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| An alternative to a state primary in which followers meet, often for many hours, to select party candidates. |
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| Congressional Campaign Committee |
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| A party committee in Congress that provides funds to members who are running or re-election or to would-be members running for an open seat or challenging a candidate from the opposition party. |
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| A government in which one party controls the White House and another party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress. |
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| A party that values principled stands on issues above all else, including winning. It claims to have a comprehensive view of American society and government radically different from that of the established parties. |
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| The means by which individuals can express preferences regarding the development of public policy. |
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| McGovern-Frasier Commission |
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| Commission that brought significant representation changes to the Democratic party. It made future conventions more democratic by including more minority representation. |
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| The faction in the Republican party of the 1890’s to the 1910’s composed of reformers who opposed the use of patronage and party bosses and favored the leadership of experts. After 1910, they evolved into a nonpartisan “good government” movement that sought to open up the political system and curb the abuse of parties. |
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| A paid, full-time manager of a party’s day-to-day work who is elected by the national committee. |
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| The governing body of a political party made up of state and national party leaders |
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| National Nominating Convention |
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Definition
| The governing authority of the political party. They give direction to the national party chairperson, the spokesperson of the party, and the person who heads the national committee, the governing body of the party. They are also the forums where presidential candidates are given the official nod by their parties. |
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| A term created by the Democratic Leadership Council in 1992, it denotes a more conservative, centrist Democrat. |
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| A shift away from the major political parties to a more neutral, independent ideological view of party identification. |
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| A time period characterized by national dominance by one political party. Then have been four major party eras in American history – the era of good feeling, the Republican era following the Civil War, the Democratic era following the election of Franklin Roosevelt, and the Republican era following the election of Richard Nixon. |
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| The party organization that exists on the local level and uses patronage as the means to keep the party members in line. Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall are examples. |
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| Voted on by the delegates attending the National Convention, they represent the ideological point of view of a political party. |
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| The movement of voters from one political party to another resulting in a major shift in the political spectrum (characterized by the start of a party era). |
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| The political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks. |
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| An electoral system, used in almost all American elections, in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority of the votes. |
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| The different ways an average citizen gets involved in the political process ranging from conventional means of influencing government to more radical unconventional tools that have influenced our elected officials |
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| A group of people joined together by common philosophies and common approaches with the aim of getting candidates elected in order to develop and implement public policy. It is characterized by an organization that is responsible to the electorate and a has a role in government. |
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| The factors that determine voting behavior such as family, religion, and ethnic background. |
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| Traditional Democratic middle-class voters turning to Ronald Reagan during the 1980’s |
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| A new national third party created by Ross Perot in 1996 |
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| An evangelical conglomeration of ultraconservative political activists, many of whom support the Republican Party. |
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| The social rewards that lead people to join local or state political organizations. People who find politics fun and want to meet others who share their interests are said to respond to solidary incentives. |
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| A local or state political party that is largely staffed and funded by another organization with established networks in the community. One example is the Democratic party in and around Detroit which has been developed, led, and to a degree financed by the political-action arm of the United Auto Workers Union. |
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Definition
| Democratic party leaders and elected party officials who automatically are selected as delegates to the National Convention. |
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| Political parties that can be described as ideological, single-issue oriented, economically motivated, and personality driven. Examples include Free Soil Party, Know-Nothings, Populist, and Bull Moose Parties. In 1996 Ross Perot created a new national third party called the Reform Party. |
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| An electorate system with two dominant parties that compete in state or national elections. Third parties have little chance of winning. |
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