View source for Political parties in the United States

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{{For|a complete list|List of political parties in the United States}}
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{{Politics of the United States}}
American [[electoral politics]] have been dominated by successive pairs of major [[political parties]] since shortly after the founding of the republic of the United States. Since the 1850s, the two largest political parties have been the [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and the [[History of the Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]—which together have won every [[United States presidential election]] since [[1852 United States presidential election|1852]] and controlled the [[United States Congress]] [[Divided government in the United States|since at least 1856]].<ref>Byron E. Shafer and Anthony J. Badger, eds. ''Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775–2000'' (2001)</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2013}} Despite keeping the same names, the two parties have evolved in terms of ideologies, positions, and support bases over their long lifespans, in response to social, cultural, and economic developments{{Emdash}}the Democratic Party being the [[left-of-center]] party since the time of the [[New Deal]], and the Republican Party now being the [[right-of-center]] party.

Political parties are not mentioned in the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]], which predates the party system. The [[two-party system]] is based on laws, party rules, and [[Customary law|custom]]. Several [[Third party (United States)|third parties]] also operate in the U.S. and occasionally have a member elected to local office;<ref>William B. Hesseltine, ''Third-Party Movements in the United States'' (1962)</ref> some of the larger ones include the [[Constitution Party (United States)|Constitution]], [[Green Party of the United States|Green]], [[Alliance Party (United States)|Alliance]], and [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]] parties, with the Libertarian being the largest third party since the 1980s. A small number of members of the U.S. Congress, a larger number of political candidates, and a good many voters (35–45%){{NoteTag|In 48 surveys conducted regularly by Gallup between August 15–30, 2019, and September 1–16, 2022, no more than 50% and no fewer than 35% of respondents ever identified as independent.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Party Affiliation. In politics, as of today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or an independent? Trend since 2004 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx |access-date=17 October 2022 |publisher=Gallup}}</ref>}} have no party affiliation. However, most self-described independents consistently support one of the two major parties when it comes time to vote,<ref name="Klar">{{Cite web|last=Klar|first=Samara|date=2016-01-22|title=9 media myths about independent voters, debunked |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/1/22/10814522/independents-voters-facts-myths|access-date=2019-03-07|website=Vox|archive-date=2019-09-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905002236/https://www.vox.com/2016/1/22/10814522/independents-voters-facts-myths|url-status=live}}</ref> and members of Congress with no political party affiliation [[Congressional caucus|caucus]] to pursue common legislative objectives with either the Democrats or Republicans.{{NoteTag|For example, the only two independents serving in the U.S. Congress as of late 2022 were Senators [[Angus King]] and [[Bernie Sanders]].<ref name="Ballotpedia"/>
*While King has sometimes caucused with Republicans, after the 2014 mid-term elections, he stated that he would continue to caucus with Democrats in the Senate minority. According to a 2013 National Journal rating, "King's voting record makes him more a more reliable Democratic vote than 11 other Senate Democrats".<ref name="Bobic-HP-2014">{{cite news |last1=Bobic |first1=Igor |title=Independent Angus King Will Continue To Caucus With Senate Democrats |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/angus-king-caucus-democrats_n_6109774 |access-date=18 October 2022 |agency=Huff Post |date=5 November 2014}}</ref>
*Sanders has [[Congressional caucus|caucused]] with [[House Democratic Caucus|House]] and [[Senate Democratic Caucus|Senate Democrats]] for most of his congressional career.<ref name="wapo-radical">{{cite news|last=McCrummen|first=Stephanie|date=February 5, 2016|title=His Most Radical Move|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2016/02/05/his-most-radical-move/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205234023/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2016/02/05/his-most-radical-move|archive-date=February 5, 2016|access-date=January 21, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>}}

The need to win popular support in a [[Republicanism in the United States|republic]] led to the American invention of voter-based political parties in the 1790s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Roy Franklin Nichols|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=34g0AAAAIAAJ|title=The invention of the American political parties|publisher=Macmillan|year=1967|isbn=9780029229200|access-date=2015-10-31|archive-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617132710/https://books.google.com/books?id=34g0AAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Americans were especially innovative in devising new campaign techniques that linked public opinion with public policy through the party.<ref>Robert J. Dinkin,  ''Campaigning in America: A History of Election Practices.'' [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14291969 (Greenwood 1989) online version] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420055859/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o |date=2010-04-20}}</ref>
Political scientists and historians have divided the development of America's two-party system into six or so eras or "party systems",<ref>Paul Kleppner, et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983)</ref> starting with the [[Federalist Party]], which supported the ratification of the Constitution, and the [[Anti-Administration party]] (Anti-Federalists), which opposed a powerful central government and later became the [[Democratic-Republican Party]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 26, 2016|title=The First Political Parties: Federalists and Anti-Federalists|url=https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/interest-groups-7/the-history-of-political-parties-55/the-first-political-parties-federalists-and-anti-federalists-316-1572/|access-date=July 27, 2016|website=Boundless Political Science|publisher=Boundless.com|archive-date=October 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013034743/https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/interest-groups-7/the-history-of-political-parties-55/the-first-political-parties-federalists-and-anti-federalists-316-1572/|url-status=live |author1=Boundless }}</ref>

==History and political eras==
{{main|Political eras of the United States}}
[[File:PartyVotes-Presidents.png|thumb|right|1000px|Popular votes to political parties during U.S. presidential elections]]
{{Clear}}

[[File:Political Parties Derivation in the United States.svg|thumb|400px|Derivation of U.S. political parties (dotted line means "unofficially")]]

===Founding Fathers===
The subject of political parties is not mentioned in the [[Constitution of the United States|United States Constitution]]. The [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Fathers]] did not originally intend for American politics to be partisan. In [[Federalist No. 9]] and [[Federalist No. 10|No. 10]], [[Alexander Hamilton]] and [[James Madison]], respectively, wrote specifically about the dangers of domestic [[political faction]]s. In addition, the first [[President of the United States]], [[George Washington]], was not a member of any political party at the time of his election nor throughout his tenure as president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-first-president/political-parties/|title=Political Parties}}</ref> Furthermore, he hoped that political parties would not form, fearing conflict and stagnation, as outlined in his [[George Washington's Farewell Address|Farewell Address]].<ref>{{citation|title=Washington's Farewell Address|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/George_Washington's_Farewell_Address#20}}</ref> Historian [[Richard Hofstadter]] wrote that the Founders "did not believe in parties as such, scorned those that they were conscious of as historical models, had a keen terror of party spirit and its evil consequences", but "almost as soon as their national government was in operation, [they] found it necessary to establish parties."<ref name="Hofstadter-1969-iv">{{cite book |last1=Hofstadter |first1=Richard |title=The Idea of a Party System : The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780-1840 |date=1969 |publisher=University of California Press |page=iv |isbn=9780520013896 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wG5rCKm8SmAC&q=%E2%80%9Cdid+not+believe+in+parties+as+such,+scorned+those+that+they+were+conscious+of+as+historical+models%22 |access-date=5 October 2022}}</ref>

Since their creation in the 1800s, the two dominant parties have changed their ideologies and bases of support considerably, while maintaining their names. In the aftermath of the [[U.S. Civil War]], the Democratic party was an agrarian, pro-states-rights, anti-civil rights, pro-[[easy money policy|easy money]], anti-tariff, anti-bank coalition of [[Jim Crow]] [[Solid South]] and Western small farmers.<ref name=britannica-dem/> Budding labor unions and Catholic immigrants were the primary participants in the Democratic party of the time. During the same period, the dominant Republican party was composed of large and small business owners, skilled craftsmen, clerks, professionals, and freed African Americans,<ref name="Kleppner-3rd-2010" /> based especially in the industrial northeast.<ref name="Kleppner-3rd-2010" />

By the start of the 21st-century, the Democratic party had shifted to become a left-wing party, disproportionately composed of women, [[LGBT]] people, union members, and urban, educated, younger, non-white voters.<ref name="Mitchel-base-2011">{{cite news |last1=Mitchel |first1=Lincoln |title=What Is the Democratic Party Base? |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-the-democratic-pa_b_741708 |access-date=18 October 2022 |agency=Huff Post |date=25 May 2011}}</ref> At the same time, the Republican party had shifted to become a right-wing party, disproportionately composed of family business, older, rural, southern, religious,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Biden's Win Shows Rural-Urban Divide Has Grown Since 2016|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/934631994/bidens-win-shows-rural-urban-divide-has-grown-since-2016|access-date=2021-09-20|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name="NEWPORT-2009">{{cite news |last1=NEWPORT |first1=FRANK |title=Republican Base Heavily White, Conservative, Religious |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/118937/Republican-Base-Heavily-White-Conservative-Religious.aspx |access-date=18 October 2022 |agency=Gallup |date=1 June 2009}}</ref> and white working-class voters.<ref name="nyer-cobb-15-3-2021">{{cite magazine |author=Jelani Cobb |date=15 March 2021 |title=Political Scene. What Is Happening to the Republicans? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/15/what-is-happening-to-the-republicans |magazine=New Yorker}}</ref> Along with this realignment, [[political polarization in the United States|political]] and ideological polarization increased<ref name=nyer-cobb-15-3-2021/> and norms deteriorated,<ref name="Howe-2017">{{cite journal |last1=Howe |first1=Paul |title=Eroding Norms and Democratic Deconsolidation |journal=Journal of Democracy |date=October 2017 |volume=23 |issue=4 |url=https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/eroding-norms-and-democratic-deconsolidation/ |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref> leading to greater tension and "deadlocks" in attempts to pass ideologically controversial bills.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fiorina|first1=Morris P.|last2=Abrams|first2=Samuel J.|date=June 2008|title=Political Polarization in the American Public|journal=Annual Review of Political Science|language=en|volume=11|issue=1|pages=563–588|doi=10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.053106.153836|issn=1094-2939|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===First Party System: 1792–1824 (Federalist vs Democratic-Republican)===
{{Main|First Party System}}
The beginnings of the American [[two-party system]] emerged from [[George Washington]]'s immediate circle of advisers, which included [[Alexander Hamilton]] and [[James Madison]]. Hamilton and Madison wrote against political factions in ''[[The Federalist Papers]]'' (1788), but by the 1790s, differing views concerning the course of the new country had developed, and people who held these views tried to win support for their cause by banding together.

Followers of Hamilton's ideology took up the name "[[Federalist Party|Federalist]]"; they favored a strong central government that would support the interests of commerce and industry and close ties to Britain. Followers of the ideology of Madison and [[Thomas Jefferson]], initially referred to as "[[Anti-Federalism|Anti-Federalists]]", became known as Republicans, which for clarity's sake is today called the "[[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republicans]]"; they preferred a decentralized [[Agrarianism|agrarian]] republic in which the federal government had limited power.<ref>Richard Hofstadter, ''The Idea of a Party System: The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780–1840'' (1970)</ref><ref>Gordon S. Wood, ''Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (Oxford History of the United States)''</ref><ref>William Nisbet Chambers, ed. ''The First Party System'' (1972)</ref>

The [[Jeffersonian democracy|Jeffersonians]] came to power in 1800. The Federalists survived in the Northeast, but their refusal to support the [[War of 1812]] verged on secession and was a devastating blow to the party when the war ended well. The [[Era of Good Feelings]] under [[James Monroe|President James Monroe]] (1816–1824) marked the end of the First Party System and was a brief period in which partisanship was minimal.<ref>George Dangerfield, ''The Era of Good Feelings'' (1952)</ref>

===Second Party System: 1828–1854 (Democratic vs Whig)===
{{Main|Second Party System}}
By 1828, the Federalists had disappeared as an organization, and [[Andrew Jackson]]'s presidency split the Democratic-Republican Party: "Jacksonians" became the Democratic Party, while those following the leadership of [[John Quincy Adams]] became the [[National Republican Party]] (unrelated to the later Republican Party). After the 1832 election, opponents of Jackson—primarily National Republicans, [[Anti-Masonic Party|Anti-Masons]], and others—coalesced into the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]] led by [[Henry Clay]]. This marked the return of the two-party political system, but with different parties.

The early Democratic Party stood for individual rights and state rights, supported the primacy of the Presidency ([[Executive branch (US)|executive branch]]) over the other branches of government, and opposed banks (namely the [[Second Bank of the United States|Bank of the United States]]), high tariffs, and modernizing programs that they felt would build up [[Secondary sector of the economy|industry]] at the expense of farmers.<ref>Michael F. Holt, ''Political Parties and American Political Development: From the Age of Jackson to the Age of Lincoln'' (1992).</ref> It styled itself as the party of the "common man". Presidents [[Andrew Jackson]], [[Martin Van Buren]], and [[James K. Polk]] were all Democrats who defeated Whig candidates, but by narrow margins. Jackson's populist appeal and campaigning inspired a tradition of not just voting for a Democrat, but identifying as a Democrat; in this way, political parties were becoming a feature of social life, not just politics.<ref name="nyer-cobb-15-3-2021" />

The Whigs, on the other hand, advocated the supremacy of [[United States Congress|Congress]] over the executive branch, as well as policies of modernization and economic protectionism. Central political battles of this era were the [[Bank War]] and the [[spoils system]] of federal patronage.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Feller|first=Daniel|year=1990|title=Politics and Society: Toward a Jacksonian Synthesis|journal=Journal of the Early Republic|volume=10|issue=2|pages=135–161|doi=10.2307/3123555|jstor=3123555}}</ref> Presidents [[William Henry Harrison]] and [[Zachary Taylor]] were both Whig candidates.

In the 1850s, the issue of slavery took center stage, with disagreement in particular over the question of whether slavery should be permitted in the country's new territories in the West. The Whig Party attempted to straddle the issue with the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]], where the status of slavery would be decided based on [[Popular sovereignty in the United States|popular sovereignty]] (i.e. the citizens of each territory, rather than Congress, would determine whether slavery would be allowed).<ref name="auto">{{cite web | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wealthy-activist-who-helped-turn-bleeding-kansas-free-180964494/ | title=The Wealthy Activist Who Helped Turn 'Bleeding Kansas' Free | first=Robert K. | last=Sutton | date=August 16, 2017 | website=Smithsonian}}</ref> The Whig Party sank to its death after the overwhelming electoral defeat by Franklin Pierce in the [[United States presidential election, 1852|1852 presidential election]]. Ex-Whigs joined the [[Know Nothing]] party or the newly formed, anti-slavery [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. While the Know Nothing party was short-lived, Republicans would survive the intense politics leading up to the Civil War. The primary Republican policy was that slavery be excluded from all the territories. Just six years later, this new party captured the presidency when [[Abraham Lincoln]] won the election of 1860. This election marked the beginning of the Democratic and Republican parties as the major parties of America.

{|class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
|+ [[List of United States presidential elections by popular vote margin|Presidential election victories]] by party system{{NoteTag|Using the following definitions:
*First Party System (1796–1824)
*Second Party System (1828–1852)
*Third Party System (1856–1892)
*Fourth Party System (1896–1928)
*Fifth Party System (1932–1964)
*Sixth Party System (1968–present)}}
|-
!Party System
!Party A
!Party B
|-
!First
|{{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}|7
|{{party shading/Federalist}}|1
|-
!Second
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|5
|{{party shading/Whig}}|2
|-
!Third
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|3
|{{party shading/Republican}}|7
|-
!Fourth
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|2
|{{party shading/Republican}}|7
|-
!Fifth
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|7
|{{party shading/Republican}}|2
|-
!Sixth
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|6
|{{party shading/Republican}}|8
|}

===Third Party System: 1854–1890s (Democratic vs Republican)===
{{Main|Third Party System}}
The anti-slavery [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] emerged in 1854. It adopted many of the economic policies of the Whigs, such as national banks, railroads, high tariffs, homesteads, and aid to land grant colleges.

After the defeat of the Confederacy in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the Republican Party became the dominant party in America for decades, associated with the successful military defense of the Union and often known as the "Grand Old Party" (GOP).<ref>Lewis L. Gould, ''The Republicans: A History of the Grand Old Party'' (Oxford University Press, 2014).</ref> The Republican coalition consisted of businessmen, shop owners, skilled craftsmen, clerks, and professionals who were attracted to the party's modernization policies<ref name=Kleppner-3rd-2010>Paul Kleppner; Paul. ''The Third Electoral System 1853–1892: Parties, Voters, and Political Cultures'' (1979), [https://www.questia.com/library/book/the-third-electoral-system-1853-1892-parties-voters-and-political-cultures-by-paul-kleppner.jsp online edition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909033023/http://www.questia.com/library/book/the-third-electoral-system-1853-1892-parties-voters-and-political-cultures-by-paul-kleppner.jsp|date=2010-09-09}}</ref> and newly enfranchised African Americans ([[Freedman|freedmen]]).

The [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] was usually in opposition during this period, although it often controlled the Senate or the House of Representatives or both.<ref>Lewis L. Gould, "New Perspectives on the Republican Party, 1877–1913", ''American Historical Review'' (1972) 77#4 pp. 1074–82 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1859508 online].</ref>
The Democrats were known as "basically conservative and agrarian-oriented", and like the Republicans, the Democrats were a broad-based voting coalition. Democratic support came from the [[Redeemers]] of the [[Jim Crow]] "[[Solid South]]" (i.e. solidly Democratic), where "repressive legislation and physical intimidation [were] designed to prevent newly enfranchised African Americans from voting".<ref name="britannica-dem" /> Further Democratic support came from small farmers in the West before the [[Sun Belt]] boom. Both regions were much less populated than the North, yet politically powerful. Additional Democratic voters included conservative pro-business [[Bourbon Democrat]]s, traditional Democrats in the North (many of them former [[Copperhead (politics)|Copperheads]]), and Catholic immigrants.

As the party of states' rights, post-Civil War Democrats opposed civil rights legislation. As the (sometimes) [[populist]] party of small farmers, it opposed the interests of big business, such as [[protective tariff]]s that raised prices on imported goods needed by rural people. The party favored [[Easy money policy|cheap-money policies]], including low interest rates and inflation favoring those with substantial debts, such as small farmers.<ref name=britannica-dem>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Democratic-Party  |title=Democratic party| website=Britannica |access-date=28 September 2022}}</ref><ref>Jules Witcover, ''Party of the People: A History of the Democrats'' (2003)</ref>

Civil War and [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]] issues polarized the parties until the [[Compromise of 1877]], which saw the withdrawal of the last [[Regular Army (United States)|federal troops]] from the [[Southern United States]]. (By 1905 most black people were effectively [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchised]] in every Southern state.)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=Stephen A.|last2=Freedman|first2=Eric|title=Presidents and Black America|date=2011|publisher=[[CQ Press]]|isbn=9781608710089|page=[https://archive.org/details/presidentsblacka0000jone/page/218 218]|quote=In an eleventh-hour compromise between party leaders - considered the "Great Betrayal" by many blacks and southern Republicans ... |url=https://archive.org/details/presidentsblacka0000jone/page/218}}</ref>

During the post-Civil War era of the nineteenth century, parties were well-established as the country's dominant political organizations, and party allegiance had become an important part of most people's consciousness. Party loyalty was passed from fathers to sons, and in an era before motion pictures and radio, party activities, including spectacular campaign events complete with uniformed marching groups and torchlight parades, were a part of the social life of many communities.

===Fourth Party System: 1896–1932 (Democratic vs Republican)===
{{Main|Fourth Party System}}
1896 saw the beginning of the [[Progressive Era]]. The Republican Party still dominated and the interest groups and voting blocs were unchanged, but the central domestic issues changed to government regulation of railroads and large corporations ("[[Trust (business)|trusts]]"), the protective tariff, the role of [[Trade union|labor unions]], [[Child labour|child labor]], the need for a new banking system, corruption in party politics, primary elections, direct election of senators, [[racial segregation]], efficiency in government, [[women's suffrage]], and control of immigration.

Some realignment took place, giving Republicans dominance in the industrial Northeast and new strength in the border states.

