"A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections."
Organizations that represent different ideologies and compete for political power through elections and governance.
Ideologies: Political beliefs and principles that shape party platforms and policies.
Party structures: The organization and hierarchy of political parties at the local, state, and national levels.
Party alignment: The historical and current trends in partisan identification among voters and electoral outcomes.
Party primaries: The process by which parties select their candidates for elected office.
Third parties: Alternative political organizations that challenge the two-party system.
Interest groups: Organizations that advocate for specific policy positions and often align with political parties.
Campaign finance: The laws and regulations governing political contributions and spending in elections.
Voting behavior: The factors that influence individual voting decisions, including partisanship, issue positions, and candidate characteristics.
Party platforms: The official statements of party principles and policies that guide party messaging and legislative priorities.
Party polarization: The increasing ideological distance between the major political parties and its effect on governing and public policy.
Democratic Party: The oldest political party in the United States, the Democratic Party is typically associated with progressive policies and support for social welfare programs.
Republican Party: The other major political party in the United States, the Republican Party is typically associated with conservative policies and support for limited government.
Libertarian Party: The Libertarian Party advocates for maximum individual freedoms and minimal government intervention in all areas of life.
Green Party: The Green Party is a left-leaning party that seeks to prioritize environmentalism, social justice, and grassroots democracy.
Constitution Party: The Constitution Party is a right-leaning party that seeks to uphold traditional conservative principles, including limited government and strict interpretation of the Constitution.
Socialist Party: The Socialist Party seeks to move the United States towards a socialist economic system, with ownership of the means of production being increasingly held by workers rather than private individuals.
Communist Party: The Communist Party seeks to establish a classless society in which all economic and political power is held collectively by the people.
Independent Party: The Independent Party is not affiliated with any of the major political parties in the United States and allows voters who do not identify with either major party to participate in the political process.
Justice Party: The Justice Party advocates for social justice and human rights, supporting policies that aim to reduce economic inequality and ensure that all individuals have access to basic necessities.
Reform Party: The Reform Party was originally created as a movement against establishment politics, and today it lobbies for greater accountability and transparency in government.
"Modern party organizations developed and spread around the world over the last few centuries."
"It is extremely rare for a country to have no political parties."
"Usually, democracies have more political parties than autocracies. Autocracies often have a single party that governs the country."
"Some political scientists consider competition between two or more parties to be an essential part of democracy."
"Political parties usually include a party leader, party executives, and party members."
"Parties will sometimes govern in a way that favors the people who donate time and money to them."
"Competitions between liberal, conservative, and socialist parties; other common ideologies include communism, populism, nationalism, and Islamism."
"Many political parties have no ideological affiliation."
"Political parties in different countries will often adopt similar colors and symbols."
"Many political parties may instead be primarily engaged in patronage, clientelism, or the advancement of a specific political entrepreneur." Remaining questions: