 Republicans  Democrats

 Conservative  Cut Taxes  Favor Big Business  Pro Life  Cuts environmental spending  Favor strict sentencing for Crime  Stronger in foreign policy  Favor small government  Pro Gun Ownership  Increase defense spending

 Liberal  Raise Taxes  Favor labor unions  Pro Choice  Increases environmental spending  Favor alternative sentencing for crimes  Stronger in domestic policy  Favor big government  Anti Gun ownership  Decrease defense spending

 Conservative  Favor very small government  Desire almost no government regulation.

 Very Liberal  Favor saving the environment and very little else.

 Formerly U.S. Taxpayers Party  In the political middle  Want government conducted by the constitution

 Founded by Ross Perot in 1992  Concerned mainly with building a strong economy

 Parties the only appeal to a small section of parties are known as splinter parties  Splinter parties break away from the major parties to focus on one or a few issues.

 George Washington  Abraham Lincoln  Franklin Roosevelt  Thomas Jefferson  Theodore Roosevelt

 James Buchannan  Warren Harding  Franklin Pierce  Andrew Johnson  Millard Fillmore

 Must be at least 35 years old  Must be a natural born U.S. citizen  Must be a legal resident of the state you are running from.

 1. Declare intention to run  2. Raise Money- running for president costs millions of dollars.  Mitt Romney spent $20 million not including donations he received

 3. Campaign and Debate- Candidates debate each other on TV and travel around the country making speeches

 Run in primaries  A political primary is an election in which republicans run against republicans and democrats against democrats for the nomination of their political party for president.

 Open Primary- A primary in which you may vote for whichever party you choose.  Closed Primary- a primary in which you must register for one political party and you must vote for a candidate in that party for the primary and general election.

 Primary winners win the delegates for that state.  At the party convention delegates cast their vote for the person that won their state. The candidate with the most delegates wins the nomination

 Nominees choose a vice president to run with them.  Candidates campaign and debate against each other.

 Public opinion polls ask people who they will vote for.  Survey 100-1,000 people  Use mathematical formula to determine support for each candidate.

 Election day is always the 1 st Tuesday after the 1 st Monday in November  Never November 1, latest it can be is November 8.

 When a candidate wins a state’s popular vote the also win that state’s electoral votes  The candidate with the most electoral votes wins  270 electoral votes are needed to become president.  California, Texas, Florida and New York have the most electoral votes.

 Federalist Era   Major Party- Federalists  Minor Party- Anti Federalists  Major Party Coalition- Agrarian Interests  Minor Party Coalition- Southern Plantations  Important Presidents- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe  End- Election of 1824

 Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and Henry Clay  Neither candidate had a majority  Jackson won popular vote

 Clay uses his influence to elect Adams  Adams wins  Jackson spends the next 4 years plotting revenge and founding The Democratic Party

  Major Party- Democrats  Minor Party- Whigs, Democratic Republicans  Major Party Coalition- Northern industrialists  Minor Party Coalition- Southern Plantations  Important Presidents- Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, James Polk  End- Election of 1860

 Abraham Lincoln elected, 1 st republican president.  Leads to southern secession and the Civil War.

  Major Party- Republicans  Minor Party- Democrats  Major Party Coalition- Big Business  Minor Party Coalition- None  Important Presidents- Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B Hayes End- The election of 1892 and the 2 nd term of Grover Cleveland

  Major Party- Republicans  Minor Party- Democrats  Major Party Coalition- Big Business  Minor Party Coalition- Labor Unions  Important Presidents- Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover  End- The Great Depression

  Major Party- Democrats  Minor Party- Republicans  Major Party Coalition- Unions, Civil Rights, National Defense  Minor Party Coalition- Big Business  Important Presidents- Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy  End- Election of Richard Nixon in 1968.

  Major Party- Republicans  Minor Party- Democrats  Major Party - Coalition- National Defense Minor Party Coalition- Environmental Groups, Action Groups Important Presidents- Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush End- Election of 2008