The era began after the Republicans blamed the Democrats for the [[Panic of 1893]], which later resulted in [[William McKinley]]'s victory over [[William Jennings Bryan]] in the [[1896 United States presidential election|1896 presidential election]].<ref>George E. Mowry, ''The Era of Theodore Roosevelt, 1900–1912'' (1958) [https://www.google.com/#safe=off&q=george+e+mowry+archive.org online]</ref>

===Fifth Party System: 1932–1976 (Democratic vs Republican)===
{{Main|Fifth Party System}}

The disruption and suffering of the [[Great Depression]] (1929–1939), and the [[New Deal]] programs (1933–39) of Democratic President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] designed to deal with it, created a dramatic political shift.<ref>Richard Jensen, "The Last Party System: Decay of Consensus, 1932–1980", in Paul Kleppner et al., ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (Greenwood, 1981), pp. 205–06.</ref> The Democrats were now the party of "big government", the dominant party (retaining the presidency until 1952 and controlling both houses of Congress for most of the period from the 1930s to the mid-1990s),<ref name=britannica-dem/> and positioned towards [[Liberalism in the United States|liberalism]] while [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]] increasingly dominated the GOP.<ref>[[Matthew Levendusky]], ''The Partisan Sort: How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans'' (U Chicago Press, 2009)</ref>

The New Deal raised the minimum wage, established [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]], and created other federal services. Roosevelt "forged a broad coalition—including small farmers, Northern city dwellers with '[[Political machine#In the history of United States of America|urban political machines]]', organized labor, European immigrants, Catholics, Jews, African Americans, liberals, intellectuals, and reformers", as well as traditionally Democratic segregationist white Southerners.<ref name=Savage-2015>Sean J. Savage, ''Roosevelt: The Party Leader, 1932–1945'' (2015).</ref>

Opposition Republicans were split between a conservative wing, led by [[Ohio]] Senator [[Robert A. Taft]], and a more successful moderate wing exemplified by the politics of Northeastern leaders such as [[Nelson Rockefeller]], [[Jacob Javits]], and [[Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.|Henry Cabot Lodge]]. The latter steadily lost influence inside the GOP after 1964.<ref>Nicol C. Rae, ''The Decline and Fall of the Liberal Republicans: From 1952 to the Present'' (1989)</ref>

Civil rights legislation driven by Democratic President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], such as the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], along with [[Barry Goldwater 1964 presidential campaign|Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign]] and later President [[Richard Nixon]]'s "[[Southern strategy]]", began the breaking of white segregationist [[Solid South]] away from the Democratic Party and their migration towards the Republican Party. Southern white voters started voting for Republican presidential candidates in the 1950s, and Republican state and local candidates in the 1990s.<ref>J. David Woodard, ''The New Southern Politics'' (2006). For a graph of the movement of Southern white voters see {{cite book|author=Brian F. Schaffner|title=Politics, Parties, and Elections in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7kcTUn1G40C&pg=PA341|year=2010|edition=7th|publisher=Cengage Learning|page=31|isbn=9780495899167}}</ref>

[[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|Anti-Vietnam War protests]] alienated conservative Democrats from the protesters. The "religious right" emerged as a wing of the Republican Party, made up of Catholics and Evangelical Protestants who, until this point, were usually strongly opposed, but now united in opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Increased political polarization was the trend; county caucuses and state conventions were gradually replaced with political primaries, wherein the party base could defeat moderate candidates who appealed to general election voters but were disliked by the party base.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Sixth Party System: 1980–2016 (Democratic vs Republican)===
{{Main|Sixth Party System}}
Around 1968, a breakup of the old Democratic Party [[New Deal coalition]] began and American politics became more polarized along ideology. The following decades saw the dissipation of the blurred ideological character of political party coalitions. Previously, there were Democratic elected officials (mostly in the South) who were considerably more conservative than many Republican senators and governors (for example, [[Nelson Rockefeller]]). Even [[Jimmy Carter]], who ultimately served as a transitional President in the wake of the Nixon scandals, was considered by many at the time to possibly be a closet [[conservative Democrat|boll weevil Democrat]].{{fact|date=July 2024}}

In time, not only did conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans retire, switch parties, or lose elections, so did [[Centrism|centrists]] (such as [[Rudy Giuliani]], [[George Pataki]], [[Richard Riordan]], and [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]).{{fact|date=July 2024}}

Eventually a large nationwide majority of rural and working-class whites became the base of the Republican Party,<ref name="Bauman-2020">{{cite web |last1=Bauman |first1=Anna |last2=Clayson |first2=Jane |title=Tracing The Path Of The Modern GOP, From Reagan To Trump |url=https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/08/28/gerald-seib-tracing-modern-gop |website=WBUR. On Point |access-date=28 September 2022 |date=28 August 2020}}</ref>
while the Democratic Party was increasingly made up of a coalition of African Americans, Latinos, and white urban progressives. Whereas college-educated voters had historically skewed heavily towards the Republican party,<ref name="Chinni-NBC-2021">{{cite news |last1=Chinni |first1=Dante |title=GOP faces massive realignment as it sheds college-educated voters |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/gop-faces-massive-realignment-it-sheds-college-educated-voters-n1264425 |access-date=5 October 2022 |agency=NBC News |date=18 April 2021}}</ref> high educational attainment was increasingly a marker of Democratic support. Together, this formed the political system in the [[Reagan Era]] of the 1980s and beyond.<ref>Sean Wilentz, ''The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974–2008 (2008)''</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Robert M. Collins|title=Transforming America: Politics and Culture During the Reagan Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PqqrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA57|year=2009|publisher=Columbia UP|page=57|quote=[The Reagan presidency] produced a political transformation that altered substantially the terms of debate in American politics and public life.|isbn=9780231124010}}</ref>

In 1980, conservative Republican [[Ronald Reagan]] defeated incumbent Democratic President [[Jimmy Carter]]<ref name="dana-8-9-22">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/08/09/1116281152/how-the-republican-party-came-to-embrace-conspiracy-theories-and-denialism |title=How the Republican Party came to embrace conspiracy theories and denialism [Interview by Terry Gross of Dana Milbank, author of ''The Destructionists: The Twenty-Five-Year Crack-Up Of The Republican Party'' |website=[[NPR]] |date=9 August 2022 |access-date=3 October 2022}}</ref> on a platform of smaller government and sunny optimism that free trade and tax cuts would stimulate economic growth, which would then "trickle down" to the middle and lower classes (who might not benefit initially from these policies). The Republican Party was now said to rest on "[[The Three Leg Stool (GOP)|three legs]]": [[Christian right]] [[social conservatism]] (particularly the anti-abortion movement), [[fiscal conservatism]] and [[Libertarian conservatism|small government]] (particularly supporting tax cuts), and strong anti-communist military policy (with increased [[Interventionism (politics)|willingness to intervene abroad]]).

===Proposed Seventh Party System: 2016?–present (Democratic vs Republican)===
{{further|Post-truth politics|Political polarization in the United States#1990–present|Sixth Party System#Proposed Seventh Party System}}
While there is no consensus that a Seventh Party System has begun, many have noted unique features of a political era starting with the [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump]].{{NoteTag|It has been argued that a Seventh Party System has already started. Mark D. Brewer and [[L. Sandy Maisel]] speculate that "in the wake of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory, there is now strengthening debate as to whether we are entering a new party system as Trump fundamentally reshapes the Republican party and the Democratic party responds and evolves as well."<ref>Brewer and Maisel, ''Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process'' (9th ed. 2021) p 42 [https://books.google.com/books?id=7cPRDwAAQBAJ&q=sixth online]</ref>

If the Seventh Party System has not started yet, the Sixth Party System would be the longest party system ever, surpassing the forty years of the [[Third Party System]]. However, even by those that do believe it has started, there is no consensus on the exact start date of the Seventh Party System.}}

During and following the campaign, "Reagan Revolution" rhetoric and policy began to be replaced by new themes in the Republican Party. There was more emphasis on cultural conservatism (opposition not just to abortion, but also gay marriage and transgender lifestyles). Additionally, support for free trade and liberal immigration was replaced by opposition to economic globalization and illegal, undocumented immigration (mostly from non-European countries).{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} Distrust of institutions and loyalty for President Donald Trump became common among Republican voters during this time.

Although conservative blue-collar workers migrated to the Republican Party, an upper business class, historically part of the Republican Party since the [[Gilded Age]], began moving left. According to [[Ross Douthat]], "Today’s G.O.P. is most clearly now the party of ''local'' capitalism—the small-business gentry, the family firms", while "much of corporate America has swung culturally into liberalism’s camp. [...] The party’s base regards corporate institutions—especially in Silicon Valley, but extending to more traditional capitalist powers—as cultural enemies".<ref name="Douthat-business-2022">Ross Douthat. "What Does the Right Do When Big Business Turns Against Republicans?" [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/opinion/desantis-musk-disney.html ''New York Times'' April 27, 2022]</ref><ref name="Smart">{{cite news |last1=Smart |first1=Tim |last2=Camera |first2=Lauren |last3=Milligan |first3=Susan |title=Big Business, GOP Romance Hits the Rocks |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2022-04-29/romance-between-business-and-the-republican-party-hits-the-rocks |access-date=5 October 2022 |agency=U.S. News |date=29 April 2022}}</ref>

{{Chart|definition=Vote percentage of major parties and others in United States presidential elections.chart|data=Vote percentage of major parties and others in United States presidential elections.tab|Width=400}}

==Minor parties and independents==
{{See also|Independent politician#United States}}
Although American politics have been dominated by the two-party system, third political parties have appeared from time to time in American history, but seldom lasted more than a decade. They have sometimes been the vehicle of an individual (as in [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|"Bull Moose" party]], and [[Ross Perot]]'s [[Reform Party of the United States of America|Reform Party]]); had considerable strength in particular regions (such as the [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist Party]], [[Farmer-Labor Party]] of Minnesota, [[Wisconsin Progressive Party]], [[Conservative Party of New York State]],{{NoteTag|In 1970 a candidate of the [[Conservative Party of New York State]]  ([[James L. Buckley]]) [[James L. Buckley#Elections|defeated]] the Democratic and Republican party candidates for U.S. Senate.}} and [[Populist Party (United States)|Populist Party]]); or continued to run candidates for office to publicize ideas despite seldom winning even local elections ([[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]], [[Natural Law Party (United States)|Natural Law Party]], [[Peace and Freedom Party]]).

The oldest third party was the [[Anti-Masonic Party]], which was formed in upstate New York in 1828. The party's creators feared the [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]], believing they were a powerful secret society that was attempting to rule the country in defiance of republican principles.<ref>Morris, Richard B. (1961), ''Encyclopedia of American History'', revised edition. New York: Harper & Row, pp. 170–71</ref> By 1840, the party had been supplanted by the Whig Party.

