The unemployed

v  Catholics and Jews

v  The widowed

v  Liberals

Loyalty Trends - Republicans

v  Chambers of Commerce

v  The West (excluding the far west coast)

v  Men tend to split fairly evenly between the two parties

v  Older Cuban Americans (anti-Castro)

v  Professionals, executives, and white-collar workers

v  High status Protestants

v  Married couples (heterosexual)

v  Conservatives