SUPPORT THE WORK
GetWiki
Democratic Party (United States)#Centrists
ARTICLE SUBJECTS
being →
database →
ethics →
fiction →
history →
internet →
language →
linux →
logic →
method →
news →
policy →
purpose →
religion →
science →
software →
truth →
unix →
wiki →
ARTICLE TYPES
essay →
feed →
help →
system →
wiki →
ARTICLE ORIGINS
critical →
forked →
imported →
original →
Democratic Party (United States)#Centrists
please note:
- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
{{Short description|American political party}}{{for|the 1792–1834 party|Democratic-Republican Party}}{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}{{pp-move}}{{Use American English|date=December 2014}}{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
| factoids |
|---|
|Majority:
| Liberalism
|Factions:
| Third WayBOOK, Hale, John, The Making of the New Democrats, Political Science Quarterly, 1995, New York, 229,
| ProgressivismNEWS, Stein, Letita, Cornwell, Susan, Tanfani, Joseph, August 23, 2018, Inside the progressive movement roiling the Democratic Party, Reuters,www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-progressives-specialrepo/inside-the-progressive-movement-roiling-the-democratic-party-idUSKCN1L81GI, June 13, 2022, live,web.archive.org/web/20220613163545/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-progressives-specialrepo/inside-the-progressive-movement-roiling-the-democratic-party-idUSKCN1L81GI, June 13, 2022, NEWS,fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-six-wings-of-the-democratic-party/, The Six Wings Of The Democratic Party, Perry Jr., Bacon, FiveThirtyEight, March 11, 2019, October 21, 2021, August 15, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210815092648/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-six-wings-of-the-democratic-party/, live,
| Liberalism
|Factions:
| Third WayBOOK, Hale, John, The Making of the New Democrats, Political Science Quarterly, 1995, New York, 229,
| ProgressivismNEWS, Stein, Letita, Cornwell, Susan, Tanfani, Joseph, August 23, 2018, Inside the progressive movement roiling the Democratic Party, Reuters,www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-progressives-specialrepo/inside-the-progressive-movement-roiling-the-democratic-party-idUSKCN1L81GI, June 13, 2022, live,web.archive.org/web/20220613163545/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-progressives-specialrepo/inside-the-progressive-movement-roiling-the-democratic-party-idUSKCN1L81GI, June 13, 2022, NEWS,fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-six-wings-of-the-democratic-party/, The Six Wings Of The Democratic Party, Perry Jr., Bacon, FiveThirtyEight, March 11, 2019, October 21, 2021, August 15, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210815092648/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-six-wings-of-the-democratic-party/, live,
}}| position = | international =
History
(File:Political Parties Derivation in the United States.svg|thumb|400px|Political parties’ derivation in the United States. A dotted line denotes an unofficial connection.|left)Democratic Party officials often trace its origins to the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and other influential opponents of the conservative Federalists in 1792.The party has claimed a founding date of 1792 as noted in S.2047 which passed in the United States Senate in 1991. {{citation|title= S.2047 – A bill to establish a commission to commemorate the bicentennial of the establishment of the Democratic Party of the United States.|author= 102nd Congress|url=www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/senate-bill/2047/text?r=90&s=1|year= 1991|access-date= February 20, 2021|archive-date= February 22, 2021|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20210222013940/https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/senate-bill/2047/text?r=90&s=1|url-status= live}} “[I]n 1992, the Democratic Party of the United States will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its establishment on May 13, 1792.“BOOK, Larson, Edward, A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America’s First Presidential Campaign, Free Press (publisher), Free Press, 2007, 9780743293167, 21, The divisions between Adams and Jefferson were exasperated by the more extreme views expressed by some of their partisans, particularly the High Federalists led by Hamilton on what was becoming known as the political right, and the democratic wing of the Republican Party on the left, associated with New York Governor George Clinton and Pennsylvania legislator Albert Gallatin, among others., Edward J. Larson, That party died out before the modern Democratic Party was organized;JOURNAL, Ericson, David F., The Evolution of the Democratic Party, The American Historical Review, 70, 1, 1964, 22–43, the Jeffersonian party also inspired the Whigs and modern Republicans.BOOK, Banning, Lance, The Jeffersonian Persuasion: Evolution of a Party Ideology, Cornell University Press, 1978, 208, Historians argue that the modern Democratic Party was first organized in the late 1820s with the election of Andrew Jackson,Michael Kazin, What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party (2022) pp 5, 12. making it the world’s oldest active political party. It was predominately built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in every state behind war hero Andrew Jackson of Tennessee.Since the nomination of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, the party has generally positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party on economic issues. Democrats have been more liberal on civil rights since 1948, although conservative factions within the Democratic Party that opposed them persisted in the South until the 1960s. On foreign policy, both parties have changed positions several times.Arthur Paulson, Realignment and Party Revival: Understanding American Electoral Politics at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century (2000) pp. 46–72.Background
File:Andrew jackson head.jpg|thumb|upright|Andrew JacksonAndrew JacksonThe Democratic Party evolved from the Jeffersonian Republican or Democratic-Republican Party organized by Jefferson and Madison in opposition to the Federalist Party.BOOK, Berman, Jay, The Democratic Party: Evolution and America’s Longing for a Lasting Majority, Taylor & Francis, 2012, 8, The Democratic-Republican Party favored republicanism; a weak federal government; states’ rights; agrarian interests (especially Southern planters); and strict adherence to the Constitution. The party opposed a national bank and Great Britain.James Roger Sharp, American Politics in the Early Republic: The New Nation in Crisis (1993). After the War of 1812, the Federalists virtually disappeared and the only national political party left was the Democratic-Republicans, which was prone to splinter along regional lines.BOOK, The American Republic Since 1877, Student Edition, McGraw-Hill Education, 2006, 193, The era of one-party rule in the United States, known as the Era of Good Feelings, lasted from 1816 until 1828, when Andrew Jackson became president. Jackson and Martin Van Buren worked with allies in each state to form a new Democratic Party on a national basis. In the 1830s, the Whig Party coalesced into the main rival to the Democrats.Before 1860, the Democratic Party supported expansive presidential power, the interests of slave states, agrarianism, and expansionism, while opposing a national bank and high tariffs.19th century
{{Further|Second Party System|Third Party System}}File:Martin Van Buren by Mathew Brady c1855-58.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Martin Van BurenMartin Van BurenThe Democratic-Republican Party split over the choice of a successor to President James Monroe.BOOK, Banning, Lance, The Jeffersonian Persuasion: Evolution of a Party Ideology, Cornell University Press, 1978, 253, The faction that supported many of the old Jeffersonian principles, led by Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, became the modern Democratic Party.MAGAZINE, Traub, James, The Ugly Election That Birthed Modern American Politics,www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2016/11-12/america-presidential-elections-1824-corrupt-bargain/, National Geographic, July 6, 2018, July 7, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180707010137/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2016/11-12/america-presidential-elections-1824-corrupt-bargain/, dead, Historian Mary Beth Norton explains the transformation in 1828: {{blockquote|Jacksonians believed the people’s will had finally prevailed. Through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president. The Democrats became the nation’s first well-organized national party ... and tight party organization became the hallmark of nineteenth-century American politics.Mary Beth Norton et al., A People and a Nation, Volume I: to 1877 (Houghton Mifflin, 2007) p. 287.|sign=|source=}}File:Polk crop.jpg|thumb|upright|left|James K. PolkJames K. PolkBehind the platforms issued by state and national parties stood a widely shared political outlook that characterized the Democrats: {{blockquote|The Democrats represented a wide range of views but shared a fundamental commitment to the Jeffersonian concept of an agrarian society. They viewed the central government as the enemy of individual liberty. The 1824 “corrupt bargain” had strengthened their suspicion of Washington politics. ... Jacksonians feared the concentration of economic and political power. They believed that government intervention in the economy benefited special-interest groups and created corporate monopolies that favored the rich. They sought to restore the independence of the individual—the artisan and the ordinary farmer—by ending federal support of banks and corporations and restricting the use of paper currency, which they distrusted. Their definition of the proper role of government tended to be negative, and Jackson’s political power was largely expressed in negative acts. He exercised the veto more than all previous presidents combined. ... Nor did Jackson share reformers’ humanitarian concerns. He had no sympathy for American Indians, initiating the removal of the Cherokees along the Trail of Tears.Mary Beth Norton et al., A People and a Nation, Volume I: to 1877 (2007) pp. 287–288.|sign=|source=}}Opposing factions led by Henry Clay helped form the Whig Party. The Democratic Party had a small yet decisive advantage over the Whigs until the 1850s when the Whigs fell apart over the issue of slavery. In 1854, angry with the Kansas–Nebraska Act, anti-slavery Democrats left the party and joined Northern Whigs to form the Republican Party.Galbraith Schlisinger, Of the People: The 200 Year History of the Democratic Party (1992) ch. 1–3.Robert Allen Rutland, The Democrats: From Jefferson to Clinton (U. of Missouri Press, 1995) ch. 1–4.File:Stephen A Douglas - headshot.jpg|thumb|upright|Stephen A. DouglasStephen A. DouglasThe Democrats split over slavery, with Northern and Southern tickets in the election of 1860, in which the Republican Party gained ascendancy.Jean H. Baker, Affairs of Party: Political Culture of Northern Democrats in the Mid-nineteenth Century (1983) The radical pro-slavery Fire-Eaters led walkouts at the two conventions when the delegates would not adopt a resolution supporting the extension of slavery into territories even if the voters of those territories did not want it. These Southern Democrats nominated the pro-slavery incumbent vice president, John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, for president and General Joseph Lane, of Oregon, for vice president. The Northern Democrats nominated Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois for president and former Georgia Governor Herschel V. Johnson for vice president. This fracturing of the Democrats led to a Republican victory and Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States.David M. Potter. The Impending Crisis, 1848–1861 (1976). ch. 16.As the American Civil War broke out, Northern Democrats were divided into War Democrats and Peace Democrats. The Confederate States of America deliberately avoided organized political parties. Most War Democrats rallied to Republican President Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans’ National Union Party in the election of 1864, which featured Andrew Johnson on the Union ticket to attract fellow Democrats. Johnson replaced Lincoln in 1865, but he stayed independent of both parties.Mark E. Neely. Lincoln and the Democrats: The Politics of Opposition in the Civil War (2017).The Democrats benefited from white Southerners’ resentment of Reconstruction after the war and consequent hostility to the Republican Party. After Redeemers ended Reconstruction in the 1870s and following the often extremely violent disenfranchisement of African Americans led by such white supremacist Democratic politicians as Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina in the 1880s and 1890s, the South, voting Democratic, became known as the “Solid South”. Although Republicans won all but two presidential elections, the Democrats remained competitive. The party was dominated by pro-business Bourbon Democrats led by Samuel J. Tilden and Grover Cleveland, who represented mercantile, banking, and railroad interests; opposed imperialism and overseas expansion; fought for the gold standard; opposed bimetallism; and crusaded against corruption, high taxes and tariffs. Cleveland was elected to non-consecutive presidential terms in 1884 and 1892.Rutland, The Democrats: From Jefferson to Clinton (1995) ch. 5–6.20th century