Some other significant but unsuccessful parties that ran a candidate for president include: the [[Know Nothing]] or American Party (1844–1860), the [[People's Party (United States)|People's Party]] (Populist) candidate [[James B. Weaver]] (1892), [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s Progressive or "[[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Bull Moose party]]" (1912), [[Robert M. La Follette]]'s [[1924 United States presidential election#Progressive Party nomination|Progressive Party]] (1924), [[Strom Thurmond]]'s [[Dixiecrat]] States Rights Party (1948), [[Henry A. Wallace]]'s [[Progressive Party (United States, 1948)|Progressive Party]] (1948), [[George Wallace]]'s [[American Independent Party]] (1968), and [[Ross Perot 1992 presidential campaign|Ross Perot]] running as an [[Independent politician|Independent]] in 1992 and for the [[Reform Party of the United States of America|Reform Party]] in 1996.

==Organization of American political parties==<!-- This section is linked from [[Libertarian Party (United States)]] -->
{{See also|Political party strength in U.S. states}}

American political parties are more loosely organized than those in other countries, and the Democratic and Republican parties have no formal organization at the national level that controls membership. Thus, for example, in many states the process to determine a party's candidate for office is a public election (a [[political primary]]) open to all who have signed up as affiliated with that party when they register to vote, not just those who donate money and are active in the party.

Party identification becomes somewhat formalized when a person runs for partisan office. In most states, this means declaring oneself a candidate for the nomination of a particular party and one's intention to enter that party's primary election for office. A party committee may choose to endorse candidate(s) seeking the nomination, but in the end the choice is up to those who choose to vote in the primary, and it is often difficult to tell who will be voting.

The result is that American political parties have weak central organizations and little central ideology, except by consensus. Unlike in many countries, the party leadership cannot prevent a person who disagrees with basic principles and positions of the party, or actively works against the party's aims, from claiming party membership, so long as primary election voters elect that person. Once in office, elected officials who fail to "toe the party line" because of constituent opposition to it, and "cross the aisle" to vote with the opposition, have (relatively) little to fear from their party. An elected official may change parties simply by declaring such intent.

At the federal level, each of the two major parties has a national committee (the [[Democratic National Committee]] and [[Republican National Committee]]) that acts as the hub for much fund-raising and campaign activities, particularly in presidential campaigns. The exact composition of these committees is different for each party, but they are made up primarily of representatives from state parties, affiliated organizations, and others important to the party. However, the national committees do not have the power to direct the activities of members of the party.

Both parties also have separate campaign committees which work to elect candidates at a specific level. The most significant of these are the "[[Hill committee]]s", which work to elect candidates to each house of Congress.

State parties exist in all fifty states, though their structures differ according to state law, as well as party rules at both the national and the state level.

Despite these weak organizations, elections are still usually portrayed as national races between the political parties. In what is known as "[[Coattail effect|presidential coattails]]", candidates in presidential elections become the ''de facto'' leader of their respective party, and thus usually bring out supporters who in turn vote for the party's candidates for other offices. On the other hand, federal [[midterm election]]s (where only Congress, and not the president, is up for election) are usually regarded as a referendum on the sitting president's performance, with voters either voting in or out the president's party's candidates, which in turn helps the next session of Congress to either pass or block the president's agenda, respectively.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/07/AR2006110701697.html | title=A Voter Rebuke For Bush, the War And the Right | newspaper=[[Washington Post]] | date=2006-11-08 | quote=Bush and senior adviser Karl Rove tried to replicate that strategy this fall, hoping to keep the election from becoming a referendum on the president's leadership. | first1=Peter | last1=Baker | first2=Jim | last2=VandeHei | access-date=2010-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|  url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/11/04/impeachment/ | title=Election '98 Lewinsky factor never materialized| publisher=CNN | date=1998-11-04 | quote=Americans shunned the opportunity to turn Tuesday's midterm elections into a referendum on President Bill Clinton's behavior, dashing Republican hopes of gaining seats in the House and Senate.}}</ref>

=== The two-party system in the U.S. ===
{{See also|Two-party system#Causes|l1=Causes of a two-party system}}

As noted above, the modern political party system in the United States has traditionally been dominated by two parties, with the parties being the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. Explanations for why America has a two-party system include: 
*The traditional American electoral format of single-member districts where the candidate with the most votes wins ("[[First Past the Post electoral system|first-past-the-post]]" system), which according to [[Duverger's law]] favors the [[two-party system]]. This is in contrast to [[Multiwinner voting|multi-seat electoral districts]]{{NoteTag|Not to be confused with the American systems of having two senators representing each state, since the senators' elections in each state are staggered and do not run at the same time.}} and [[proportional representation]] found in some other democracies.
* The 19th-century innovation of printing "party tickets" to pass out to prospective voters to cast in ballot boxes (originally, voters went to the polls and publicly stated which candidate they supported), "consolidated the power of the major parties".<ref name="Lepore-NYer-2008">{{cite news |last1=Lepore |first1=Jill |title=Rock, Paper, Scissors |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/13/rock-paper-scissors |access-date=26 September 2022 |agency=The New Yorker |date=6 October 2008}}</ref>
*Printed "party tickets" were eventually replaced by uniform [[ballot]]s provided by the state, when states began to adopt the [[secret ballot|Australian Secret Ballot Method]]. This gave state legislatures—dominated by Democrats and Republicans—the opportunity to handicap new rising parties with [[ballot access]] laws requiring a large number of petition signatures from citizens and giving the petitioners a short length of time to gather the signatures.

Political scientist [[Nelson W. Polsby]] argued in 1997 that the lack of central control of the parties in America means they have become as much "labels" to mobilize voters as political organizations, and that "variations (sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant) in the 50 political cultures of the states yield considerable differences", suggesting that "the American two-party system" actually masks "something more like a hundred-party system."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Brinkley |first1=Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2N732c6NoMC |title=New Federalist Papers: Essays in Defense of the Constitution |last2=Polsby |first2=Nelson W. |last3=Sullivan |first3=Kathleen M. |date=1997 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-04619-9 |pages=40 |language=en |chapter=The American Party System}}</ref> Other political scientists, such as [[Lee Drutman]] and Daniel J. Hopkins in 2018, argued that in the 21st century, along with becoming overly partisan, America politics has become overly focused on national issues and "nationalized".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hopkins |first=Daniel J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZYlZDwAAQBAJ |title=The Increasingly United States: How and Why American Political Behavior Nationalized |date=2018-05-30 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-53040-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/polyarchy/2018/5/31/17406590/local-national-political-institutions-polarization-federalism |title=America has local political institutions but nationalized politics. This is a problem |date=31 May 2018 |access-date=27 September 2022 |author=Lee Drutman |archive-date=27 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927120850/https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/polyarchy/2018/5/31/17406590/local-national-political-institutions-polarization-federalism |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Major parties<!--[[Major parties in the United States]] redirects here--> ==
{{See also|Political party funding}}

{| class="wikitable floatright"  style="font-size:95%;"
|-
! colspan="4" | American voter registration statistics as of<br />October 2020<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballot-access.org/2021/03/28/march-2021-ballot-access-news-print-edition/|title=March 2021 Ballot Access News Print Edition &#124; Ballot Access News|date=28 March 2021 }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2025}}{{unreliable source?|date=December 2025}}
|-
! colspan=2 style="width: 15em" | Party
! style="width: 5em" | Registered voters
! style="width: 5em" | Percentage
|-
! {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| style="width: 130px" | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 45,512,696
| style="text-align:right;"| 38.62
|-
! {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| style="width: 130px" | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 37,314,494
| style="text-align:right;"| 30.44
|-
! {{party color cell|None}}
| style="width: 130px" | [[No party preference]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 34,798,906
| style="text-align:right;"| 28.39
|-
! {{party color cell|Third party (United States)}}
| style="width: 130px" | [[Third party (United States)|Other]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,127,800
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.55
|- style="background:#eee;"
! colspan="2" style="text-align:right;"| Totals
! style="text-align:right;"| 122,577,294
! style="text-align:right;"| 100.00
|}

===Democratic Party===
{{Main|Democratic Party (United States)|History of the Democratic Party (United States)}}
The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the U.S. Founded as the Democratic Party in 1828 by [[Andrew Jackson]] and [[Martin Van Buren]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Warren|first=Kenneth F.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zP4wDcT3PeQC|title=Encyclopedia of U.S. campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior: A-M|publisher=SAGE|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4129-5489-1|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zP4wDcT3PeQC&dq=%22democratic+republican%22+madison+jefferson&pg=PA176 176]|access-date=2018-11-07|archive-date=2020-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728083037/https://books.google.com/books?id=zP4wDcT3PeQC|url-status=live}}</ref> it is the oldest extant voter-based political party in the world.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Witcover|first=Jules|url=https://archive.org/details/partyofpeoplehis00witc|title=Party of the People: A History of the Democrats|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/partyofpeoplehis00witc/page/n0 3]|chapter=1|publisher=Random House |isbn=9780375507427|url-access=registration}} "The Democratic Party of the United States, the oldest existing in the world...."</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Micklethwait|first1=John|url=https://archive.org/details/rightnationconse00mick|title=The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America|last2=Wooldridge, Adrian|year=2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/rightnationconse00mick/page/15 15]|author-link=John Micklethwait|url-access=registration}} "The country possesses the world's oldest written constitution (1787); the Democratic Party has a good claim to being the world's oldest political party."</ref>

