Texas Government: Political Parties, Campaigns, and Interest Groups

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering political parties, campaigns, elections, interest groups, and lobbying in Texas politics.

Political Parties

Organizations that provide a label that helps voters identify those seeking office.

Partisan Polarization

The process by which political parties become more distant from each other in terms of ideology.

State Convention

The highest level of temporary party organization in the state of Texas.

La Raza Unida Party

The third party and movement that had the most success in winning elections in post-World War II Texas.

Shivercrat Movement

A group of conservative Democrats in Texas who supported Dwight D. Eisenhower for president.

1990s

The decade in which the Republican Party became the dominant party in Texas.

Blue Dog Democrats

Southern Democrats with conservative views.

Presidential Republicanism

A voting pattern where Texans vote for Republican presidents and Democrats for state offices.

Primary Election

An election in which voters select their party's candidate for a general election.

Closed Primary

The primary election system officially held in the state of Texas.

General Election

An election held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.

Gubernatorial Elections

Elections for governor held during even-numbered years that are not presidential election years.

Poll Tax

A historical voting fee that restricted the participation of poor people in the general election.

Preclearance

The procedure requiring certain states, such as Texas, to obtain approval every time they make changes to districts.

William Clements

The first Republican to become Texas governor since Reconstruction.

David Dewhurst

Texas lieutenant governor who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate prior to seeking re-election.

8F Crowd

A group of extremely wealthy Texans who met in Suite 8F of the Lamar Hotel in Houston and controlled Texas politics for 40 years.

Bundling

The process by which interest groups combine small contributions from many sources to form one large contribution.

Access to Politicians

The single most important asset needed by interest groups to be effective.

Dark Money

Donated money that does not have to be reported by a political campaign.

Capture Theory

The idea that through long-term relationships, government interests come to serve the objectives of an interest group.