Political Party: activists who organize to win elections, operate the govt. and determine public policy

Factions: group in a political party acting in pursuit of an interest/position; do not have a permanent organization

1. Recruit candidates for public office

2. Organize and run elections

3. Present alternative policies to the electorate

4. Accept responsibility for operating the govt.

5.Act as the oganized opposition to the party in power 

Federalists: John Adams; represented commercial interests and supported a strong national government

Anti-Federalists (Jeffersonian Republicans) : represented artisans and farmers; strongly supported states' rights  

Era of the Good Feelings 

(Era of personal politics) 

Whigs: stood for federal spending on "internal improvements"; first to split and northern Whigs united with antislavery Democrats and antislavery Free Soil Party to from modern Republican Party

Democrats: favored personal liberty and opportunity for the "common man"; thought that the govt. should promote business and economic growth but also wanted to impose Protestant moral values on society which was opposed by Democrats

Republican Party

upper-income voters; businesspersons

supportive of the private marketplace; believe more strongly in an ethic of self-reliance and limited govt. 

lower-income voters; Jewish electorate, hispanics, African Americans; women; city-dwellers

coalition of the labor movement and various racial and ethnic minorities are the core of Dem. Party

support social-welfare speding, to support govt. regulation of business, endorse measures to improve the situation of minorities and to support assisting the elderly with medical expenses 

tendency for wealthier states or regions to favor Democrats and for less wealthy states/regions to favor Republicans

parodixical because it reverses traditional patterns of support 

principal organized structure of each political party within each state; control over the use of part campaign funds during political campaigns

rewarding faithful party workers and followers with govt. employment and contracts

city machines are now dead, mostly because their function of providing social services has been taken over by state and national agencies 

executive and legislative branches controlled by different parties

may indicate a lack of trust in govt. or the relative weakness of party identification among many voters 

1. historical foundation of the system

2. political socialization and practical considerations

3. the winner-take-all electoral system

4. state and federal laws favoring 2 party system 

delegates/electors who are voted by each state;  committed to various presidential candidates

officially elects the president and the vice-pres 

part other than the two major parties

may be founded from scratch or may be split off from one of the major parties 

sometimes functioned as way stations for voters en route from one of the major parties to the other 

1. members of the minor party regard themselves as outsiders and look to one another for support
2. the rewards of idelogical commitment are psychological, so parties do not think in terms of immediate electoral success

1. third parties can influence one of the major parties to take up one or more issues
2. third parties can determine the outcome by pulling votes from one of the major-party candidates (called spoiler effect)

process in which enough voters switch part allegiance, producing a long-term change

a newly dominant party has to replace the previously dominant party 

myth: occur about every 36 years

substantial body of citizens have to believe that their party can no longer represent their interests/values 

straight-ticket voting

vs. 

swing votes 

voting exclusively for candidates of one party

voters who frequently swing their support from one party to another