Since 1912, the Democratic Party has positioned itself as the liberal party on domestic issues. The economic philosophy of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], which has strongly influenced [[modern American liberalism]], has shaped much of the party's agenda since 1932. Roosevelt's [[New Deal coalition]] controlled the White House until 1969, with the exception of the two terms of [[President Eisenhower]] from 1953 to 1961. Until the mid-20th century, the Democratic Party was the dominant party among white southerners, and was then the party most associated with the defense of slavery. Following the [[Great Society]] under [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], the Democratic Party became a more progressive party on issues of civil rights, and would slowly lose dominance in southern states until 1996. Since the mid-20th century, Democrats have generally been on the [[center-left]] and supported [[social justice]], [[social liberalism]], a [[mixed economy]], and the [[welfare state]]; [[Bill Clinton]] and other [[New Democrats (United States)|New Democrats]] have pushed for [[free trade]] and [[neoliberalism]], which is seen to have shifted the party rightwards.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hickel|first1=Jason|url=https://www.routledge.com/The-Handbook-of-Neoliberalism/Springer-Birch-MacLeavy/p/book/9781138844001|title=The Handbook of Neoliberalism|date=2016|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1138844001|editor1-last=Springer|editor1-first=Simon|page=144|chapter=Neoliberalism and the End of Democracy|author-link1=Jason Hickel|editor2-last=Birch|editor2-first=Kean|editor3-last=MacLeavy|editor3-first=Julie|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M5qkDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA142}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Marangos |first1=John |last2=Astroulakis |first2=Nikos |last3=Dafnomili |first3=Maria  |editor1-last=Karagiannis|editor1-first=Nikolaos|editor2-last=Madjd-Sadjadi|editor2-first=Zagros |editor3-last=Sen|editor3-first=Swapan |date=2013 |title=The US Economy and Neoliberalism: Alternative Strategies and Policies |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aYKfai1RlPYC&pg=PA58|chapter=Beyond US Neoliberalism and the Washington Consensus: The Challenge of Development Ethics for the USA  |location= |publisher=Routledge |page=58 |isbn=978-1138904910}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Scheidel |first = Walter | author-link =Walter Scheidel| title =The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century | publisher = Princeton University Press| year =2017 |isbn =978-0691165028|page=416|url=http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10921.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gerstle|first=Gary|author-link=Gary Gerstle|date=2022 |title=The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-neoliberal-order-9780197519646?cc=us&lang=en&|location= |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|pages=1–3|isbn=978-0197519646}}</ref>

Into the 21st century, Democrats are strongest in the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]], and major American urban centers. African Americans and Latinos tend to be disproportionately Democratic, as do [[trade union]]s. In 2004, it was the largest political party, with 72&nbsp;million registered voters (42.6% of a total 169&nbsp;million registered) claiming affiliation.<ref name="Neuhart20040122">{{Cite news|last=Neuhart|first=Al|date=January 22, 2004|title=Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/neuharth/2004-01-22-neuharth_x.htm |access-date=2007-07-11|archive-date=2011-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513165231/http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/neuharth/2004-01-22-neuharth_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Although his party lost the election for president in 2004, [[Barack Obama]] would later go on to become president in 2009 and stay president until January 2017. Obama was the 15th Democrat to hold the office, and, from the [[2006 United States elections|2006 midterm elections]] until the [[2014 United States elections|2014 midterm elections]], the Democratic Party was also the [[Two-party system|majority party]] in the [[United States Senate]]. A 2011 ''[[USA Today]]'' review of state voter rolls indicates that the number of registered Democrats declined in 25 of 28 states (some states do not register voters by party). During this time, Republican registration also declined, as independent or no preference voting was on the rise. In 2011, the number of Democrats shrank by 800,000, and from 2008 they were down by 1.7&nbsp;million, or 3.9%.<ref name="Wolf">{{Cite web|last=Wolf, Richard |date=December 22, 2011|title=Voters leaving Republican, Democratic parties in droves|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2011-12-22/voters-political-parties/52171688/1|access-date=June 20, 2012|website=USA Today|archive-date=July 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701200021/http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2011-12-22/voters-political-parties/52171688/1|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, the Democratic Party was the largest in the United States with roughly 60&nbsp;million registered members.

===Republican Party===
{{Main|Republican Party (United States)|History of the Republican Party (United States)}}

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Since the 1880s, it has been nicknamed by the media the "Grand Old Party", or GOP, although it is younger than the Democratic Party. Founded in 1854 by Northern anti-slavery activists and modernizers, the Republican Party rose to prominence in 1860 with the election of [[Abraham Lincoln]], who used the party machinery to support victory in the [[American Civil War]].<ref>Eric Foner. ''Free soil, free labor, free men : the ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War'' (1970) [https://archive.org/details/freesoilfreelabo00eric online]</ref>

The GOP dominated national politics during the [[Third Party System]] from 1854 to 1896 and the [[Fourth Party System]] from 1896 to 1932. Since the early 20th century, the Republican Party has been the more market-oriented of the two American political parties, often favoring policies that aid American business interests. As a party whose power was once based on the support of Union Army veterans, this party has traditionally supported more robust national defense measures and improved veterans' benefits. Until 2016, the Republican Party supported an [[American conservative]] platform, with further foundations in [[economic liberalism]], [[fiscal conservatism]], and [[social conservatism]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Gerstle|first=Gary|author-link=Gary Gerstle|date=2022 |title=The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-neoliberal-order-9780197519646?cc=us&lang=en&|location= |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|pages=4–5|isbn=978-0197519646}}</ref> The election of [[Donald Trump]], however, signaled a shift in the Republican party towards a more populist and isolationist orientation.

The Republican Party tends to be strongest in the [[Southern United States]],<ref>Lewis Gould, ''Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans'' (2003) [https://archive.org/details/grandoldpartyhis00goul onlibe].</ref> outside large metropolitan areas, or in less-centralized, lower-density parts of them.<ref name="Dottle">{{cite web |last1=Dottle |first1=Rachael |title=Where Democrats And Republicans Live In Your City |url=https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/republicans-democrats-cities/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190522222650/https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/republicans-democrats-cities/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 22, 2019 |website=538 |access-date=5 October 2022 |date=20 May 2019}}</ref> Republicans held a majority in the United States House of Representatives from the [[2010 United States elections|2010 midterm elections]] until the 2018 midterms, when they lost it to the Democratic Party. Additionally, from the 2014 elections to the 2020 elections, the Republican Party controlled the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2016 Election News, Candidates & Polls|website=[[NBC News]]|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/president|access-date=2016-11-12|archive-date=2019-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530040030/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/president|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, the Republican party had roughly 55&nbsp;million registered members, making it the second largest party in the United States. In the aftermath of the [[2020 United States elections]], the GOP lost their Senate majority, and Democrat [[Chuck Schumer]] was appointed [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Majority Leader]] in a power-sharing agreement with the Republican Party.

==Minor parties==
{{Main|List of political parties in the United States}}The United States also has an array of minor parties, the largest of which (on the basis of voter registrations {{as of|2020|10|lc=y}}) are the Libertarian, Green, and Constitution parties.<ref name="voter regs">[https://ballot-access.org/2021/03/28/march-2021-ballot-access-news-print-edition/ Voter Registration Totals October 2020]</ref> (There are [[List of political parties in the United States|many other political parties]] that receive only minimal support and only appear on the ballot in one or a few states.) 
===Libertarian Party===
{{Main|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
The Libertarian Party was founded on December 11, 1972.<ref>[http://www.lp.org/organization/history.shtml Libertarian Party:Our History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060130133301/http://www.lp.org/organization/history.shtml |date=2006-01-30 }}, LP.org</ref> {{as of|2021|03|post=,}} it is the largest [[third party (United States)|third party]] in the United States, claiming nearly 700,000 registered voters across 28 states and the District of Columbia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winger |first=Richard |title=March 2021 Ballot Access News Print Edition |url=http://ballot-access.org/2021/03/28/march-2021-ballot-access-news-print-edition/ |access-date=August 26, 2022 |website=Ballot Access News|date=28 March 2021 }}</ref> {{as of|2025|09|post=,}} it has 184 local elected officials.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://my.lp.org/elected-officials/?civiwp=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/profile&gid=38&force=1&crmRowCount=100&reset=1|access-date=August 26, 2022|title= Elected Officials}}</ref> Former Representative [[Justin Amash]], a former Republican and later independent from Michigan, switched to the Libertarian Party in May 2020, becoming the first Libertarian Party member of Congress. Amash declined to run for reelection in 2020 and left office on January 3, 2021.

The 2012 Libertarian Party nominee for United States President was former New Mexico governor, [[Gary Johnson]]. He achieved [[ballot access]] in every state except for Michigan (only as a write-in candidate) and Oklahoma. He received over one million votes in the election. In [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]], Johnson ran again, receiving over four million votes, or 3.3% of the popular vote.

The Libertarian Party's core platform is the reduction of the size, influence, and expenditures in all levels of government. To this effect, the party supports minimally regulated markets, a less powerful federal government, strong [[civil liberties]], [[drug liberalization]], [[Free migration|open immigration]], [[non-interventionism]], neutrality in diplomatic relations, [[free trade]], [[freedom of movement|free movement]] to all foreign countries, and a transition to a more representative republic.<ref name="LPOption">{{Cite web |title=The Libertarian Option |url=http://www.lp.org/introduction/the-libertarian-option |access-date=5 July 2014 |website=The Libertarian Party |publisher=Libertarian National Committee, Inc. |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714214223/http://www.lp.org/introduction/the-libertarian-option |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Green Party===
{{Main|Green Party of the United States}}
The Green Party has been active as a third party since the 1980s. The party first gained widespread public attention during [[Ralph Nader]]'s second presidential run in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]]. Currently, the primary national Green Party organization in the U.S. is the [[Green Party of the United States]], which split from and eclipsed the earlier [[Greens/Green Party USA]].

