Political Parties

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Describe political parties and what they do
  • Differentiate political parties from interest groups
  • Differentiate between the party in the electorate and the party organization
  • Discuss the importance of voting in a political party organization
  • Describe party organization at the county, state, and national levels
  • Compare the perspectives of the party in government and the party in the electorate
  • Understand the cultural backround of Texas’ political parties
  • Understand the historical dominance of the Democratic Party in Texas
  • Understand the rise of the Republican Party in Texas
  • Understand the current dominance of the Republican Party in Texas
  • Think about what the future holds for party politics in Texas