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 Political Parties  Not mentioned in the Constitution  Two main parties: Republicans and Democrats  Four levels: national, state, county and precinct  Stratarchy 2Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Temporary Party Organization  Primaries and conventions where members of the major political parties select candidates for public office  Precinct conventions  Occur every even-numbered year on the first Tuesday in March  Usually sparsely attended  Select delegate for county convention  Sometimes propositions are placed on the ballot 3Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Temporary Party Organization  County and District Conventions  Occur the third Saturday after the precinct conventions  Elect state convention delegates 4Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Temporary Party Organization  State conventions  June of even-numbered years  Certify nominees from primaries  Write the rules that govern the party  Draft and adopt a party platform  Select members of the party’s state executive committee  If presidential election, select delegates to National Convention and electors 5Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Selection of National Convention Delegates  Presidential preference primary and caucuses  Democratic selection  “Texas Two-Step” – Primary vote and caucus  Republican selection  Presidential preference primary 6Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Permanent Party Organization  Precinct Chair  Organizes the party’s activities in a district  County and District Executive Committees  Conduct county primaries and arrange county conventions  District executive committee nominates candidates to fill district vacancies 7Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Permanent Party Organization  State Executive Committee  Highest permanent party organization in state  Members elected at party’s state convention  Composed of a chair, vice chair, and two members from each senatorial district  State party chair is chief fundraiser. 8Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Conservatism  Belief in minimal government intervention in economic and social/welfare programs  Gives high priority to reducing taxes and cutting public spending  Neoconservative  Fiscally conservative  Accepts limited governmental role in solving social problems 9Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Liberalism  Favor government regulation of economy to achieve more equal distribution of wealth  Favor government involvement in social programs  Protect individual freedoms and rights  Neoliberal  Less government regulation of business and economy, but greater government involvement in social programs 10Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 1840s to 1870s: Origin of the Party System  Pro-Houston faction  Jackson Democrats  Anti-Houston faction  Calhoun Democrats  Reconstruction Republicans – E.J. Davis 11Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 1870s to1970s: A One-Party Dominant System  Strong Democratic Party  Populist Party  Agrarian based  Conservative Democrats v. Liberal Democrats 12Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 1970s to1990s: An Emerging Two-Party System  Resurgence of Republican Party  2000 to 2012: Republican Dominance  Controlled all state-wide elections  George Bush wins presidency in 2000  Republicans take control of the Texas House in Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

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 Dealignment  Voters trend away from allegiance to political parties  Realignment  Voters shift away from one political party to another  Straight-Ticket Voting  Voting for all the candidates of one party 15Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Third Parties  Any political party other than the Democratic or Republican Party  Achieve success in making the public aware of their issues, persuading major parties adopt some of their issues  La Raza Unida  Reform Party  Libertarian Party 16Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

 Independents  Applies to candidates who have no party affiliation  Limited success due to no campaign organization or fundraising abilities, difficulty gaining ballot access 17Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

1. Describe the structure of political parties in Texas, distinguishing between the temporary party structure and the permanent party structure. 2. Compare and contrast the different political ideologies found in the Lone Star State. 18Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

3. Trace the history of political parties in Texas 4. Identify the roles that minor parties and independents have played in Texas. 19Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning