Among the voters who psychologically identify with it.
As a grassroots organization staffed and led by activists.
As a group of elected officials who seek to act on its ideals.
The chapter primarily studies the party as an organization that takes on various forms at the local level, including:
The political machine.
The ideological party.
The solidary group.
The sponsored party.
The personal following.
National parties are weak coalitions of these local forums.
As organizations that influence the political systems, parties are becoming even weaker.
Voters no longer strongly identify with one of the major parties.
The spread of the direct primary has made it harder for parties to control who is nominated for elective office, thus making it harder for the parties to influence the behavior of officeholders they once elected.
Delegate selection rules, especially in the Democratic Party, have contributed to shifting the center of power away from officeholders and party regulars and toward the parties’ more ideological wings.
Minor parties have arisen from time to time, but the only ones that have affected the outcome of presidential elections have been those that began as splinter groups within one of the major parties, such as the Bull Moose Progressives.
The two-party system is maintained, and minor parties are discouraged, by an election system of winner-take-all, plurality elections.
This arrangement makes voters fear that they will “waste” their vote if they vote for a minor party.
The primary system makes it possible for minor parties to wield influence through the major parties.
What Is a Political Party?
A group of political activists who organize to win elections, to operate the government, and to determine public policy.
Parties differ from interest groups.
Political Parties vs. Interest Groups
Political Parties
Run government
Select candidates
Multiple issues (party platform)
Interest Groups
Influence government
Support candidates
Often a single issue
The term interest group refers to virtually any voluntary association that seeks to publicly promote and create advantages for its cause.
It applies to a vast array of diverse organizations, including corporations, charitable organizations, civil rights groups, neighborhood associations, professional and trade associations.
The Three Components of Political Parties
Multi-party systems are the norm throughout Western Europe.
The two-party system in place in the United States is rather unique, using a winner-take-all structure.
Reasons American and European Parties Are Different
European parties are disciplined gatekeepers, to which voters are very loyal, though this has been declining recently.
Federal system decentralizes power in United States.
Early in U.S. history, the most important government decisions were made by the state and local governments, and this is where most of the political jobs were.
National parties in those times were coalitions of local parties.
As political power became more centralized, parties became even more decentralized and weaker.
Parties are closely regulated by state and federal laws, which weaken them.
Candidates are now chosen through primaries, not by party leaders.
President is elected separately from Congress, and presidential appointees are drawn from many sources.
Duverger's law is a principle that asserts that plurality rule elections structured within single-member districts tend to favor a two-party system.
In political science, the use of the plurality voting system alongside multiple, single-winner constituencies to elect a multi- member body is often referred to as single-member district plurality or SMDP.
Plurality voting is also variously referred to as winner- takes-all or relative/simple majority voting; however, these terms can also refer to elections for multiple winners in a particular constituency using bloc voting.
Proportional representation (PR) is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council.
PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received.
For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular party then it gets 30% of seats.
Functions of Political Parties
Recruit candidates to run for elective offices at all levels of government
Mobilize citizens to vote and participate in elections
Bear the responsibility of operating government at all levels
Provide organized opposition to the party in power
Most major activities of political parties are carried out by a relatively small group of party activists.
Recruit and train candidates
Parties run/assist in campaigns
Parties give cues to voters and help candidates win office through mobilizing electorate.
Propose policies and form majorities to pass them.
Responsible for operating government.
Anthony Downs – moderate policies
Loyalty Trends - Democratic
Labor union members, blue collar workers, and/or poor tend to vote Democratic.
Democrats have a lead in garnering the women's vote.
Over 80% of African Americans vote Democratic.
Young people are once again more Democratic.
Individuals with Post-Graduate Degrees are more likely to be Democratic.
Jewish individuals are mostly Democrats.
Liberals are very likely to be Democrats.
Loyalty Trends - Republican
The South is now a Republican strong hold.
Suburban areas are more likely to be Republican
Business owners, professionals, executives, and white- collar workers tend to be Republican.
Fundamentalist Christians are solidly Republican and are currently the most active Republican supporters.
Married couples tend to be Republican.
Conservatives are very likely to be Republican.
Where the Voters Are
Some other democracies (Israel, France, Germany) use proportional representation in which the percentage of the vote that a party receives corresponds to the number of seats it hold in the legislature.
This system allows minority parties to flourish.
History of Political Parties
The Formative Years: Federalists/Anti- Federalists (1789-1816)
The Era of Good Feelings (1816-1828)
National Two-Party Rule: Whigs and Democrats (1828-1860)
The two-party system has been in place since about 1800.
Federalists were for the adoption of the Constitution, while Anti-Federalists were against it.
The era of good feelings is also known as the era of personal politics, as competition for elected office took place primarily between individuals, not parties.
The Civil War Crisis
The Post-Civil War Period (1865-1896)
Most states were dominated by one party.
Factions emerged within each party.
Republicans broke into professional politicians (Old Guard) and progressives (mugwumps).
Progressives initially shifted between parties to gain power, but then began attacking partisanship when the Republicans became dominant.
Conflicts over slavery split the North and South, causing the Whig party to split.
The northern Whigs united with antislavery factions to become the modern Republican Party (not to be confused with the Jeffersonian Republicans.)
The Progressive Interlude (1896-1932): large corporations (