The Green Party in the United States has won elected office mostly at the local level; most winners of public office in the United States who are considered Greens have won nonpartisan-ballot elections (that is, elections in which the candidates' party affiliations were not printed on the ballot).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Green elected officials|url=http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/electeds.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123231119/http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/electeds.html|archive-date=November 23, 2010}}</ref> In 2005, the Party had 305,000 registered members in the District of Columbia and 20 states that allow party registration.<ref>"[http://web.greens.org/stats/ Green Party Ballot Status and Voter Registration Totals (United States)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526183505/http://web.greens.org/stats/|date=2008-05-26}}". Greens.org. Retrieved April 12, 2006.</ref> During the 2006 elections, the party had [[ballot access]] in 31 states.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20060906185438/http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_09_05.shtml Greens Win Ballot Access in 31 States, Up From 17 in January]". Green Party press release, September 5, 2006.</ref> In 2017, Ralph Chapman, a Representative in the Maine House of Representatives, switched his association from Unaffiliated to the Green Independent Party.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lawmaker's party switch gives Greens a seat in the Maine House|date=22 September 2017|url=https://bangordailynews.com/2017/09/22/politics/lawmakers-party-switch-gives-greens-a-seat-in-the-maine-house/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923050621/https://bangordailynews.com/2017/09/22/politics/lawmakers-party-switch-gives-greens-a-seat-in-the-maine-house/|archive-date=2017-09-23|access-date=2017-09-22}}</ref>

The Green Party of the United States generally holds a left-wing ideology on most important issues. Greens emphasize environmentalism, non-hierarchical participatory democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, peace, and nonviolence. {{As of|2020|10}}, it is the fourth largest political party in the United States based on voter registration.<ref name="voter regs"/>

===Constitution Party===
{{Main|Constitution Party (United States)}}
The Constitution Party is a national conservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers Party in 1992 by Howard Phillips. The party's official name was changed to the "Constitution Party" in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names. {{As of|2020|10}}, it is the fifth largest political party in the United States based on voter registration.<ref name="voter regs"/>

===Alliance Party===
{{Main|Alliance Party (United States)}}

The Alliance Party is a [[centrist]] American political party that was formed in 2018 and registered in 2019. The Alliance Party gained affiliation status with multiple other parties, including the [[American Party of South Carolina]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Carolina American Party Changes its Name to Alliance Party {{!}} Ballot Access News |date=28 February 2019 |url=https://ballot-access.org/2019/02/28/south-carolina-american-party-changes-its-name-to-alliance-party/ |access-date=2022-07-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> the Independence Party of Minnesota,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minnesota Independence Party Becomes State Affiliate of the Alliance Party {{!}} Ballot Access News |date=6 May 2019 |url=https://ballot-access.org/2019/05/06/minnesota-independence-party-becomes-state-affiliate-of-the-alliance-party/ |access-date=2022-07-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[Independent Party of Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Connecticut Independent Party Affiliates with Alliance Party {{!}} Ballot Access News |date=9 April 2020 |url=https://ballot-access.org/2020/04/09/connecticut-independent-party-affiliates-with-alliance-party/ |access-date=2022-07-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> During the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential elections]], Alliance Party Presidential Candidate [[Rocky De La Fuente|Roque De La Fuente]] placed fifth in terms of the popular vote.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |access-date=2022-07-29 |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref> Following the presidential election, the [[American Delta Party]] and the [[Independence Party of New York]] joined the Alliance Party.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-28 |title=Alliance Party and American Delta Party Agree to Merge; Rapidly Growi… |url=https://in.news.yahoo.com/alliance-party-american-delta-party-160200483.html?guccounter=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210428123317/https://in.news.yahoo.com/alliance-party-american-delta-party-160200483.html?guccounter=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2021-04-28 |access-date=2022-07-29 |website=archive.ph}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Independence Party Affiliates with the Alliance Party {{!}} Ballot Access News |date=3 December 2020 |url=https://ballot-access.org/2020/12/03/new-york-independence-party-affiliates-with-the-alliance-party/ |access-date=2022-07-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Independence Party of New York disaffiliated in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-31 |title=Alliance Party May 2021 Newsletter – Independent Political Report |url=https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2021/05/alliance-party-may-2021-newsletter/ |access-date=2022-07-29 |website=independentpoliticalreport.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Vermont Progressive Party===
{{Main|Vermont Progressive Party}}

The Vermont Progressive Party is a political party that is active in Vermont and is the third largest party in the state, behind the [[Vermont Democratic Party|Democratic]] and [[Vermont Republican Party|Republican]] parties. Despite operating only in one state, the Vermont Progressives, as of November 2024, have managed to have more of its candidates elected as state legislators than all other third parties in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elected Progressives — The Vermont Progressive Party |url=https://www.progressiveparty.org/elected-progressives |website=progressiveparty.org |access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref> By this standard, the Progressives are the third largest party in the United States, not just in Vermont. As of November 2024, the [[Forward Party (United States)|Forward Party]] is the only other third party with state legislators, having two [[Pennsylvania State Senate]] members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=jdprose@pennlive.com |first=J. D. Prose {{!}} |date=2023-06-21 |title=Two Pa. legislators announce their affiliation with centrist Forward Party |url=https://www.pennlive.com/news/2023/06/bipartisan-group-of-pa-legislators-announce-their-affiliation-with-centrist-forward-party.html |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=pennlive |language=en}}</ref> The Progressives are notable for reliably electing candidates to office and in some areas, such as the [[Burlington, Vermont City Council|Burlington City Council]], have previously held a majority in recent years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City Council {{!}} City of Burlington, Vermont |url=https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CityCouncil |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=www.burlingtonvt.gov}}</ref>

== Alternative interpretations ==
Multiple individuals from various stances have proposed an end to the two-party system, arguing mostly that the Democratic and Republican parties don't accurately represent much of the national electorate, or that multiple political parties already exist within the Democratic and Republican parties, which encompass a variety of views.

=== Four-party interpretations ===
[[NBC News]]' Dante Chinni and ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' columnist Perry Bacon Jr. have both suggested that the United States' political system is that of four parties grouped into a two-party system. Due mostly to competing influence from larger personalities within such parties, Chinni and Bacon have grouped the American populace into four primary political parties:<ref>{{Cite web |title=How many political parties in the U.S.? Numbers suggest four, not two. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/what-if-america-s-four-political-parties-n1255450 |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=NBC News |date=24 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bacon Jr. |first=Perry |date=March 8, 2022 |title=Opinion: The U.S. has four political parties stuffed into a two-party system. That's a big problem. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/08/americas-four-party-system/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

* [[Trumpism|Trump]] Republicans, which includes [[Donald Trump]]'s followers, [[Ron DeSantis]], the [[Christian right]], and [[Fox News]]. In light of President Biden's 2020 win, this group has been seen as the least willing to compromise with Biden and the most likely to [[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|believe the 2020 election was stolen]].
* Party Republicans, or "the Old Guard", consisting of Trump-skeptical and anti-Trump Republicans such as [[Mitch McConnell]], [[Mitt Romney]], and [[Larry Hogan]]. This group's intention is focused on preserving the traditional Republican agenda of lifting regulations and cutting taxes.
* [[Political moderate|Moderate]] Democrats, composed of [[Joe Biden]], [[Nancy Pelosi]], [[Eric Adams]], some members of the [[Never Trump movement]], and the [[Third Way]] movement. This group is currently the strongest and prefers to pass a moderate Democratic agenda.
* [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]] Democrats, the most likely to embrace [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive politics]] and who are more willing to hinder Biden's agenda in favor of more leftward policies. This faction's leaders include [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]], [[Bernie Sanders]], [[Pramila Jayapal]], and the [[Congressional Progressive Caucus|Progressive Caucus]].

=== Six-party interpretations ===
The idea the United States primarily falls into six political parties is argued for by American political theorists [[Lee Drutman]] and [[Carl Davidson]] and former [[United States Secretary of Labor|Secretary of Labor]] [[Robert Reich]]. Drutman argues that government without two parties would enable and support "the shifting alliances and bargaining that are essential in democracy" which have largely been lost in a two-party system due to political gridlock. Reich further predicts that these parties likely emerge as the two parties "explode".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Drutman |first=Lee |date=2021-09-08 |title=Opinion {{!}} Quiz: If America Had Six Parties, Which Would You Belong To? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/08/opinion/republicans-democrats-parties.html |access-date=2022-11-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reich |first=Robert |date=October 25, 2017 |title=AMERICA NOW HAS 6 POLITICAL PARTIES |url=https://robertreich.org/post/166784538395 |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=Robert Reich's Tumblr page |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-19 |title=The U.S. 'Six-Party System,' Version 5.0 |url=https://convergencemag.com/articles/the-u-s-six-party-system-ver-5-0/ |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=Convergence |language=en-US}}</ref>

All three theorists have consensus that these four parties will exist within a six-party system:

* One party would be founded on hard-line supporters of [[Donald Trump]], [[Trumpism|his namesake grouping of ideas]], [[economic nationalism]], and [[right-wing populism]]. 
* Establishment Republicans would be composed of socially moderate but pro-business ([[Nelson Rockefeller|Rockefeller]]-style) Republicans, corporations, and existing GOP megadonors who aspire to cut their taxes. Both Reich and Davidson attribute this to be the party of big business, and cite [[ExxonMobil]] and other [[Big Oil]] companies in particular as examples.
* [[Christian nationalism|Christian nationalists]] and [[Christian right|Christian conservatives]] would form their own voting bloc. Davidson notes that the [[Koch family]] and [[Betsy DeVos]] are major backers of this segment of the populace.
* [[Progressivism in the United States|American progressives]] would form a bloc which would push an agenda advocating for social justice, full LGBTQ rights, ending [[crony capitalism]], and fighting [[climate change]]. Those who identify as [[Socialism|socialist]] within the American political system would be core members. Its funding base is primarily unions and grassroots donations.
The three interpretations, however, differ on the inclusion of these parties:
* Reich views libertarians, and the [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] and [[Freedom Caucus]] movements, as anti-establishment Republicans who aspire to shrink government and also end crony capitalism. Drutman views these groups as split between the party of Trumpism and Christian conservatives, and Davidson views the Tea Party and Freedom Caucus as the foundations for his Christian nationalists party.
* Drutman outlines another party which aims to represent working-class democrats who are as economically liberal, but not as socially liberal, as American progressives.
* Davidson splits moderate Democrats into two parties: the first is named for the [[Blue Dog Coalition]] and aligns more so with [[United Steelworkers]] and the [[pharmaceutical industry]], while the other represents mainstream Democrats and is symbolized by [[Barack Obama]], [[Nancy Pelosi]], [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] personalities, and large banks like [[JPMorgan Chase]]. Drutman and Reich, however, categorize both as "Establishment Democrats" who prefer tax cuts but also back equal rights.