{{Further|Fourth Party System|Fifth Party System|Sixth Party System}}Early 20th century
File:Breckinridgelong2.jpg|thumb|Leaders of the Democratic Party during the first half of the 20th century on in 1913: William Jennings Bryan, Josephus Daniels, Woodrow Wilson, Breckinridge Long, William Phillips, and Franklin D. Roosevelt]]Agrarian Democrats demanding free silver, drawing on Populist ideas, overthrew the Bourbon Democrats in 1896 and nominated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency (a nomination repeated by Democrats in 1900 and 1908). Bryan waged a vigorous campaign attacking Eastern moneyed interests, but he lost to Republican William McKinley.Robert W. Cherny, A Righteous Cause: The Life of William Jennings Bryan (1994)The Democrats took control of the House in 1910, and Woodrow Wilson won election as president in 1912 (when the Republicans split) and 1916. Wilson effectively led Congress to put to rest the issues of tariffs, money, and antitrust, which had dominated politics for 40 years, with new progressive laws. He failed to secure Senate passage of the Versailles Treaty (ending the war with Germany and joining the League of Nations).H.W. Brands, Woodrow Wilson (2003). The weak party was deeply divided by issues such as the KKK and prohibition in the 1920s. However, it did organize new ethnic voters in Northern cities.Douglas B. Craig, After Wilson: The Struggle for the Democratic Party, 1920–1934 (1993)After World War I ended and continuing through the Great Depression, the Democratic and Republican Parties both largely believed in American exceptionalism over European monarchies and state socialism that existed elsewhere in the world.BOOK, Davis, Kenneth C., Don’t Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned, HarperCollins, 2003, 978-0-06-008381-6, 1st, New York, 321, 341, Kenneth C. Davis,1930s–1960s and the rise of the New Deal coalition
File:RooseveltTruman1944poster.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, the 32nd and 33rd presidents of the United States (1933–1945; 1945–1953), featured on a campaign poster for the 1944 presidential election; note the rooster logo of the Democratic Party (see Names and Symbols below)]]The Great Depression in 1929 that began under Republican President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Congress set the stage for a more liberal government as the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives nearly uninterrupted from 1930 until 1994, the Senate for 44 of 48 years from 1930, and won most presidential elections until 1968. Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected to the presidency in 1932, came forth with federal government programs called the New Deal. New Deal liberalism meant the regulation of business (especially finance and banking) and the promotion of labor unions as well as federal spending to aid the unemployed, help distressed farmers and undertake large-scale public works projects. It marked the start of the American welfare state.BOOK, Ellen Russell, New Deal Banking Reforms and Keynesian Welfare State Capitalism,books.google.com/books?id=qzOUAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4, 2007, Routledge, 3–4, 9781135910655, April 28, 2020, October 2, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201002180941/https://books.google.com/books?id=qzOUAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4&hl=en, live, The opponents, who stressed opposition to unions, support for business and low taxes, started calling themselves “conservatives”.Rutland, The Democrats: From Jefferson to Clinton (1995) ch. 7.Until the 1980s, the Democratic Party was a coalition of two parties divided by the Mason–Dixon line: liberal Democrats in the North and culturally conservative voters in the South, who though benefitting from many of the New Deal public works projects, opposed increasing civil rights initiatives advocated by northeastern liberals. The polarization grew stronger after Roosevelt died. Southern Democrats formed a key part of the bipartisan conservative coalition in an alliance with most of the Midwestern Republicans. The economically activist philosophy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, which has strongly influenced American liberalism, shaped much of the party’s economic agenda after 1932.David M. Kennedy, Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945 (2001). From the 1930s to the mid-1960s, the liberal New Deal coalition usually controlled the presidency while the conservative coalition usually controlled Congress.Paul Finkelman and Peter Wallenstein, eds. The Encyclopedia Of American Political History (CQ Press, 2001) pp. 124–126.1960s–1980s and the collapse of the New Deal coalition
{{see also|Civil Rights Movement}}Issues facing parties and the United States after World War II included the Cold War and the civil rights movement. Republicans attracted conservatives and, after the 1960s, white Southerners from the Democratic coalition with their use of the Southern strategy and resistance to New Deal and Great Society liberalism. Until the 1950s, African Americans had traditionally supported the Republican Party because of its anti-slavery civil rights policies. Following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Southern states became more reliably Republican in presidential politics, while Northeastern states became more reliably Democratic.JOURNAL, Bullock, Charles S., Hoffman, Donna R., Gaddie, Ronald Keith, 2006, Regional Variations in the Realignment of American Politics, 1944–2004, Social Science Quarterly, 87, 3, 494–518, 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00393.x, 0038-4941, The events of 1964 laid open the divisions between the South and national Democrats and elicited distinctly different voter behavior in the two regions. The agitation for civil rights by southern blacks continued white violence toward the civil rights movement, and President Lyndon Johnson’s aggressive leadership all facilitated passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. ... In the South, 1964 should be associated with GOP growth while in the Northeast this election contributed to the eradication of Republicans., JOURNAL, Stanley, Harold W., 1988, Southern Partisan Changes: Dealignment, Realignment or Both?, The Journal of Politics, 50, 1, 64–88, 10.2307/2131041, 0022-3816, Events surrounding the presidential election of 1964 marked a watershed in terms of the parties and the South (Pomper, 1972). The Solid South was built around the identification of the Democratic party with the cause of white supremacy. Events before 1964 gave white southerners pause about the linkage between the Democratic Party and white supremacy, but the 1964 election, passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 altered in the minds of most the positions of the national parties on racial issues., 2131041, 154860857, BOOK,www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486, The Rise of Southern Republicans, Earl, Black, Merle, Black, September 30, 2003, Harvard University Press, 9780674012486, June 9, 2018, When the Republican party nominated Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater—one of the few senators who had opposed the Civil Rights Act—as their presidential candidate in 1964, the party attracted many southern whites but permanently alienated African-American voters. Beginning with the Goldwater-versus-Johnson campaign more southern whites voted Republican than Democratic, a pattern that has recurred in every subsequent presidential election. ... Before the 1964 presidential election the Republican party had not carried any Deep South state for eighty-eight years. Yet shortly after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, hundreds of Deep South counties gave Barry Goldwater landslide majorities., June 12, 2018,www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486," title="web.archive.org/web/20180612135934www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486,">web.archive.org/web/20180612135934www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486, live, JOURNAL, Miller, Gary, Schofield, Norman, 2003, Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States, American Political Science Review, 97, 2, 245–60, 10.1017/S0003055403000650, 12885628, 1537-5943, By 2000, however, the New Deal party alignment no longer captured patterns of partisan voting. In the intervening 40 years, the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts had triggered an increasingly race-driven distinction between the parties. ... Goldwater won the electoral votes of five states of the Deep South in 1964, four of the states that had voted Democratic for 84 years (Califano 1991, 55). He forged a new identification of the Republican party with racial conservatism, reversing a century-long association of the GOP with racial liberalism. This, in turn, opened the door for Nixon’s “Southern strategy” and the Reagan victories of the eighties., Studies show that Southern whites, which were a core constituency in the Democratic Party, shifted to the Republican Party due to racial backlash and social conservatism.BOOK,press.princeton.edu/titles/4385.html, Issue Evolution, September 6, 1990, Princeton University Press, 9780691023311, June 9, 2018, May 16, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180516081536/https://press.princeton.edu/titles/4385.html, live, JOURNAL, Valentino, Nicholas A., Sears, David O., David O. Sears, 2005, Old Times There Are Not Forgotten: Race and Partisan Realignment in the Contemporary South, American Journal of Political Science, 49, 3, 672–88, 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00136.x, 0092-5853, Nicholas Valentino, JOURNAL, Ilyana, Kuziemko, Ebonya, Washington, Why Did the Democrats Lose the South? Bringing New Data to an Old Debate, American Economic Review, 2018, 108, 10, 2830–2867, 10.1257/aer.20161413, 0002-8282, free, {{multiple image| total_width = 300| caption_align = center| image1 = John F. Kennedy, White House color photo portrait.jpg| caption1 = John F. Kennedy, the 35th president (1961–1963)| image2 = 37 Lyndon Johnson 3x4.jpg| caption2 = Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president (1963–1969)}}The election of President John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts in 1960 partially reflected this shift. In the campaign, Kennedy attracted a new generation of younger voters. In his agenda dubbed the New Frontier, Kennedy introduced a host of social programs and public works projects, along with enhanced support of the space program, proposing a crewed spacecraft trip to the moon by the end of the decade. He pushed for civil rights initiatives and proposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but with his assassination in November 1963, he was not able to see its passage.James T. Patterson, Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945–1974 (1997).Kennedy’s successor Lyndon B. Johnson was able to persuade the largely conservative Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and with a more progressive Congress in 1965 passed much of the Great Society, including Medicare, which consisted of an array of social programs designed to help the poor, sick, and elderly. Kennedy and Johnson’s advocacy of civil rights further solidified black support for the Democrats but had the effect of alienating Southern whites who would eventually gravitate toward the Republican Party, particularly after the election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency in 1980. Many conservative Southern Democrats defected to the Republican Party, beginning with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the general leftward shift of the party.JOURNAL, Miller, Gary, Schofield, Norman, 2008, The Transformation of the Republican and Democratic Party Coalitions in the U.S., Perspectives on Politics, 6, 3, 433–450, 10.1017/S1537592708081218, 145321253, 1541-0986, 1964 was the last presidential election in which the Democrats earned more than 50 percent of the white vote in the United States., WEB,www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486, The Rise of Southern Republicans, Black, Earl, Black, Merle, 2003, Harvard University Press, live,www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486," title="web.archive.org/web/20180612135934www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486,">web.archive.org/web/20180612135934www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012486, June 12, 2018, June 9, 2018, When the Republican party nominated Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater—one of the few northern senators who had opposed the Civil Rights Act—as their presidential candidate in 1964, the party attracted many racist southern whites but permanently alienated African-American voters. Beginning with the Goldwater-versus-Johnson campaign more southern whites voted Republican than Democratic, a pattern that has recurred in every subsequent presidential election. ... Before the 1964 presidential election the Republican party had not carried any Deep South state for eighty-eight years. Yet shortly after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, hundreds of Deep South counties gave Barry Goldwater landslide majorities., JOURNAL, Miller, Gary, Schofield, Norman, 2003, Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States, American Political Science Review, 97, 2, 245–260, 10.1017/S0003055403000650, 12885628, 1537-5943, By 2000, however, the New Deal party alignment no longer captured patterns of partisan voting. In the intervening 40 years, the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts had triggered an increasingly race-driven distinction between the parties. ... Goldwater won the electoral votes of five states of the Deep South in 1964, four of them states that had voted Democratic for 84 years (Califano 1991, 55). He forged a new identification of the Republican party with racial conservatism, reversing a century-long association of the GOP with racial liberalism. This in turn opened the door for Nixon’s “Southern strategy” and the Reagan victories of the eighties., JOURNAL, Valentino, Nicholas A., Sears, David O., David O. Sears, 2005, Old Times There Are Not Forgotten: Race and Partisan Realignment in the Contemporary South, American Journal of Political Science, 49, 3, 672–688, 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00136.x, 0092-5853, Nicholas Valentino, The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960s was another divisive issue that further fractured the fault lines of the Democrats’ coalition. After the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964, President Johnson committed a large contingency of combat troops to Vietnam, but the escalation failed to drive the Viet Cong from South Vietnam, resulting in an increasing quagmire, which by 1968 had become the subject of widespread anti-war protests in the United States and elsewhere. With increasing casualties and nightly news reports bringing home troubling images from Vietnam, the costly military engagement became increasingly unpopular, alienating many of the kinds of young voters that the Democrats had attracted in the early 1960s. The protests that year along with assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Democratic presidential candidate Senator Robert F. Kennedy (younger brother of John F. Kennedy) climaxed in turbulence at the hotly-contested Democratic National Convention that summer in Chicago (which amongst the ensuing turmoil inside and outside of the convention hall nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey) in a series of events that proved to mark a significant turning point in the decline of the Democratic Party’s broad coalition.Patterson, Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945–1974 (1997).Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon was able to capitalize on the confusion of the Democrats that year, and won the 1968 election to become the 37th president. He won re-election in a landslide in 1972 against Democratic nominee George McGovern, who like Robert F. Kennedy, reached out to the younger anti-war and counterculture voters, but unlike Kennedy, was not able to appeal to the party’s more traditional white working-class constituencies. During Nixon’s second term, his presidency was rocked by the Watergate scandal, which forced him to resign in 1974. He was succeeded by vice president Gerald Ford, who served a brief tenure.Watergate offered the Democrats an opportunity to recoup, and their nominee Jimmy Carter won the 1976 presidential election. With the initial support of evangelical Christian voters in the South, Carter was temporarily able to reunite the disparate factions within the party, but inflation and the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979–1980 took their toll, resulting in a landslide victory for Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan in 1980, which shifted the political landscape in favor of the Republicans for years to come. The influx of conservative Democrats into the Republican Party is often cited as a reason for the Republican Party’s shift further to the right during the late 20th century as well as the shift of its base from the Northeast and Midwest to the South.JOURNAL, Smyth, David J., Taylor, Susan Washburn, 1992, Why Do the Republicans Win the White House More Often than the Democrats?,www.jstor.org/stable/27550992, Presidential Studies Quarterly, 22, 3, 481–491, 27550992, 0360-4918, January 19, 2023, January 19, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230119034446/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27550992, live, NEWS, Jr, R. W. Apple, July 12, 1992, Donkey’s Years; Is There Room At the Top For Democrats?, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1992/07/12/weekinreview/donkey-s-years-is-there-room-at-the-top-for-democrats.html, January 19, 2023, 0362-4331, January 19, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230119034446/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/12/weekinreview/donkey-s-years-is-there-room-at-the-top-for-democrats.html, live,1990s and Third Way centrism
File:Bill Clinton.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Bill ClintonBill ClintonWith the ascendancy of the Republicans under Ronald Reagan, the Democrats searched for ways to respond yet were unable to succeed by running traditional candidates, such as former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who lost to Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the 1984 and 1988 presidential elections, respectively. Many Democrats attached their hopes to the future star of Gary Hart, who had challenged Mondale in the 1984 primaries running on a theme of “New Ideas”; and in the subsequent 1988 primaries became the de facto front-runner and virtual “shoo-in” for the Democratic presidential nomination before a sex scandal ended his campaign. The party nevertheless began to seek out a younger generation of leaders, who like Hart had been inspired by the pragmatic idealism of John F. Kennedy.James T. Patterson, Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush v. Gore (2011).Arkansas governor Bill Clinton was one such figure, who was elected president in 1992 as the Democratic nominee. The Democratic Leadership Council was a campaign organization connected to Clinton that advocated a realignment and triangulation under the re-branded “New Democrat” label.WEB, Geismer, Lily, June 11, 2019, Democrats and neoliberalism,www.vox.com/polyarchy/2019/6/11/18660240/democrats-neoliberalism, November 5, 2022, Vox, en, The version of neoliberalism embedded in these policies understood a distinct role for government to stimulate market-oriented solutions to address social ills such as unemployment and poverty. It thereby aimed not to eradicate the welfare state but rather to reformulate it. It extended the importance of poverty alleviation, which had long served as a benchmark of liberal policy, and had many similarities with the basic ideas of the war on poverty., November 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221105045200/https://www.vox.com/polyarchy/2019/6/11/18660240/democrats-neoliberalism, live, JOURNAL, Hale, Jon F., 1995, The Making of the New Democrats,www.jstor.org/stable/2152360, Political Science Quarterly, 110, 2, 207–232, 10.2307/2152360, 2152360, 0032-3195, August 24, 2022, December 12, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211212194604/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2152360, live, NEWS, Wills, Garry, January 19, 1997, The Clinton Principle, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1997/01/19/magazine/the-clinton-principle.html, August 24, 2022, 0362-4331, August 24, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220824024151/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/19/magazine/the-clinton-principle.html, live, The party adopted a synthesis of neoliberal economic policies with cultural liberalism, with the voter base after Reagan having shifted considerably to the right. In an effort to appeal both to liberals and to fiscal conservatives, Democrats began to advocate for a balanced budget and market economy tempered by government intervention (mixed economy), along with a continued emphasis on social justice and affirmative action. The economic policy adopted by the Democratic Party, including the former Clinton administration, has been referred to as “Third Way”.The Democrats lost control of Congress in the election of 1994 to the Republican Party. Re-elected in 1996, Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to be elected to two terms.Patterson. Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush v. Gore (2011). Al Gore won the popular vote, but after a controversial election dispute over a Florida recount settled by the U.S. Supreme Court (which ruled 5–4 in favor of Bush) he lost the 2000 United States Presidential Election to Republican opponent George W. Bush in the Electoral College.WEB,www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/00-949.ZPC.html, George W. Bush, et al., Petitioners v. Albert Gore, Jr., et al., 531 U.S. 98 (2000), June 26, 2010, Supreme Court of the US, December 12, 2000, Cornell Law School, October 15, 2007,web.archive.org/web/20071015060335/https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/00-949.ZPC.html, live,21st century
2000s
{{multiple image| total_width = 300| caption_align = center| image1 = President Barack Obama.jpg| caption1 = Barack Obama, the 44th president (2009–2017)| image2 = Joe Biden presidential portrait.jpg| caption2 = Joe Biden, the 46th president (2021–present)}}In the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as well as the growing concern over global warming, some of the party’s key issues in the early 21st century have included combating terrorism while preserving human rights, expanding access to health care, labor rights, and environmental protection. Democrats regained majority control of both the House and the Senate in the 2006 elections. Barack Obama won the Democratic Party’s nomination and was elected as the first African American president in 2008. Under the Obama presidency, the party moved forward reforms including an economic stimulus package, the Dodd–Frank financial reform act, and the Affordable Care Act.NEWS, Lerer, Lisa, No Congress Since 1960s Has Impact on Public as 111th,www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-12-22/no-congress-since-1960s-makes-most-laws-for-americans-as-111th, April 20, 2016, Bloomberg L.P., December 22, 2010, March 29, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200329224729/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-12-22/no-congress-since-1960s-makes-most-laws-for-americans-as-111th, live,2010s
In the 2010 midterm elections, the Democratic Party lost control of the House and lost its majority in state legislatures and state governorships. In the 2012 elections, President Obama was re-elected, but the party remained in the minority in the House of Representatives and lost control of the Senate in the 2014 midterm elections. After the 2016 election of Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote, the Democratic Party transitioned into the role of an opposition party and held neither the presidency nor Congress for two years. However, the Democratic Party won back a majority in the House in the 2018 midterm elections under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi.Democrats were extremely critical of President Trump, particularly his policies on immigration, healthcare, and abortion, as well as his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.NEWS, York, David Smith Molly Redden in New, April 1, 2016, Donald Trump’s abortion remarks provoke biggest crisis of his campaign, en-GB, The Guardian,www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/31/donald-trump-abortion-remarks-biggest-campaign-crisis, June 29, 2020, 0261-3077, July 29, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200729191734/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/31/donald-trump-abortion-remarks-biggest-campaign-crisis, live, NEWS, McCormick, Stephanie Armour and John, March 14, 2020, Democrats Sharpen Criticism of Trump’s Health-Care Policy in Coronavirus Pandemic, en-US, The Wall Street Journal,www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-sharpen-criticism-of-trumps-health-care-policy-in-coronavirus-pandemic-11584195089, June 29, 2020, 0099-9660, July 29, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200729182405/https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-sharpen-criticism-of-trumps-health-care-policy-in-coronavirus-pandemic-11584195089, live, WEB, Trump WHO decision draws criticism from Democrats in US Congress,www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/trump-decision-draws-criticism-democrats-congress-200415184644345.html, June 29, 2020, Al Jazeera, July 29, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200729193902/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/trump-decision-draws-criticism-democrats-congress-200415184644345.html, live, In December 2019, Democrats in the House of Representatives impeached Trump for the first time, although Trump was acquitted in the Republican-controlled Senate.NEWS, Ewing, Philip, February 5, 2020, ‘Not Guilty’: Trump Acquitted On 2 Articles Of Impeachment As Historic Trial Closes, en, NPR,www.npr.org/2020/02/05/801429948/not-guilty-trump-acquitted-on-2-articles-of-impeachment-as-historic-trial-closes, February 8, 2021, February 6, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200206152432/https://www.npr.org/2020/02/05/801429948/not-guilty-trump-acquitted-on-2-articles-of-impeachment-as-historic-trial-closes, live,2020s
File:Results by state, shaded according to winning candidate’s percentage of the vote 2020.svg|thumb|300px|2020 presidential election results by state, shaded according to winning candidate’s percentage of the vote]]In November 2020, Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.WEB, November 7, 2020, Biden defeats Trump for White House, says ‘time to heal’,apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9, November 7, 2020, AP NEWS, November 17, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201117190428/https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9, live, He began his term with extremely narrow Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate.NEWS, Martin, Jonathan, Fausset, Richard, Epstein, Reid J., January 6, 2021, Georgia Highlights: Democrats Win the Senate as Ossoff Defeats Perdue, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/georgia-election-results, January 11, 2021, January 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210107140603/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/georgia-election-results, live, NEWS, U.S. House Election Results, en-US, The New York Times, November 3, 2020,www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-house.html, February 8, 2021, 0362-4331, February 20, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210220074106/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-house.html, live, The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was negotiated by Biden, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema and other Democrats and is the largest allocation of funds for addressing climate change in the history of the United States to date.WEB, Wells, Joey Garrison and Dylan, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema backs Inflation Reduction Act, giving Biden the votes for Senate passage,www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/04/krysten-sinema-inflation-reduction-act-senator-democrats-vote/10234906002/, August 24, 2022, USA TODAY, en-US, August 24, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220824023439/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/04/krysten-sinema-inflation-reduction-act-senator-democrats-vote/10234906002/, live, NEWS, What The Climate Package Means For A Warming Planet : Consider This from NPR, en, NPR.org,www.npr.org/2022/08/11/1117017336/what-the-climate-package-means-for-a-warming-planet, August 24, 2022, August 24, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220824100551/https://www.npr.org/2022/08/11/1117017336/what-the-climate-package-means-for-a-warming-planet, live, Biden also signed a major infrastructure bill with bipartisan support, the first federal gun safety legislation in 28 years, and appointed the most federal judges during the first two years of any presidency since John F. Kennedy.WEB, Gramlich, John, Biden has appointed more federal judges than any president since JFK at this point in his tenure,www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/08/09/biden-has-appointed-more-federal-judges-than-any-president-since-jfk-at-this-point-in-his-tenure/, 2023-02-10, Pew Research Center, en-US, April 4, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230404145743/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/08/09/biden-has-appointed-more-federal-judges-than-any-president-since-jfk-at-this-point-in-his-tenure/, live, The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was politically and economically opposed by the Biden Administration, who promptly began an increased arming of Ukraine, with full support from Congressional Democrats and an overwhelming majority of Republicans.“Here are the 11 GOP senators who voted against the Ukraine aid bill,” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815033416thehill.com/homenews/senate/3495060-here-are-the-11-republican-senators-who-voted-against-the-ukraine-aid-bill/ |date=August 15, 2023 }} May 19, 2022, The Hill (magazine) retrieved July 4, 2023“A Loud Republican Minority Opposes More Ukraine Military Aid,” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704132352www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/us/politics/ukraine-republican-skeptics.html |date=July 4, 2023 }} May 19, 2023, New York Times retrieved July 4, 2023In 2022, Biden appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. However, she was replacing liberal justice Stephen Breyer, so she did not alter the court’s 6–3 split between conservatives (the majority) and liberals.NEWS, Fritze, John, March 6, 2022, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would add another Protestant voice to heavily Catholic Supreme Court,news.yahoo.com/judge-ketanji-brown-jackson-add-100016272.html, Yahoo! News, en-US, June 30, 2022, June 30, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220630163930/https://news.yahoo.com/judge-ketanji-brown-jackson-add-100016272.html, live, WEB, de Vogue, Ariane, June 30, 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson to join a Supreme Court in turmoil,www.cnn.com/2022/06/29/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-fractured-supreme-court/index.html, CNN, June 30, 2022, June 29, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220629222838/https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/29/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-fractured-supreme-court/index.html, live, WEB, June 30, 2022, WATCH LIVE: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as first Black woman on Supreme Court,www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-judge-ketanji-brown-jackson-sworn-in-as-first-black-woman-on-supreme-court, PBS NewsHour, en-US, June 30, 2022, June 30, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220630145216/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-judge-ketanji-brown-jackson-sworn-in-as-first-black-woman-on-supreme-court, live, WEB, Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as first Black woman on US top court,www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62003518.amp, BBC News, June 30, 2022, July 1, 2022, July 1, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220701024904/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62003518.amp, live, After Dobbs v. Jackson (decided June 24, 2022), which led to abortion bans in much of the country, the Democratic Party rallied behind abortion rights.In the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats dramatically outperformed historical trends, and a widely anticipated red wave did not materialize.NEWS, Tumulty, Karen, November 9, 2022, The expected red wave looks more like a puddle, The Washington Post,www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/09/no-red-wave-midterm-outcome-analysis/, November 10, 2022, 0190-8286, November 12, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221112060937/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/09/no-red-wave-midterm-outcome-analysis/, live, NEWS, Blake, Aaron, November 10, 2022, How bad the 2022 election was for the GOP, historically speaking, The Washington Post,www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/10/republican-losses-2022-midterms/, November 13, 2022, 0190-8286, February 19, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219205348/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/10/republican-losses-2022-midterms/, live, Democrats only narrowly lost their majority in the U.S. House, and gained a seat in the U.S. Senate,WEB, Kinery, Emma, November 9, 2022, Midterm results are looking increasingly sunny for Biden as he touts ‘strong night’ for Democrats,www.cnbc.com/2022/11/09/midterm-election-results-look-better-for-biden-as-democrats-avoid-red-wave.html, November 10, 2022, CNBC, November 9, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221109235327/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/09/midterm-election-results-look-better-for-biden-as-democrats-avoid-red-wave.html, live, NEWS, Enten, Harry, November 13, 2022, How Joe Biden and the Democratic Party defied midterm history,www.cnn.com/2022/11/13/politics/democrats-biden-midterm-elections-senate-house/index.html, November 28, 2022, CNN, November 28, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221128185931/https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/13/politics/democrats-biden-midterm-elections-senate-house/index.html, live, WEB, Crampton, Liz, November 9, 2022, Democrats take legislatures in Michigan, Minnesota and eye Pennsylvania,www.politico.com/news/2022/11/09/democrats-take-legislatures-00065953, November 10, 2022, Politico, January 5, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230105195034/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/09/democrats-take-legislatures-00065953, live, along with several gains at the state level, including acquiring “trifectas” (control of both legislative houses and governor’s seat) in several states.“State Partisan Composition,” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704082911www.ncsl.org/about-state-legislatures/state-partisan-composition |date=July 4, 2023 }} May 23, 2023, National Conference of State Legislatures, retrieved July 4, 2023“Statehouse Democrats Embrace an Unfamiliar Reality: Full Power,” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605070246www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/us/democrats-michigan-minnesota-maryland.html |date=June 5, 2023 }} January 18, 2023, New York Times, retrieved July 4, 2023Associated Press: “Midterm election trifectas: Democrats won full government control in these states,” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704090351www.foxnews.com/politics/midterm-election-trifectas-democrats-won-full-government-control-these-states |date=July 4, 2023 }} November 10, 2022, Fox News, retrieved July 4, 2023Cronin, Tom and Bob Loevy: “American federalism: States veer far left or far right,” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704082911gazette.com/news/american-federalism-states-veer-far-left-or-far-right-cronin-and-loevy/article_47b241d8-1604-11ee-a860-3383285a990d.html |date=July 4, 2023 }}, July 1, 2023, updated July 2, 2023, Colorado Springs Gazette, retrieved July 4, 2023“In the States, Democrats All but Ran the Table,” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704082911www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/us/politics/state-legislatures-democrats-trifectas.html |date=July 4, 2023 }} November 11, 2022, New York Times, retrieved July 4, 2023As of 2024, Democrats hold the presidency and a majority in the U.S. Senate, as well as 23 state governorships, 19 state legislatures, 17 state government trifectas, and the mayorships in the majority of the country’s major cities.WEB,www.worldpress.org/article.cfm/mayors-of-the-30-largest-cities-in-the-united-states, Mayors of the 30 Largest Cities in the U.S., July 11, 2023, July 11, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230711234205/https://www.worldpress.org/article.cfm/mayors-of-the-30-largest-cities-in-the-united-states, live, Three of the nine current U.S. Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic presidents. By registered members, the Democratic Party is the largest party in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world. Including the incumbent, Biden, 16 Democrats have served as president of the United States.Name and symbols
{{multiple image| align = right| direction = vertical| width = 150| image1 = Democraticjackass.jpgStructure
National committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is responsible for promoting Democratic campaign activities. While the DNC is responsible for overseeing the process of writing the Democratic Platform, the DNC is more focused on campaign and organizational strategy than public policy. In presidential elections, it supervises the Democratic National Convention. The national convention is subject to the charter of the party and the ultimate authority within the Democratic Party when it is in session, with the DNC running the party’s organization at other times. As of 2021, the Party is chaired by Jaime Harrison.NEWS, Schneider, Avie, DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison Wants To Build The ‘Next Generation’ Of Democratic Talent,www.npr.org/2021/01/22/959573611/dnc-chairman-jaime-harrison-wants-to-build-the-next-generation-of-democratic-tal, January 22, 2021, NPR, January 22, 2021, February 20, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210220202101/https://www.npr.org/2021/01/22/959573611/dnc-chairman-jaime-harrison-wants-to-build-the-next-generation-of-democratic-tal, live,State parties
Each state also has a state committee, made up of elected committee members as well as ex officio committee members (usually elected officials and representatives of major constituencies), which in turn elects a chair. County, town, city, and ward committees generally are composed of individuals elected at the local level. State and local committees often coordinate campaign activities within their jurisdiction, oversee local conventions, and in some cases primaries or caucuses, and may have a role in nominating candidates for elected office under state law. Rarely do they have much funding, but in 2005 DNC Chairman Dean began a program (called the “50 State Strategy“) of using DNC national funds to assist all state parties and pay for full-time professional staffers.NEWS, Gilgoff, Dan, Dean’s List, July 16, 2006,www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/24dems.htm, U.S. News & World Report,www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/24dems.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20120709100930www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/24dems.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20120709100930www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/24dems.htm, July 9, 2012, April 26, 2007, dead,Major party committees and groups
(File:Barack Obama Speaks to College Democrats.jpg|thumb|right|Obama speaking to College Democrats of America in 2007)The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) assists party candidates in House races and is chaired by Representative Suzan DelBene of Washington. Similarly, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), chaired by Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, raises funds for Senate races. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), chaired by Majority Leader of the New York State Senate Andrea Stewart-Cousins, is a smaller organization that focuses on state legislative races. The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is an organization supporting the candidacies of Democratic gubernatorial nominees and incumbents. Likewise, the mayors of the largest cities and urban centers convene as the National Conference of Democratic Mayors.WEB, Home,www.democraticmayors.org/, National Conference of Democratic Mayors, March 21, 2020, October 2, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201002181004/https://www.democraticmayors.org/, live, The DNC sponsors the College Democrats of America (CDA), a student-outreach organization with the goal of training and engaging a new generation of Democratic activists. Democrats Abroad is the organization for Americans living outside the United States. They work to advance the party’s goals and encourage Americans living abroad to support the Democrats. The Young Democrats of America (YDA) and the High School Democrats of America (HSDA) are young adult and youth-led organizations respectively that attempt to draw in and mobilize young people for Democratic candidates but operates outside of the DNC.Political positions
The party’s platform blends civil liberty and social equality with support for a mixed capitalist economy.Larry E. Sullivan. The SAGE glossary of the social and behavioral sciences (2009). p. 291: “This liberalism favors a generous welfare state and a greater measure of social and economic equality. Liberty thus exists when all citizens have access to basic necessities such as education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.” On social issues, it advocates for the continued legality of abortion, the legalization of marijuana, and LGBT rights.On economic issues, it favors universal healthcare coverage, industrial policy, universal child care, paid sick leave, corporate governance reform, and supporting unions.- Economic policy:
- Expand Social Security and safety-net programs.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/03/13/push-to-expand-social-security-not-cut-it-gets-another-boost/, Push to expand Social Security (not cut it) gets another boost, The Washington Post, Greg, Sargent, March 13, 2014, August 22, 2017, July 16, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170716044825/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/03/13/push-to-expand-social-security-not-cut-it-gets-another-boost/, live,
- Increase the capital gains tax rate to 39.6% for taxpayers with annual income above $1 million.WEB, Iacurci, Greg, Biden’s top tax rate on capital gains, dividends would be among highest in developed world,www.cnbc.com/2021/06/21/biden-tax-plan-raises-top-capital-gains-dividend-tax-rate-to-among-highest-in-world.html, CNBC, June 21, 2021, November 23, 2022, November 23, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221123054125/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/21/biden-tax-plan-raises-top-capital-gains-dividend-tax-rate-to-among-highest-in-world.html, live,
- Cut taxes for the working and middle classes as well as small businesses.WEB,www.ontheissues.org/democratic_party.htm, On The Issues : Every Issue – Every Politician, Ontheissues.org, January 19, 2015, May 4, 2016,www.ontheissues.org/Democratic_Party.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160504192839www.ontheissues.org/Democratic_Party.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20160504192839www.ontheissues.org/Democratic_Party.htm, live,
- Change tax rules to discourage shipping jobs overseas.
- Increase federal and state minimum wages.WEB,fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-republicans-and-democrats-are-doing-in-the-states-where-they-have-total-power/, What Republicans And Democrats Are Doing In The States Where They Have Total Power, Bacon, Perry Jr., May 28, 2019, FiveThirtyEight, en-US, June 5, 2019, June 5, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190605210614/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-republicans-and-democrats-are-doing-in-the-states-where-they-have-total-power/, live,
- Modernize and expand access to public education and provide universal preschool education.WEB,www.democrats.org/issues/education, Education, Democrats.org, May 29, 2014, April 30, 2016,www.democrats.org/issues/education," title="web.archive.org/web/20160430183210www.democrats.org/issues/education,">web.archive.org/web/20160430183210www.democrats.org/issues/education, live,
- Support the goal of universal health care through a public health insurance option or expanding Medicare/Medicaid.WEB,www.democrats.org/issues/health_care, Health Care, Democrats.org, May 29, 2014,www.democrats.org/issues/health_care," title="web.archive.org/web/20140530035527www.democrats.org/issues/health_care,">web.archive.org/web/20140530035527www.democrats.org/issues/health_care, May 30, 2014, dead,
- Increase investments in infrastructure development as well as scientific and technological research.WEB,www.democrats.org/issues/science_and_technology, Science & Technology, Democrats.org, May 29, 2014,www.democrats.org/issues/science_and_technology," title="web.archive.org/web/20140626133224www.democrats.org/issues/science_and_technology,">web.archive.org/web/20140626133224www.democrats.org/issues/science_and_technology, June 26, 2014, dead,
- Offer tax credits to make clean energy more accessible for consumers and increase domestic production of clean energy.WEB, Isaac-Thomas, Bella, What the Inflation Reduction Act does for green energy,www.pbs.org/newshour/science/what-the-inflation-reduction-act-does-for-green-energy, PBS, August 11, 2022, November 23, 2022, November 22, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221122222107/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/what-the-inflation-reduction-act-does-for-green-energy, live,
- Uphold labor protections and the right to unionize.WEB,www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_basic_facts_schlozman_on_why_labor_unions_ally_with_the_democrats.pdf, THE ALLIANCE OF U.S. LABOR UNIONS AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, Scholarsstrategynetwork.org, January 19, 2015, March 4, 2016,www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_basic_facts_schlozman_on_why_labor_unions_ally_with_the_democrats.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304041402www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_basic_facts_schlozman_on_why_labor_unions_ally_with_the_democrats.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160304041402www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_basic_facts_schlozman_on_why_labor_unions_ally_with_the_democrats.pdf, live, WEB,democrats.edworkforce.house.gov/issue/worker-rights, Worker Rights, dead,democrats.edworkforce.house.gov/issue/worker-rights," title="web.archive.org/web/20140821122706democrats.edworkforce.house.gov/issue/worker-rights,">web.archive.org/web/20140821122706democrats.edworkforce.house.gov/issue/worker-rights, August 21, 2014,
- Reform the student loan system and allow for refinancing student loans.WEB,www.wbur.org/2014/06/09/obama-warren-student-loan-refinancing, Obama Endorses Sen. Warren’s Student Loan Refinancing Bill, Asma Khalid, June 9, 2014, wbur, June 11, 2014, June 11, 2016,www.wbur.org/2014/06/09/obama-warren-student-loan-refinancing," title="web.archive.org/web/20160611020027www.wbur.org/2014/06/09/obama-warren-student-loan-refinancing,">web.archive.org/web/20160611020027www.wbur.org/2014/06/09/obama-warren-student-loan-refinancing, live,
- Make college more affordable.NEWS, Green, Erica, House Democrats Unveil Plan to Make College More Affordable,www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/us/politics/house-democrats-higher-education.html, The New York Times, October 15, 2019, March 21, 2020, March 21, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200321220407/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/us/politics/house-democrats-higher-education.html, live,
- Mandate equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity.NEWS,politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/07/democrats-highlight-equal-pay-in-political-push/, Democrats highlight equal pay in political push, CNN, April 7, 2014, September 1, 2014, June 10, 2016,politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/07/democrats-highlight-equal-pay-in-political-push/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160610173814politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/07/democrats-highlight-equal-pay-in-political-push/,">web.archive.org/web/20160610173814politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/07/democrats-highlight-equal-pay-in-political-push/, live,
- Social policy:
- Decriminalize or legalize marijuana.
- Uphold network neutrality.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/technology/obama-net-neutrality-fcc.html, Obama Net Neutrality, The New York Times, January 19, 2015, Edward, Wyatt, November 10, 2014, April 27, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190427132858/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/technology/obama-net-neutrality-fcc.html, live,
- Implement campaign finance reform.WEB,www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Democratic_Party_Government_Reform.htm, Democratic Party on Government Reform, Ontheissues.org, January 19, 2015, April 30, 2016,www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Government_Reform.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160430084041www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Government_Reform.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20160430084041www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Government_Reform.htm, live,
- Uphold voting rights and easy access to voting.NEWS,huffingtonpost.com/nick-nyhart/a-call-for-election-refor_b_3443648.html, A Call for Election Reform, Beginning with New York, The Huffington Post, June 15, 2013, December 6, 2019, March 24, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190324035217/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-nyhart/a-call-for-election-refor_b_3443648.html, live, WEB,www.democrats.org/issues/voting_rights, Voting Rights, Democrats.org, February 2, 2014,www.democrats.org/issues/voting_rights," title="web.archive.org/web/20140209071842www.democrats.org/issues/voting_rights,">web.archive.org/web/20140209071842www.democrats.org/issues/voting_rights, February 9, 2014, dead,
- Support same-sex marriage and ban conversion therapy.
- Allow legal access to abortions and women’s reproductive health care.
- Reform the immigration system and allow for a pathway to citizenship.
- Expand background checks and reduce access to assault weapons to address gun violence.
- Improve privacy laws and curtail government surveillance.
- Oppose torture.WEB,irregulartimes.com/2009/04/27/for-torture-and-surveillance-commission-via-hr-104-target-the-congressional-progressive-caucus/, For Torture and Surveillance Commission via H.R. 104, Target The Congressional Progressive Caucus, Irregular Times, May 29, 2014,irregulartimes.com/2009/04/27/for-torture-and-surveillance-commission-via-hr-104-target-the-congressional-progressive-caucus/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140529103649irregulartimes.com/2009/04/27/for-torture-and-surveillance-commission-via-hr-104-target-the-congressional-progressive-caucus/,">web.archive.org/web/20140529103649irregulartimes.com/2009/04/27/for-torture-and-surveillance-commission-via-hr-104-target-the-congressional-progressive-caucus/, May 29, 2014, dead, WEB,www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Democratic_Party_Crime.htm, Democratic Party on Crime, Ontheissues.org, January 19, 2015, April 29, 2016,www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Crime.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160429193145www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Crime.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20160429193145www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Democratic_Party_Crime.htm, live,
- Abolish capital punishment.WEB, Protecting Communities and Building Trust by Reforming Our Criminal Justice System,democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/protecting-communities-and-building-trust-by-reforming-our-criminal-justice-system/, Democrats, November 30, 2021, November 22, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211122151253/https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/protecting-communities-and-building-trust-by-reforming-our-criminal-justice-system/, live,
- Recognize and defend Internet freedom worldwide.
Economic issues
Equal economic opportunity, a social safety net, and strong labor unions have historically been at the heart of Democratic economic policy. The Democratic Party’s economic policy positions, as measured by votes in Congress, tend to align with those of middle class.JOURNAL, Grossmann, Matt, Mahmood, Zuhaib, Isaac, William, 2021, Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Unequal Class Influence in American Policy,www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/711900, The Journal of Politics, 83, 4, 1706–1720, 10.1086/711900, 224851520, 0022-3816, October 12, 2021, October 29, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211029170940/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/711900, live, BOOK, Bartels, Larry M.,muse.jhu.edu/book/64558, Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age – Second Edition, 2016, Princeton University Press, 978-1-4008-8336-3, November 5, 2021, November 5, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211105222439/https://muse.jhu.edu/book/64558, live, JOURNAL, Rhodes, Jesse H., Schaffner, Brian F., 2017, Testing Models of Unequal Representation: Democratic Populists and Republican Oligarchs?,www.nowpublishers.com/article/Details/QJPS-16077, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 12, 2, 185–204, 10.1561/100.00016077, November 5, 2021, October 29, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211029183431/https://www.nowpublishers.com/article/Details/QJPS-16077, live, JOURNAL, Lax, Jeffrey R., Phillips, Justin H., Zelizer, Adam, 2019, The Party or the Purse? Unequal Representation in the US Senate,www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/party-or-the-purse-unequal-representation-in-the-us-senate/286BFEAA039374759DE14D782A0BB8DD, American Political Science Review, en, 113, 4, 917–940, 10.1017/S0003055419000315, 21669533, 0003-0554, November 5, 2021, October 29, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211029000457/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/party-or-the-purse-unequal-representation-in-the-us-senate/286BFEAA039374759DE14D782A0BB8DD, live, BOOK, Hacker, Jacob S.,books.google.com/books?id=Kqu6DwAAQBAJ, Let them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality, Pierson, Paul, 2020, Liveright Publishing, 978-1-63149-685-1, en, Democrats support a progressive tax system, higher minimum wages, Social Security, universal health care, public education, and subsidized housing. They also support infrastructure development and clean energy investments to achieve economic development and job creation.WEB,www.democrats.org/issues/economy_and_job_creation, Jobs and the Economy, Democrats.org, July 14, 2014,www.democrats.org/issues/economy_and_job_creation," title="web.archive.org/web/20150320195530www.democrats.org/issues/economy_and_job_creation,">web.archive.org/web/20150320195530www.democrats.org/issues/economy_and_job_creation, March 20, 2015, dead, Since the 1990s, the party has at times supported centrist economic reforms that cut the size of government and reduced market regulations.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/19/wall-street-deregulation-clinton-advisers-obama, Wall Street deregulation pushed by Clinton advisers, documents reveal, Dan Roberts, The Guardian, April 19, 2014, December 14, 2016, January 6, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200106185232/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/19/wall-street-deregulation-clinton-advisers-obama, live, The party has generally rejected both laissez-faire economics and market socialism, instead favoring Keynesian economics within a capitalist market-based system.BOOK, Mudge, Stephanie, Leftism Reinvented: Western Parties from Socialism to Neoliberalism, 2018, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 167–213,Fiscal policy
Democrats support a more progressive tax structure to provide more services and reduce economic inequality by making sure that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes.WEB,economics.about.com/od/monetaryandfiscalpolicy/a/high_taxes.htm, How High Should Taxes Be?, Economics.about.com, June 12, 2010, June 17, 2010, April 14, 2016,economics.about.com/od/monetaryandfiscalpolicy/a/high_taxes.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160414204158economics.about.com/od/monetaryandfiscalpolicy/a/high_taxes.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20160414204158economics.about.com/od/monetaryandfiscalpolicy/a/high_taxes.htm, live, Democrats and Republicans traditionally take differing stances on eradicating poverty. Brady said “Our poverty level is the direct consequence of our weak social policies, which are a direct consequence of weak political actors”.NEWS, CARBONARO, GIULIA, Poverty Is Killing Nearly 200,000 Americans a Year,www.newsweek.com/poverty-killing-nearly-200000-americans-year-1806002, Newsweek, 2023, June 29, 2023, June 29, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230629052853/https://www.newsweek.com/poverty-killing-nearly-200000-americans-year-1806002, live, They oppose the cutting of social services, such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,WEB,usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/social/ch9.htm, The Social Safety Net, usinfo.state.gov, dead,usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/social/ch9.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080410221216usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/social/ch9.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20080410221216usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/social/ch9.htm, April 10, 2008, believing it to be harmful to efficiency and social justice. Democrats believe the benefits of social services in monetary and non-monetary terms are a more productive labor force and cultured population and believe that the benefits of this are greater than any benefits that could be derived from lower taxes, especially on top earners, or cuts to social services. Furthermore, Democrats see social services as essential toward providing positive freedom, freedom derived from economic opportunity. The Democratic-led House of Representatives reinstated the PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) budget rule at the start of the 110th Congress.NEWS, Day Two: House passes new budget rules, January 5, 2007,www.nbcnews.com/id/16487187, Associated Press, January 5, 2007, December 4, 2019,www.nbcnews.com/id/16487187," title="web.archive.org/web/20191204034031www.nbcnews.com/id/16487187,">web.archive.org/web/20191204034031www.nbcnews.com/id/16487187, live,Minimum wage
