Government 2306
AlmightyGovernment and Politics in the Lone Star State
Tenth Edition
Chapter 10
Political Socialization, Political Behavior, and Public Opinion
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Learning Objectives
10.1 Explain what political parties are and why Texas has a two-party system.
10.2 Explain the primary functions of political parties in Texas.
10.3 Summarize the partisan history of Texas.
10.4 Explain the structure of the party organization in Texas.
10.5 Summarize the challenges of producing cohesive policy-oriented coalitions in Texas government.
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Political Parties and a Democratic Society (1 of 4)
What Are Political Parties?
Help maintain and develop democracy
Provide a process for choosing leaders
Provide representation
Ensure responsive government
Clarify policy alternatives
Three heads (parts) of a political party
Party in the electorate
Party in government
Party as an organization
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Figure 10-1 The Three-Part Political Party
SOURCE: Based on V. O. Key, Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups (New York: Cromwell, 1958); and Paul Allen Beck, Party and Politics in America (New York: Longman, 1997).
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V. O. Key put forward the view that parties are social structures best understood from three perspectives: the party in the electorate, the party as an organization, and the party in government. These three functions can be found at the federal, state, and local levels.
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Political Parties and a Democratic Society (2 of 4)
Parties versus Interest Groups
Interest groups
Shape public policy by influencing public officials
Focus on a narrow range of policy issues
Engage in electoral activities
Do not nominate candidates
Political parties
Recruit and nominate candidates
Take responsibility for management of government
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Political Parties and a Democratic Society (3 of 4)
Two-Party System
Two-party politics in the United States
Natural two-way division of political views and interests
State election laws, such as plurality voting and ballot requirements
Hard for third parties to build a support base
Few folks hold strong, cohesive ideological beliefs.
Many issues cut across race and class lines.
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Political Parties and a Democratic Society (4 of 4)
Third Parties in Texas
Historical tradition of third parties
None able to achieve statewide success
Populists (1890s) and La Raza Unida (1970s) threatened the established party structure.
Libertarians qualify for placement on the statewide ballot.
Democratic Party response to third parties
Co-opted movements through policy concessions
Used restrictive legislation to reduce political participation
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The Functions of Political Parties (1 of 7)
Recruit and Nominate Candidates
An individual wins the party’s nomination if he or she gets the majority vote in the primary.
Terrell Election Laws of 1903 and 1905
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The Functions of Political Parties (2 of 7)
Contest Elections and Mobilize Voters
Parties mobilize voters for specific candidates
Approximately 70% of Texas voters identify with either the Republican or the Democratic party
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The Functions of Political Parties (3 of 7)
Organize and Manage the Government
Governors appoint people from their political parties who have the same policy objectives.
Political parties also are important in the organization of the Texas legislature.
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The Functions of Political Parties (4 of 7)
Mediate the Effects of Separation of Powers
Governors need support for programs, and legislators need support to enact their bills.
Greater support if the governor and a majority of the legislature are of the same party
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Political Parties and Institutional Cooperation
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Policy differences and conflict are inherent in a constitutional system of separation of powers, but political parties serve, in part, to provide the bases for policy cooperation and coordination.
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The Functions of Political Parties (5 of 7)
Provide Accountability
Political parties criticize each other when it comes to the performance of government.
Political parties provide electoral competition for political offices.
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The Functions of Political Parties (6 of 7)
Manage Conflict and Aggregate Interests
Political parties aggregate interests by finding common interests among groups of voters.
Political parties manage conflict by supporting a variety of programs and common principles.
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The Functions of Political Parties (7 of 7)
Set the Policy Agenda
Candidates running for public office announce their support or opposition to specific policies.
Officeholders try to carry out policies that will solidify their support among the voters.
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The Party in the Electorate (1 of 8)
One-Party Democratic Politics
Strong anti-Republican sentiments following Reconstruction
Use of modified class politics
Formation of the conservative establishment
Race issues used to divide lower social groups
Constitutional and legislative restrictions on political participation
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The Party in the Electorate (2 of 8)
Factionalism in the Democratic Party
Split between liberals and conservatives in the 1930s
National party realignment to the Democratic Party
New liberal Democratic Party agenda centered on New Deal policies.
Conservatives maintain control of the state party from the 1940s to the 1970s.
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The Party in the Electorate (3 of 8)
Modified One-Party Democratic Politics
Bifactionalism caused conservative voters to leave the Democratic Party.
Rise of the Republican Party
President Truman angers Texas oil interests.
Republicans build a stronger party organization.
Election victories of John Tower and Bill Clements
Rise of liberal wing of the Democratic Party
Ralph Yarborough elected to U.S. Senate in 1957
Mobilization of minority groups
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The Party in the Electorate (4 of 8)
Two-Party Politics in Texas
Realignments
Issues cut across existing party allegiances.