==Ballot-qualified political parties by state==
''As of May 2025''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan=2 {{vert header|mw=50px|cellstyle=padding-bottom:12px;|State}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Alliance Party (United States)|Alliance Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Constitution Party (United States)|Constitution Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Forward Party (United States)|Forward Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Green Party of the United States|Green Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnston |first1=Bob |title=Ballot Access Update |url=https://www.lp.org/ballot-access-update-3/ |website=[[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] |access-date=26 August 2022 |date=9 November 2020}}</ref>}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Legal Marijuana Now Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Unity Party of America]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Working Class Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Working Families Party]]}}
!{{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|[[Third party (United States)|Other political parties]]}}
! rowspan=2 {{vert header|nb=1|mw=20px|cellstyle=padding-bottom:12px;|Reference}}
|- style="height:10px;"
!{{party color cell|Alliance Party (United States)}}
!{{party color cell|Constitution Party (United States)}}
!{{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
!{{party color cell|Forward Party (United States)}}
!{{party color cell|Green Party of the United States}}
!{{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
!{{party color cell|Legal Marijuana Now Party}}
!{{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
!{{party color cell|Unity Party of America}}
!{{party color cell|Working Class Party}}
!{{party color cell|Working Families Party}}
!{{party color cell|Third party (United States)}}
|-
|[[Alabama|AL]]
|
|
|[[Alabama Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|
|
|[[Alabama Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="AL">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Alabama Political Parties in Alabama]</ref>
|-
|[[Alaska|AK]]
|
|
|[[Alaska Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Alaska Libertarian Party|L]]
|
|[[Alaska Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Alaskan Independence Party]]}}
|<ref name="AK">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Alaska Political Parties in Alaska]</ref>
|-
|[[Arizona|AZ]]
|
|
|[[Arizona Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Arizona Green Party|G]]
|[[Arizona Libertarian Party|L]]
|
|[[Arizona Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="AZ">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Arizona Political Parties in Arizona]</ref>
|-
|[[Arkansas|AR]]
|
|
|[[Democratic Party of Arkansas|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Arkansas|L]]
|
|[[Republican Party of Arkansas|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="AR">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Arkansas Political Parties in Arkansas]</ref>
|-
|[[California|CA]]
|
|
|[[California Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of California|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of California|L]]
|
|[[California Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[American Independent Party]]; [[Peace and Freedom Party]]}}
|<ref name="CA">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_California Political Parties in California]</ref>
|-
|[[Colorado|CO]]
|
|[[American Constitution Party (Colorado)|C]]
|[[Colorado Democratic Party|D]]
|F
|[[Green Party of Colorado|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Colorado|L]]
|
|[[Colorado Republican Party|R]]
|[[Unity Party of Colorado|U]]
|
|
|{{efn|[[Approval Voting Party]]}}
|<ref name="CO">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Colorado Political Parties in Colorado]</ref>
|-
|[[Connecticut|CT]]
|[[Independent Party of Connecticut|A]]
|
|[[Democratic Party of Connecticut|D]]
|
|[[Connecticut Green Party|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Connecticut|L]]
|
|[[Connecticut Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|[[Connecticut Working Families Party|WF]]
|
|<ref name="CT">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Connecticut Political Parties in Connecticut]</ref>
|-
|[[Delaware|DE]]
|
|
|[[Delaware Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of Delaware|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Delaware|L]]
|
|[[Republican State Committee of Delaware|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Conservative Party of Delaware]]; [[Independent Party of Delaware]]; [[Liberal Party of Delaware]]}}
|<ref name="DE">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Delaware Political Parties in Delaware]</ref>
|-
|[[Florida|FL]]
|A
|[[Constitution Party of Florida|C]]
|[[Florida Democratic Party|D]]
|F
|[[Green Party of Florida|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Florida|L]]
|
|[[Republican Party of Florida|R]]
|[[Unity Party of Florida|U]]
|
|
|{{efn|[[Ecology Party of Florida|Ecology Party]]; [[Independent Party of Florida]]; [[People’s Party of Florida]]; [[Party for Socialism and Liberation|Party for Socialism and Liberation of Florida]]}}
|<ref name="FL">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Florida Political Parties in Florida]</ref>
|-
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|GA]]
|
|
|[[Democratic Party of Georgia|D]]
|
|
|
|
|[[Georgia Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="GA">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Georgia Political Parties in Georgia]</ref>
|-
|[[Hawaii|HI]]
|
|[[Constitution Party of Hawaii|C]]
|[[Democratic Party of Hawaii|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of Hawaii|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Hawaii|L]]
|
|[[Hawaii Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Aloha ʻĀina Party]]}}
|<ref name="HI">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Hawaii Political Parties in Hawaii]</ref>
|-
|[[Idaho|ID]]
|
|[[Constitution Party of Idaho|C]]
|[[Idaho Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Idaho|L]]
|
|[[Idaho Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="ID">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Idaho Political Parties in Idaho]</ref>
|-
|[[Illinois|IL]]
|
|
|[[Democratic Party of Illinois|D]]
|
|
|
|
|[[Illinois Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="IL">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Illinois Political Parties in Illinois]</ref>
|-
|[[Indiana|IN]]
|
|
|[[Indiana Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Indiana|L]]
|
|[[Indiana Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="IN">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Indiana Political Parties in Indiana]</ref>
|-
|[[Iowa|IA]]
|
|
|[[Iowa Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Iowa|L]]
|
|[[Republican Party of Iowa|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="IA">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Iowa Political Parties in Iowa]</ref>
|-
|[[Kansas|KS]]
|
|
|[[Kansas Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Kansas|L]]
|
|[[Kansas Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="KS">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Kansas Political Parties in Kansas]</ref>
|-
|[[Kentucky|KY]]
|
|
|[[Kentucky Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|
|
|[[Republican Party of Kentucky|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="KY">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Kentucky Political Parties in Kentucky]</ref>
|-
|[[Louisiana|LA]]
|
|
|[[Louisiana Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of Louisiana|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Louisiana|L]]
|
|[[Republican Party of Louisiana|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Independent Party of Louisiana]]}}
|<ref name="LA">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Louisiana Political Parties in Louisiana]</ref>
|-
|[[Maine|ME]]
|
|
|[[Maine Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Maine Green Independent Party|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Maine|L]]
|
|[[Maine Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="ME">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Maine Political Parties in Maine]</ref>
|-
|[[Maryland|MD]]
|
|
|[[Maryland Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Maryland Green Party|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Maryland|L]]
|
|[[Maryland Republican Party|R]]
|
|[[Working Class Party of Maryland|WC]]
|
|{{efn|[[Bread and Roses Party]]}}
|<ref name="MD">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Maryland Political Parties in Maryland]</ref>
|-
|[[Massachusetts|MA]]
|
|
|[[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Massachusetts|L]]
|
|[[Massachusetts Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Libertarian Party of Massachusetts]] (not affiliated with the national Libertarian Party)}}
|<ref name="MA">[https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/voting-information/political-parties-and-designations.htm Political Parties in Massachusetts]</ref>
|-
|[[Michigan|MI]]
|
|[[U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan|C]]
|[[Michigan Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of Michigan|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Michigan|L]]
|
|[[Michigan Republican Party|R]]
|
|[[Working Class Party of Michigan|WC]]
|
|{{efn|[[Natural Law Party of Michigan]]}}
|<ref name="MI">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Michigan Political Parties in Michigan]</ref>
|-
|[[Minnesota|MN]]
|[[Independence Party of Minnesota|A]]
|
|[[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of Minnesota|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Minnesota|L]]
|[[Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party|M]]
|[[Republican Party of Minnesota|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Grassroots–Legalize Cannabis Party]]}}
|<ref name="MN">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Minnesota Political Parties in Minnesota]</ref>
|-
|[[Mississippi|MS]]
|
|
|[[Mississippi Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Mississippi|L]]
|
|[[Mississippi Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[America First Party of Mississippi|America First Party]]; Mississippi Reform Party; [[Justice Party (United States)|Justice Party]]}}
|<ref name="MS">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Mississippi Political Parties in Mississippi]</ref>
|-
|[[Missouri|MO]]
|
|[[Constitution Party of Missouri|C]]
|[[Missouri Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[List of state Green Parties in the United States#Missouri|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Missouri|L]]
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|[[Missouri Republican Party|R]]
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|
|
|
|<ref name="MO">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Missouri Political Parties in Missouri]</ref>
|-
|[[Montana|MT]]
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|[[Montana Democratic Party|D]]
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|[[Green Party of Montana|G]]
|[[Montana Libertarian Party|L]]
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|[[Montana Republican Party|R]]
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|
|
|
|<ref name="MT">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Montana Political Parties in Montana]</ref>
|-
|[[Nebraska|NE]]
|
|
|[[Nebraska Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Nebraska|L]]
|[[Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party|M]]
|[[Nebraska Republican Party|R]]
|
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|
|<ref name="NE">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Nebraska Political Parties in Nebraska]</ref>
|-
|[[Nevada|NV]]
|
|[[Independent American Party of Nevada|C]]
|[[Nevada Democratic Party|D]]
|
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|[[Libertarian Party of Nevada|L]]
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|[[Nevada Republican Party|R]]
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|
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|<ref name="NV">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Nevada Political Parties in Nevada]</ref>
|-
|[[New Hampshire|NH]]
|
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|[[New Hampshire Democratic Party|D]]
|
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|[[New Hampshire Republican State Committee|R]]
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|<ref name="NH">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_New_Hampshire Political Parties in New Hampshire]</ref>
|-
|[[New Jersey|NJ]]
|
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|[[New Jersey Democratic State Committee|D]]
|
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|
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|[[New Jersey Republican State Committee|R]]
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|<ref name="NJ">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_New_Jersey Political Parties in New Jersey]</ref>
|-
|[[New Mexico|NM]]
|
|
|[[Democratic Party of New Mexico|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of New Mexico|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of New Mexico|L]]
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|[[Republican Party of New Mexico|R]]
|
|
|[[New Mexico Working Families Party|WF]]
|{{efn|[[Libertarian Party of New Mexico]] (not affiliated with the national Libertarian Party)<ref name="Reason 9/15/22">{{cite news |last1=Doherty |first1=Brian |title=Libertarian Party Faces State Rebellions |url=https://reason.com/2022/09/15/libertarian-party-faces-state-rebellions/ |access-date=24 September 2022 |work=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |date=15 September 2022}}</ref>}}
|<ref name="NM">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_New_Mexico Political Parties in New Mexico]</ref>
|-
|[[New York (state)|NY]]
|
|
|[[New York State Democratic Committee|D]]
|
|
|
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|[[New York Republican State Committee|R]]
|
|
|[[New York Working Families Party|WF]]
|{{efn|[[Conservative Party of New York|Conservative Party]]}}
|<ref name="NY">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_New_York Political Parties in New York]</ref>
|-
|[[North Carolina|NC]]
|
|
|[[North Carolina Democratic Party|D]]
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|[[North Carolina Green Party|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of North Carolina|L]]
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|[[North Carolina Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="NC">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_North_Carolina Political Parties in North Carolina]</ref>
|-
|[[North Dakota|ND]]
|
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|[[North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party|D]]
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|[[North Dakota Republican Party|R]]
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|<ref name="ND">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_North_Dakota Political Parties in North Dakota]</ref>
|-
|[[Ohio|OH]]
|
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|[[Ohio Democratic Party|D]]
|
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|[[Libertarian Party of Ohio|L]]
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|[[Ohio Republican Party|R]]
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|<ref name="OH">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Ohio Political Parties in Ohio]</ref>
|-
|[[Oklahoma|OK]]
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|[[Oklahoma Democratic Party|D]]
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|[[Libertarian Party of Oklahoma|L]]
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|[[Oklahoma Republican Party|R]]
|
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|<ref name="OK">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Oklahoma Political Parties in Oklahoma]</ref>
|-
|[[Oregon|OR]]
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|[[Constitution Party of Oregon|C]]
|[[Democratic Party of Oregon|D]]
|
|[[Pacific Green Party|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Oregon|L]]
|
|[[Oregon Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|[[Oregon Working Families Party|WF]]
|{{efn|[[Independent Party of Oregon]]; [[Oregon Progressive Party|Progressive Party of Oregon]]}}
|<ref name="OR">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Oregon Political Parties in Oregon]</ref>
|-
|[[Pennsylvania|PA]]
|
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|[[Pennsylvania Democratic Party|D]]
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|[[Pennsylvania Green Party|G]]
|[[Pennsylvania Libertarian Party|L]]
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|[[Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania|R]]
|
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|<ref name="PA">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Pennsylvania Political Parties in Pennsylvania]</ref>
|-
|[[Rhode Island|RI]]
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|[[Rhode Island Democratic Party|D]]
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|[[Rhode Island Republican Party|R]]
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|<ref name="RI">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Rhode_Island Political Parties in Rhode Island]</ref>
|-
|[[South Carolina|SC]]
|[[American Party of South Carolina|A]]
|[[South Carolina Constitution Party|C]]
|[[South Carolina Democratic Party|D]]
|F
|[[South Carolina Green Party|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of South Carolina|L]]
|
|[[South Carolina Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Labor Party (United States, 1996)|Labor Party]]; [[United Citizens Party]]}}
|<ref name="SC">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_South_Carolina Political Parties in South Carolina]</ref>
|-
|[[South Dakota|SD]]
|
|
|[[South Dakota Democratic Party|D]]
|
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|[[Libertarian Party of South Dakota|L]]
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|[[South Dakota Republican Party|R]]
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|
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|<ref name="SD">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_South_Dakota Political Parties in South Dakota]</ref>
|-
|[[Tennessee|TN]]
|
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|[[Tennessee Democratic Party|D]]
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|[[Tennessee Republican Party|R]]
|
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|<ref name="TN">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Tennessee Political Parties in Tennessee]</ref>
|-
|[[Texas|TX]]
|
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|[[Texas Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Green Party of Texas|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Texas|L]]
|
|[[Republican Party of Texas|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="TX">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Texas Political Parties in Texas]</ref>
|-
|[[Utah|UT]]
|
|[[Utah Constitution Party|C]]
|[[Utah Democratic Party|D]]
|[[United Utah Party|F]]
|
|[[Libertarian Party of Utah|L]]
|
|[[Utah Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Independent American Party of Utah]]}}
|<ref name="UT">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Utah Political Parties in Utah]</ref>
|-
|[[Vermont|VT]]
|
|
|[[Vermont Democratic Party|D]]
|
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|[[Libertarian Party of Vermont|L]]
|
|[[Vermont Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|[[Liberty Union Party]]; [[Progressive Party of Vermont]]}}
|<ref name="VT">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Vermont Political Parties in Vermont]</ref>
|-
|[[Virginia|VA]]
|
|
|[[Democratic Party of Virginia|D]]
|
|
|
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|[[Republican Party of Virginia|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="VA">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Virginia Political Parties in Virginia]</ref>
|-
|[[Washington (state)|WA]]
|
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|[[Washington State Democratic Party|D]]
|
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|[[Washington State Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|{{efn|Washington does not officially recognize political parties}}
|<ref name="WA">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Washington Political Parties in Washington]</ref>
|-
|[[West Virginia|WV]]
|
|
|[[West Virginia Democratic Party|D]]
|
|[[Mountain Party|G]]
|L
|
|[[West Virginia Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="WV">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_West_Virginia Political Parties in West Virginia]</ref>
|-
|[[Wisconsin|WI]]
|
|[[Constitution Party of Wisconsin|C]]
|[[Democratic Party of Wisconsin|D]]
|
|[[Wisconsin Green Party|G]]
|[[Libertarian Party of Wisconsin|L]]
|
|[[Republican Party of Wisconsin|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="WI">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Wisconsin Political Parties in Wisconsin]</ref>
|-
|[[Wyoming|WY]]
|
|[[Wyoming Constitution Party|C]]
|[[Wyoming Democratic Party|D]]
|
|
|[[Wyoming Libertarian Party|L]]
|
|[[Wyoming Republican Party|R]]
|
|
|
|
|<ref name="WY">[https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Wyoming Political Parties in Wyoming]</ref>
|}
''Notes:'' 
{{notelist}}