{{see also|Minimum wage in the United States}}The Democratic Party favors raising the minimum wage. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 was an early component of the Democrats’ agenda during the 110th Congress. In 2006, the Democrats supported six state-ballot initiatives to increase the minimum wage and all six initiatives passed.WEB,www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform, The Democratic Party Platform, Democrats.org, March 18, 2014, dead,www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform," title="web.archive.org/web/20140315234633www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform,">web.archive.org/web/20140315234633www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform, March 15, 2014, In 2017, Senate Democrats introduced the Raise the Wage Act which would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024.NEWS, Kulwin, Noah, May 25, 2017, Democrats just united on a $15-an-hour minimum wage,news.vice.com/story/democrats-just-united-on-a-15-an-hour-minimum-wage, Vice, May 29, 2017, May 26, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170526052042/https://news.vice.com/story/democrats-just-united-on-a-15-an-hour-minimum-wage, live, In 2021, Democratic president Joe Biden proposed increasing the minimum wage to $15 by 2025.WEB, Freking, Kevin, Biden, Democrats hit gas on push for $15 minimum wage,apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-rashida-tlaib-coronavirus-pandemic-minimum-wage-ee0e8cc7c96a30d9581723b2c6bb4189, The Associated Press, January 30, 2021, February 6, 2021, February 19, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210219102902/https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-rashida-tlaib-coronavirus-pandemic-minimum-wage-ee0e8cc7c96a30d9581723b2c6bb4189, live, In many states controlled by Democrats, the state minimum wage has been increased to a rate above the federal minimum wage.WEB, Marr, Chris, Blue State Minimum Wages Inch Upward, Widening Gap With South,news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/blue-state-minimum-wages-inch-upward-widening-gap-with-south, Bloomberg Law, July 24, 2022, May 25, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220525224046/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/blue-state-minimum-wages-inch-upward-widening-gap-with-south, live,Health care
File:Obama signing health care-20100323.jpg|thumb|President Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care ActPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActDemocrats call for “affordable and quality health care” and favor moving toward universal health care in a variety of forms to address rising healthcare costs. Progressive Democrats politicians favor a single-payer program or Medicare for All, while liberals prefer creating a public health insurance option.NEWS, Goodnough, Abby, Kaplan, Thomas, Democrat vs. Democrat: How Health Care Is Dividing the Party,www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/health/democratic-debate-healthcare.html, The New York Times, June 28, 2019, July 22, 2020, July 22, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200722004441/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/health/democratic-debate-healthcare.html, live, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, has been one of the most significant pushes for universal health care. As of December 2019, more than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.WEB, Nova, Annie, How the Affordable Care Act transformed our health-care system,www.cnbc.com/2019/12/29/how-the-affordable-care-act-transformed-the-us-health-care-system.html, CNBC, December 29, 2019, July 22, 2020, July 27, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200727041849/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/29/how-the-affordable-care-act-transformed-the-us-health-care-system.html, live,Education
Democrats favor improving public education by raising school standards and reforming the Head Start program. They also support universal preschool, expanding access to primary education, including through charter schools, and are generally opposed to school voucher programs. They call for addressing student loan debt and reforms to reduce college tuition.WEB,www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/101962.pdf, Moving America Forward 2012 Democratic National Platform, presidency.ucsb.edu, September 14, 2012, January 13, 2018, August 19, 2018,www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/101962.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20180819093203www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/101962.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20180819093203www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/101962.pdf, live, Other proposals have included tuition-free public universities and reform of standardized testing. Democrats have the long-term aim of having publicly funded college education with low tuition fees (like in much of Europe and Canada), which would be available to every eligible American student. Alternatively, they encourage expanding access to post-secondary education by increasing state funding for student financial aid such as Pell Grants and college tuition tax deductions.WEB, Clinton Joins Key Senate Democrats to Release Report on “The College Cost Crunch”, June 28, 2006,clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=258005, clinton.senate.gov, November 25, 2006, dead,www.clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=258005," title="web.archive.org/web/20061025234254www.clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=258005,">web.archive.org/web/20061025234254www.clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=258005, October 25, 2006,Environment
{{multiple image| align = right| direction = horizontal| total_width = 450| image1 = 2009- Pew survey - is climate change a major threat, by political party.svgRenewable energy and fossil fuels
Democrats have supported increased domestic renewable energy development, including wind and solar power farms, in an effort to reduce carbon pollution. The party’s platform calls for an “all of the above” energy policy including clean energy, natural gas and domestic oil, with the desire of becoming energy independent. The party has supported higher taxes on oil companies and increased regulations on coal power plants, favoring a policy of reducing long-term reliance on fossil fuels.WEB,www.democrats.org/issues/energy_independence,www.democrats.org/issues/energy_independence," title="web.archive.org/web/20100920002824www.democrats.org/issues/energy_independence,">web.archive.org/web/20100920002824www.democrats.org/issues/energy_independence, dead, September 20, 2010, Energy Independence, Democrats.org, NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/02/coal-state-democrats-to-obama-curb-emissions-um-no-thanks/, Coal state Democrats to Obama: Curb emissions? Um, no thanks., The Washington Post, Sean, Sullivan, June 2, 2014, August 22, 2017, May 13, 2015,www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/02/coal-state-democrats-to-obama-curb-emissions-um-no-thanks/," title="web.archive.org/web/20150513225106www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/02/coal-state-democrats-to-obama-curb-emissions-um-no-thanks/,">web.archive.org/web/20150513225106www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/02/coal-state-democrats-to-obama-curb-emissions-um-no-thanks/, live, Additionally, the party supports stricter fuel emissions standards to prevent air pollution.Trade agreements
Like the Republican Party, the Democratic Party has taken widely varying views on international trade throughout its history. The Democrats dominated the Second Party System and set low tariffs designed to pay for the government but not protect industry. Their opponents the Whigs wanted high protective tariffs but usually were outvoted in Congress. Tariffs soon became a major political issue as the Whigs (1832–1852) and (after 1854) the Republicans wanted to protect their mostly northern industries and constituents by voting for higher tariffs and the Southern Democrats, which had very little industry but imported many goods voted for lower tariffs. After the Second Party System ended in 1854 the Democrats lost control and the new Republican Party had its opportunity to raise rates.Taussig, Tariff History pp. 109–24During the Third Party System, Democratic president Grover Cleveland made low tariffs the centerpiece of Democratic Party policies, arguing that high tariffs were an unnecessary and unfair tax on consumers. The South and West generally supported low tariffs, while the industrial North high tariffs.Joanne R. Reitano, The Tariff Question in the Gilded Age: The Great Debate of 1888 (Penn State Press, 1994) During the Fourth Party System, Democratic president Woodrow Wilson made a drastic lowering of tariff rates a major priority for his presidency. The 1913 Underwood Tariff cut rates, and the new revenues generated by the federal income tax made tariffs much less important in terms of economic impact and political rhetoric.Woodrow Wilson: “Address to a Joint Session of Congress on the Banking System,” June 23, 1913. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=65369 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012012358www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=65369 |date=October 12, 2018 }}.In the 1990s, the Clinton administration and a number of prominent Democrats pushed through a number of agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since then, the party’s shift away from free trade became evident in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) vote, with 15 House Democrats voting for the agreement and 187 voting against.NEWS, Weisman, Jonathan, CAFTA Reflects Democrats’ Shift From Trade Bills, The Washington Post, July 6, 2005,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/05/AR2005070501345_pf.html, December 10, 2006, November 2, 2012,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/05/AR2005070501345_pf.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121102173616www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/05/AR2005070501345_pf.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121102173616www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/05/AR2005070501345_pf.html, live, MAGAZINE, Nichols, John, CAFTA Vote Outs “Bush Democrats”, The Nation, July 28, 2005,www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=8874,www.thenation.com/blogs/john-nichols?bid=1&pid=8874," title="wayback.archive-it.org/all/20111027041618www.thenation.com/blogs/john-nichols?bid=1&pid=8874,">wayback.archive-it.org/all/20111027041618www.thenation.com/blogs/john-nichols?bid=1&pid=8874, dead, October 27, 2011, December 15, 2006, WEB,democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/building-a-stronger-fairer-economy/, Building A Stronger, Fairer Economy, Democratic National Committee, August 10, 2021, August 18, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210818204036/https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/building-a-stronger-fairer-economy/, live, WEB,www.forbes.com/sites/kenroberts/2024/04/26/biden-could-be-1st-president-since-carter-to-not-negotiate-sign-fta/, Biden Could Be 1st President Since Carter To Not Negotiate, Sign FTA, Forbes, Ken, Roberts, April 26, 2024,Social issues
File:Shirley Chisholm.jpg|thumb|Shirley ChisholmShirley ChisholmThe modern Democratic Party emphasizes social equality and equal opportunity. Democrats support voting rights and minority rights, including LGBT rights. Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed racial segregation. Carmines and Stimson wrote “the Democratic Party appropriated racial liberalism and assumed federal responsibility for ending racial discrimination.“Carmines, Edward G.; Stimson, James A. “Racial Issues and The Structure of Mass Belief Systems,” Journal of Politics (1982) 44#1 pp 2–20 in JSTOR {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731011758www.jstor.org/stable/2130281 |date=July 31, 2020 }}BOOK, Talmadge Anderson, James Benjamin Stewart, amp, Introduction to African American Studies: Transdisciplinary Approaches and Implications,books.google.com/books?id=49tXR1Ok6poC&pg=PA205, 2007, Black Classic Press, 205, 9781580730396, BOOK, Jeffrey M. Stonecash, New Directions in American Political Parties,books.google.com/books?id=ZNuOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA131, 2010, Routledge, 131, 9781135282059, Ideological social elements in the party include cultural liberalism, civil libertarianism, and feminism. Some Democratic social policies are immigration reform, electoral reform, and women’s reproductive rights.Equal opportunity