A critical election occurs
It produces a long-term shift in party support and identification.
No single critical election in Texas
Realignment over welfare and civil rights policies
Two-party system in place by the 1990s
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Landmark Legislation that Changed the Political Landscape
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President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965. The law’s purpose was to protect the voting rights of minorities, which had been denied by many states. The long-term results of this law were to increase political participation by Texas minorities and to produce a significant increase in the number of elected minority officials.
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The Party in the Electorate (5 of 8)
Republican Dominance
Took and held control of the Texas House and Senate and all statewide offices by 2002
Accounted for a majority of Texas’s congressional delegation in 2004
Democrats unable to field experienced and well-financed candidates in statewide races
Still competitive at the county level
Able to regain six seats in the Texas House in 2006
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Table 10-1 Growth of Republican Officeholders in Texas, 1974–2015 (1 of 2)
Year | U.S. Senate | Other Statewide | U.S. Congress | Texas Senate | Texas House | County Offices* | District Offices* | Total |
1974 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 53 | Blank cell | 75 |
1976 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 67 | Blank cell | 92 |
1978 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 87 | Blank cell | 119 |
1980 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 35 | 166 | Blank cell | 215 |
1982 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 191 | 79 | 317 |
1984 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 52 | 287 | 90 | 446 |
1986 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 56 | 410 | 94 | 578 |
1988 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 57 | 485 | 123 | 687 |
1990 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 57 | 547 | 170 | 797 |
1992 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 58 | 634 | 183 | 906 |
1994 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 61 | 734 | 216 | 1,051 |
1996 | 2 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 68 | 938 | 287 | 1,343 |
SOURCE: Courtesy of Cassie Daniel, Senior Director of Party Organization & Training, Republican Party of Texas.
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*County offices include: county judge, commissioners, constables, county attorneys, county clerks, district clerks, county judicial positions, treasurers, surveyors, justices of the peace, sheriffs, tax assessor/collectors, and other local offices.
**District offices include: State Board of Education, court of appeals, district judges, and district attorneys.
***The 2015 data were compiled to the end of the calendar year.
22
Meg (M) - where do asterisks lead?
Table 10-1 Growth of Republican Officeholders in Texas, 1974–2015 (2 of 2)
Year | U.S. Senate | Other Statewide | U.S. Congress | Texas Senate | Texas House | County Offices* | District Offices* | Total |
1998 | 2 | 27 | 13 | 16 | 72 | 1,108 | 289 | 1,527 |
2000 | 2 | 27 | 13 | 16 | 72 | 1,233 | 346 | 1,709 |
2002 | 2 | 27 | 15 | 19 | 88 | 1,443 | 372 | 1,966 |
2004 | 2 | 27 | 21 | 19 | 87 | 1,608 | 402 | 2,166 |
2006 | 2 | 27 | 19 | 20 | 82 | 1,814 | 389 | 2,353 |
2008 | 2 | 27 | 20 | 19 | 76 | 1,862 | 389 | 2,395 |
2010 | 2 | 27 | 23 | 19 | 102 | 2,365 | 432 | 2,970 |
2012 | 2 | 27 | 24 | 19 | 95 | 2,583 | 460 | 3,210 |
2013 | 2 | 26 | 24 | 19 | 95 | 2,668 | 463 | 3,297 |
2015*** | 2 | 28 | 26 | 20 | 98 | 2,992 | 497 | 3,660 |
SOURCE: Courtesy of Cassie Daniel, Senior Director of Party Organization & Training, Republican Party of Texas.
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*County offices include: county judge, commissioners, constables, county attorneys, county clerks, district clerks, county judicial positions, treasurers, surveyors, justices of the peace, sheriffs, tax assessor/collectors, and other local offices.
**District offices include: State Board of Education, court of appeals, district judges, and district attorneys.
***The 2015 data were compiled to the end of the calendar year.
23
The Party in the Electorate (6 of 8)
Changing Party Identification
In 1952, 66 percent of Texans were Democrats, and only 6 percent claimed to be Republicans.
This pattern changed little from 1952 to 1964.
Dramatic decrease in Democratic Party identification between 1974 and 1984
By 2014, 38 percent of Texans were Republicans, and 31 percent claimed to be Democrats.
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Figure 10-2 Changing Party Affiliation in Texas, 1964–2014
SOURCE: The Texas Polls, 1993–2004; Pew Research Center, “Fewer Voters Identify as Republicans,” March 20, 2008; and University of Texas/The Texas Tribune Polls, February 2012 and February 2014.