==Independents (unaffiliated)==
Some political candidates, and many voters, choose not to identify with a particular political party. In some states, [[Independent voter#In the United States|Independents]] are not allowed to vote in [[Partisan primary|primary election]]s, but in others, they can vote in any primary election that they choose. Although the term "Independent" often is used as a synonym for "moderate", "centrist", or "[[swing vote]]r" to refer to a politician or voter who holds views that incorporate facets of both liberal and conservative ideologies, most self-described independents consistently support one of the two major parties when it comes time to vote, according to [[Vox Media]].<ref name="Klar"/>

As of July 2025, two independents serve in the U.S. Congress: Senators [[Angus King]] and [[Bernie Sanders]].<ref name="Ballotpedia">{{cite web |title=Current independent and minor party federal and state officeholders. Members of Congress |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Current_independent_and_minor_party_federal_and_state_officeholders |access-date=27 July 2025 |website=Ballotpedia}}</ref> [[GovTrack]] ranks King among the more moderate members of the Senate, near the Senate's ideological center.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/angus_king/412545|title=Angus King, Senator for Maine |website= GovTrack.us|language=en|access-date=2018-07-23}}</ref> Sanders describes himself as a "democratic socialist",<ref name="Democratic socialist">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=April 30, 2015 |title=Bernie Sanders confirms presidential run and damns America's inequities |work=[[The Guardian]] |quote=The self-described 'democratic socialist' enters the race as a robust liberal alternative&nbsp;... |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/30/bernie-sanders-confirms-presidential-run-and-damns-americas-inequities |access-date=June 19, 2015}}</ref> but sought nomination by the Democratic Party as their candidate for president in 2016; his political platform is said to "define" the "progressive wing" of the Democratic Party.<ref name="Golshan-2020">{{cite news |last1=Golshan |first1=Tara |last2=Robillard |first2=Kevin |title=Bernie Sanders Called The Democratic Party 'Intellectually Bankrupt' In 1985 Letter |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-democratic-party-independent_n_5e21e4f8c5b632117612f412 |access-date=17 October 2022 |agency=Huff Post |date=18 January 2020}}</ref>

According to Ballotpedia, as of 2022, there were 24 seats held by independents in state legislatures (in Wyoming, Vermont, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maine, Louisiana, California, Arkansas, and Alaska), and 10 seats held by third parties (in Vermont, Maine, New York, and Wyoming; seven seats by the [[Vermont Progressive Party]], and one each for the Independent for Maine Party, Independence Party, and Libertarian Party).<ref name="Ballotpedia" />

==See also==
* [[Political history in the United States]], for historiography
* [[Red states and blue states]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{commons}}

==Further reading==
*Critchlow, Donald T. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=If91BQAAQBAJ American Political History: A Very Short Introduction]'' (2015)
*Dinkin, Robert J. ''Campaigning in America: A History of Election Practices.'' Greenwood (1989)
*Foley, Edward B. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=h9XiCgAAQBAJ Ballot Battles: The History of Disputed Elections in the United States]'' (Oxford University Press, 2016). xiv, 479 pp.
* Gould, Lewis. ''Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans'' (2003) [https://archive.org/details/grandoldpartyhis00goul online]
*Graff, Henry F., ed. ''The Presidents: A Reference History'' (3rd ed. 2002) [https://www.presidentprofiles.com// online], short scholarly biographies from George Washington to William Clinton.
*Kleppner, Paul, ed. ''The evolution of American electoral systems'' (1981) experts review the 1st to 5th party systems.
*  Kurian, George T. ed. ''The encyclopedia of the Democratic Party'' (1996) [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofr03kuri/page/n5/mode/2up vol 3 online]
*  Kurian, George T. ed. ''The encyclopedia of the Republican Party'' (4 vol 1996) [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofr01kuri vol 1-2-4 online] 
*Schlozman, Daniel. ''When Movements Anchor Parties: Electoral Alignments in American History'' (Princeton University Press, 2015) xiv, 267 pp.
*[[Arthur Meier Schlesinger Jr.|Schlesinger Jr., Arthur Meier]] ed. ''History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2000'' (various multivolume editions, latest is 2001). For each election includes history and selection of primary documents. Essays on some elections are reprinted in Schlesinger, ''The Coming to Power: Critical presidential elections in American history'' (1972)
*Schlesinger, Arthur Meier Jr. ed. ''History of U.S. Political Parties'' (1973) multivolume
*Shafer, Byron E. and Anthony J. Badger, eds. ''Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775–2000'' (2001), collection of new essays by specialists on each time period:
**includes: "State Development in the Early Republic: 1775–1840" by Ronald P. Formisano; "The Nationalization and Racialization of American Politics: 1790–1840" by David Waldstreicher; "'To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs;": 1820–1865 by [[Joel H. Silbey]]; "Change and Continuity in the Party Period: 1835–1885" by Michael F. Holt; "The Transformation of American Politics: 1865–1910" by Peter H. Argersinger; "Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: 1885–1930" by Richard Jensen; "The Limits of Federal Power and Social Policy: 1910–1955" by Anthony J. Badger; "The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness: 1930–1980" by James T. Patterson, Brown University; and "Economic Growth, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government: 1955–2000" by Byron E. Shafer
{{United States political parties}}
{{United States state and local political parties}}
{{United States topics}}
{{Americas topic|List of political parties in}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Political parties in the United States| ]]