Political party - functions and impact of political parties on the electorate and government are represented by: i. Mobilization and education of voters ii. Party platforms iii. Candidate recruitment iv. Campaign management, including fundraising and media strategy v. The committee and party leadership systems in legislatures ; structure of parties has been influenced by: i. Critical elections (elections in which there is a realignment of political party support among voters) ii. Campaign finance law iii. Changes in communication and data management technology ;  use communication technology and voter data management to disseminate, control, and clarify political messages and enhance outreach and mobilization efforts

Mugwumps - Republican party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s composed of reformers who opposed patronage.

Party convention - a political convention where delegates of a political party come from across the nation to nominate their party candidates and decide on a party platform

National committee - Delegates who run party affairs between national conventions.

Congressional campaign Committee - A party committee in Congress that provides funds to members and would be members

National chairman - Day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee.

 Superdelegates - Party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

Solidarity incentives - The social rewards (Sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations.

Sponsored party - A local or state political party largely supported by another organization in the community.

Two-party system - An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

Plurality system - An electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections.

Caucus - closed meetings of party members to select candidates or decide policy

Democratic Party - a major political party that generally aligns more closely to liberal ideological positions ; D or DEM

Republican Party - a major political party that generally aligns more closely to conservative ideological positions ; R or GOP

Electorate - the people eligible to vote in an election

Party platform - formal set of principal goals of a political party to appeal to the public / electorate

Candidate-centered campaign - where the public focus is on the characteristics of the candidate and not on the party

Critical elections / Realignments - set of sharp changes in party ideology, issues, party leadership, regional and demographic bases of power in political parties, and political system rules and structures

Third party - incorporation of third-party agendas into platforms of major political parties serves as a barrier to third-party and independent candidate success