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Although Republicans hold all statewide offices and control the legislature, this figure shows a near parity or equality between Republicans and Democrats in Texas for two decades until an uptick in 2014 with a marked increase of voters identifying with the Republican Party. Many independent voters, who are believed to account for about one-third of the state electorate, split their ballots on Election Day, often voting for Republicans
in statewide races and for Democrats for many county offices.
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The Party in the Electorate (7 of 8)
Differences between Traditional Republicans, Tea Party Republicans, and Democrats
Texas Republican Party
College educated, higher income, migrant and suburban residents, more men than women, older people, frequent church attendance, and Anglos
Tea Party Republicans
More intense in concerns about border security
Some differences from traditional Republicans in evaluations of elected officials
Texas Democratic Party
Less educated, lower incomes, urban residents, more women than men, younger people, attend church less regularly, and ethnic and racial minorities
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The Party in the Electorate (8 of 8)
Party Realignment, Dealignment, or Revitalization?
Alignment
The parties appear, in part, to be aligning around economic issues that are manifested in liberal and conservative philosophies, but issues involving race and ethnicity continue to shape attitudes.
Dealignment
Voter indifference toward partisan labels is shown in ticket splitting and numbers of independents.
Revitalization
Parties reclaim basic party functions, especially in the areas of elections and campaigns.
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Journal 10.3
As you reflect on the politics of your community, do you see any indications that race or class play a prominent role in political campaigns or public policy decisions?
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The Party Organization (1 of 6)
The Permanent Organizations
Precinct chair
Helps organize the precinct convention
County Executive Committee and county chair
Organize the primary and recruit candidates
Organize the county convention
State Executive Committee, chair, and vice chair
Accept filings of candidates for offices
Organize the state convention
Engage in fund-raising
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The Party Organization (2 of 6)
The Temporary Organizations: The Party Conventions
The precinct, county, and senatorial conventions
Hold precinct, county, or senatorial district, and state conventions every two years
Select delegates to county or senatorial, state, and national conventions
Elect members of the permanent party organization
Certify candidates nominated in the primaries
Build the party platform
Choose presidential electors
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The Party Organization (3 of 6)
The Temporary Organizations
Key functions
Hold precinct, county or senatorial district, and state conventions every two years
Select delegates to county or senatorial, state, and national conventions
Elect members of the permanent party organization
Certify candidates nominated in the primaries
Build the party platform
Choose presidential electors
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The Party Organization (4 of 6)
The County or Senatorial District Conventions
County or senatorial district conventions are held two weeks after the precinct conventions.
Select resolutions and delegates to the state conventions every two years
Nominate candidates for countywide offices
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The Party Organization (5 of 6)
State Conventions
The state convention is held in June of even-numbered years.
Nominate candidates for statewide office and adopt the party platform
Pick the chair and vice chair and members of the executive committee
Pick delegates to the national nominating conventions in presidential election years
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The Party Organization (6 of 6)
The Party Activists
People who participate in the organizational activities of the political party
Predominantly white, Protestant, well educated, and higher income
Most raised in Texas or residents for over twenty years
Republican Party has fewer minority activists.
Republican leadership is more conservative.
Democratic leadership is mostly moderates and liberals.
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The Party in Government
Little Evidence of the Responsible Party Model in Texas
Decentralized parties, with diffused leadership
Develop coalitions among groups pursuing different interests
Supporters hold different ideological and programmatic views.
Antiparty tradition in Texas
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Shared Writing 10.5
Consider the discussion in “Texas’s Shift from Blue to Red Informs 2014 Races.” The “red-blue”" debate in Texas is essentially an issue of party realignment. The transformation of Texas from a one-party Democratic state to that of essentially a one-party Republican state occurred over several years in which many different factors converged, including economics, demographics, trends in national politics, and the role of key political actors. For those predicting the possibility of Texas becoming a “blue” state with the resurgence of the Democratic Party, what lessons might be drawn from the Republican realignment that produced the party’s current domination of the state government and many local governments throughout Texas?
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Photo Credits
Page 289: Gary Coronado/Pool/EPA/Alamy Stock Photo; 294: Ferd Kaufman/AP Images; 296: Marjorie Kamys Cotera Polaris Images/Newscom; 298: Austin American-Statesman Jay Janner/AP Images; 300: AP Images; 302: AP Images; 303: Lyndon Baines Johnson LBJ Library and Museum; 304: Lyndon Baines Johnson Library /National Archives; 317: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division [LC-USZ62-128459]
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Federal
State
Local
The Party in
Government
(party candidates for
public office and state,
local, and national
officeholders) The Party in
the Electorate
(voters with loyalty to
and identification with
party)
The Party as
an Organization
(party committees,
officials, and
workers)