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political organization
parties & interest groups that function as intermediaries btwn indvs and govt
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political parties
organizations that seek to achieve power by winning public office
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majority
election won by more than 50% of votes
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plurality
election by at least one more vote than the other candidate
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Democratic Party
1 of main parties in Am. politics - traces back to Dem-Rep - acquiring name under Jackson 1828
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Whig Party
Oppose Jackson's party
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Republican Party
1 of main parties in Am. politics - origins to anti-slavery - created under Lincoln
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GOP
"Grand old party" popular label for Republican party
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New Deal
policies of Franklin D Roosevelt during Great Depression - helps form Democratic coalition of urban working-class
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Fair Deal
policies of Harry Truman extending the New Deal and maintaining Dem. party coalition
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Great society
policies of president Lyndon B. Johnson that promised to solve nation's social & economic problems through govt. intervention
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Reagan coalition
combination of social & economic conservatives, religious fundamentalist, anticommunist that rallied behind Reagan
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responsible party model
sys. in which competitive parties adopt a platform of principle, recruiting candidates and directing campaigns based on that platform & holding elected officials responsible for enacting it
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party polarization
tendency of Democratic Party to take more liberal positions & for Republican party to take more conservative positions on key issues
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nominee
political party's entry in general election race
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nominations
political party's selection of candidates for public office
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primary elections
elections to choose party nominees for public office
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machines
tightly disciplined party organizations, headed by a boss that rely on material rewards
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patronage
appointment to public office based on loyalty
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Divided Party Government
one party controls presidency while the other controls both houses of Congress
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nonpartisan election
elections in which candidates do not officially indicate party affiliation - used for city,county, school board, etc
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caucus
nominating process in which party members or leaders meet to nominate candidates or select candidates to conventions
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wards
division in a city for electoral or administrative purposes or as units of organization for political parties
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precincts
subdivisions of a city, county, or ward for election purposes
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closed primaries
primary elections in which voters must declare their party affiliation & can cast a ballot only in their own party's primary election
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open primaries
primary elections in which voter may cast a ballot in either party's primary election
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raiding (cross over voting)
organized efforts by one party to get its members to cross over in a primary & defeat an attractive candidate in opposing party
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runoff primary
additional primary held btwn the top 2 vote-getters in a primary where no candidate has received the majority vote
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general elections
election to choose among candidates nominated by parties and/or independent candidates(who gained access to the ballot by petition)
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party-in-the-electorate
voters who identify themselves w/ a party
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ticket splitters
persons who vote for candidates
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party-in-the-government
public officials who are nominated by their party & who identify themselves in office w/ their party
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party organization
national and state party officials, workers, committee members and others active in party
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convention
nominating process in which delegates from local party organizations select the party's nominees
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presidential primaries
primary elections in states in which voters in each party choose presidential candidate for party's nomination
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delegates
accredited voting members of a party's national presidential nominating convention
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Superdelegates
delegates to Democratic national convention selected b/c of their position in govt or party & not pledged to any candidate
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platform
statement of principles adopted by a political party at its national convention - not binding on party candidate
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party identification
self-described identification w/ a political party
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Dealignment
declining attractiveness of the parties to voters - reluctance to identify strongly with a party
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Realignment
long term shift in social group support for various political parties that creates new coalitions in each party
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ideological parties
exist to promote ideology rather than win election
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protest parties
third parties that arise in response to issues of popular concern not addressed by major parties
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single-issue parties
third parties formed around one particular issue
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splinter parties
third parties formed by dissatisfied faction of a major party
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third parties
political parties that challenge main parties in elections
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proportional representation
electoral system that allocates seats in legislature based on proportion of votes each party receives in national election
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