ANG CH 9 - Political Parties

What was the original name of today's Democratic party?

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICANS

Who was responsible for creating the first organized political parties in the United States?

Members of Congress

Duverger's Law

French political scientist Maurice Duverger argued that electoral systems composed of districts that each select one representative by simple plurality vote tend to produce two parties

Simple plurality vote

where each voter votes for only one candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins, even if no one gets a majority

Ballot access laws usually

restrict, keep 3rd or minor parties off the ballot

Major Party

one that is capable of competing to win elections for the highest offices and a plurality of seats in the legislature, the United States has never had more than two major parties at any one time

According to Duverger's Law, what is the main explanation for a two-party system?

Single member districts with plurality winners.

Which of the following is a major explanation for the realignment of the "solid South"?

The 1965 Voter Rights Act

Which of the following are areas where the "conservative" and "liberal" major parties have switched positions over time?

Civil rights and international trade

Recent polling suggests that about ___ percent of American adults are true independents.

11

Prior to the 1960s, party organizations were strongest at which level?

State

Which of the following had the strongest effect on the importance of party organizations at different levels?

The development of mass fundraising techniques

How many national committees does each major party have?

3

If you were the leader of a state political organization, would you prefer to have closed primaries or open primaries (you can neglect all of the variations in between)? Why?

If I was the leader of a state political organization, I'd prefer to have closer primaries because they dont disenfranchise non-party members and others allow non-members to sabotage the nominating process.

In a "top two" primary, the top two finishers run against each other in the general election unless one of them received a majority of the votes in the primary.

False

Voters in an open primary can switch back and forth between different parties depending on the office.

False

Which of the following is the most accurate description of partisan competition these days?

Democrats win urban areas and Republicans win rural areas

Key components of the Republican coalition include:

B and C

Which of the following are likely results of polarization in Congress?

Party discipline and policy gridlock

Median Voter

the voter who is theoretically exactly in the middle of the distribution of voters

Rockefeller Republicans

moderate, liberal faction of conservatives; so-called 'Eastern Establishment.'

Caucus

a private meeting of party leaders to choose delegates for the next level of the state convention, who are pledged to support certain candidates.

Super delegates

elected officials and party leaders who automatically have a vote by virtue of their position. Under new rules adopted for 2020, super delegates are only be allowed to vote if no candidate receives a majority in the first round