The Democratic Party supports equal opportunity for all Americans regardless of sex, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, or national origin. The Democratic Party has broad appeal across most socioeconomic and ethnic demographics, as seen in recent exit polls.WEB,www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/06/30/behind-bidens-2020-victory/, Behind Biden’s 2020 Victory, June 30, 2021, Pew Research Center, August 19, 2023, August 19, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230819144304/https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/06/30/behind-bidens-2020-victory/, live, Democrats also strongly support the Americans with Disabilities Act to prohibit discrimination against people based on physical or mental disability. As such, the Democrats pushed as well the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, a disability rights expansion that became law.WEB,www.democrats.org/issues/civil_rights, Civil Rights, Democrats.org, February 2, 2014,www.democrats.org/issues/civil_rights," title="web.archive.org/web/20140209053820www.democrats.org/issues/civil_rights,">web.archive.org/web/20140209053820www.democrats.org/issues/civil_rights, February 9, 2014, dead, Most Democrats support affirmative action to further equal opportunity. However, in 2020 57% voters in California voted to keep their state constitution’s ban on affirmative action, despite Biden winning 63% of the vote in California in the same election.WEB,elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-general/sov/complete-sov.pdf, STATEMENT OF VOTE, Alex, Padilla, November 3, 2020, March 15, 2024,Voting rights
The party is very supportive of improving voting rights as well as election accuracy and accessibility.WEB,usliberals.about.com/od/electionreform/a/VotingAgenda.htm, Liberalism 101: Democratic Party Agenda on Electoral Reform, Deborah White, About, April 17, 2014, March 10, 2016,usliberals.about.com/od/electionreform/a/VotingAgenda.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20160310140253usliberals.about.com/od/electionreform/a/VotingAgenda.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20160310140253usliberals.about.com/od/electionreform/a/VotingAgenda.htm, live, They support extensions of voting time, including making election day a holiday. They support reforming the electoral system to eliminate gerrymandering, abolishing the electoral college, as well as passing comprehensive campaign finance reform.Abortion and reproductive rights
{{see also|Abortion in the United States}}The Democratic position on abortion has changed significantly over time.JOURNAL, Williams, Daniel K., June 2015, The Partisan Trajectory of the American Pro-Life Movement: How a Liberal Catholic Campaign Became a Conservative Evangelical Cause, Religions, en, 6, 2, 451–475, 10.3390/rel6020451, 2077-1444, free, WEB, Williams, Daniel K., May 9, 2022, This Really Is a Different Pro-Life Movement,www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/south-abortion-pro-life-protestants-catholics/629779/, February 2, 2023, The Atlantic, en, This was not merely a geographic shift, trading one region for another, but a more fundamental transformation of the anti-abortion movement’s political ideology. In 1973 many of the most vocal opponents of abortion were northern Democrats who believed in an expanded social-welfare state and who wanted to reduce abortion rates through prenatal insurance and federally funded day care. In 2022, most anti-abortion politicians are conservative Republicans who are skeptical of such measures. What happened was a seismic religious and political shift in opposition to abortion that has not occurred in any other Western country., May 10, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220510043840/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/south-abortion-pro-life-protestants-catholics/629779/, live, During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Republicans generally favored legalized abortion more than Democrats,NEWS, Halpern, Sue, November 8, 2018, How Republicans Became Anti-Choice, en, The New York Review of Books,www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/11/08/how-republicans-became-anti-choice/, February 4, 2023, 0028-7504, February 4, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230204085532/https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/11/08/how-republicans-became-anti-choice/, live, although significant heterogeneity could be found within both parties.WEB, Taylor, Justin, May 9, 2018, How the Christian Right Became Prolife on Abortion and Transformed the Culture Wars,www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/christian-right-discovered-abortion-rights-transformed-culture-wars/, February 4, 2023, The Gospel Coalition, en-US, February 4, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230204085533/https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/christian-right-discovered-abortion-rights-transformed-culture-wars/, live, During this time, opposition to abortion tended to be concentrated within the political left in the United States. Liberal Protestants and Catholics (many of whom were Democratic voters) opposed abortion, while most conservative Protestants supported legal access to abortion services.{{clarify|date=April 2024}}In its national platforms from 1992 to 2004, the Democratic Party has called for abortion to be “safe, legal and rare“—namely, keeping it legal by rejecting laws that allow governmental interference in abortion decisions and reducing the number of abortions by promoting both knowledge of reproduction and contraception and incentives for adoption. The wording changed in the 2008 platform.{{cn|date=April 2024}} When Congress voted on the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 2003, Congressional Democrats were split, with a minority (including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid) supporting the ban and the majority of Democrats opposing the legislation.WEB,www.ontheissues.org/HouseVote/Party_2003-530.htm, House Votes on 2003-530, Ontheissues.org, October 2, 2003, March 18, 2014, February 28, 2014,www.ontheissues.org/HouseVote/Party_2003-530.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20140228171204www.ontheissues.org/HouseVote/Party_2003-530.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20140228171204www.ontheissues.org/HouseVote/Party_2003-530.htm, live, According to the 2020 Democratic Party platform, “Democrats believe every woman should be able to access high-quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion.“WEB, 2020 Democratic Party Platform,www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf, 2020 Democratic National Convention, January 10, 2021, February 16, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210216091833/https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf, dead,Immigration
{{see also|Immigration to the United States|Illegal immigration to the United States}}File:President Lyndon B. Johnson Signing of the Immigration Act of 1965 (02) - restoration1.jpg|thumb|President Johnson signing the Immigration Act of 1965Immigration Act of 1965Like the Republican Party, the Democratic Party has taken widely varying views on immigration throughout its history. Since the 1990s, the Democratic Party has been more supportive overall of immigration than the Republican Party.BOOK,press.princeton.edu/titles/11040.html, Trading Barriers, Peters, Margaret, 2017, 154–155, Princeton University Press, 978-0691174471,web.archive.org/web/20180303043905/https://press.princeton.edu/titles/11040.html, March 3, 2018, live, Many Democratic politicians have called for systematic reform of the immigration system such that residents that have come into the United States illegally have a pathway to legal citizenship. President Obama remarked in November 2013 that he felt it was “long past time to fix our broken immigration system,” particularly to allow “incredibly bright young people” that came over as students to become full citizens. The Public Religion Research Institute found in a late 2013 study that 73% of Democrats supported the pathway concept, compared to 63% of Americans as a whole.NEWS, Frumin, Aliyah, Obama: ‘Long past time’ for immigration reform, November 25, 2013,msnbc.com/hardball/obama-long-past-time-reform, MSNBC.com, January 26, 2014, January 21, 2014,www.msnbc.com/hardball/obama-long-past-time-reform," title="web.archive.org/web/20140121145422www.msnbc.com/hardball/obama-long-past-time-reform,">web.archive.org/web/20140121145422www.msnbc.com/hardball/obama-long-past-time-reform, live, In 2013, Democrats in the Senate passed S. 744, which would reform immigration policy to allow citizenship for illegal immigrants in the United States. The law failed to pass in the House and was never re-introduced after the 113th Congress. As of 2023, no major immigration reform legislation has been enacted into law in the 21st century.WEB,www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00167, U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote, Senate.gov, March 18, 2014, November 10, 2013,www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00167," title="web.archive.org/web/20131110070108www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00167,">web.archive.org/web/20131110070108www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00167, live, WEB,apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f, AP News, Immigration reform stalled decade after Gang of 8’s big push, April 3, 2023, April 3, 2023, April 3, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230403061526/https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f, live,LGBT rights
{{see also|LGBT rights in the United States}}The Democratic position on LGBT rights has changed significantly over time.WEB, Igielnik, Ruth, November 16, 2022, Backdrop for Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Rights: A Big Shift in Public Opinion,www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/us/politics/same-sex-marriage-public-opinion.html, November 17, 2022, The New York Times, November 16, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221116235133/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/us/politics/same-sex-marriage-public-opinion.html, live, WEB, Lindberg, Tim, August 2, 2022, Congress is considering making same-sex marriage federal law – a political scientist explains how this issue became less polarized over time,theconversation.com/congress-is-considering-making-same-sex-marriage-federal-law-a-political-scientist-explains-how-this-issue-became-less-polarized-over-time-187509, August 14, 2022, Kansas Reflector, en-US, August 23, 2022,theconversation.com/congress-is-considering-making-same-sex-marriage-federal-law-a-political-scientist-explains-how-this-issue-became-less-polarized-over-time-187509," title="web.archive.org/web/20220823203344theconversation.com/congress-is-considering-making-same-sex-marriage-federal-law-a-political-scientist-explains-how-this-issue-became-less-polarized-over-time-187509,">web.archive.org/web/20220823203344theconversation.com/congress-is-considering-making-same-sex-marriage-federal-law-a-political-scientist-explains-how-this-issue-became-less-polarized-over-time-187509, live, Before the 2000s, like the Republicans, the Democratic Party often took positions hostile to LGBT rights. As of the 2020s, both voters and elected representatives within the Democratic Party are overwhelmingly supportive of LGBT rights.Support for same-sex marriage has steadily increased among the general public, including voters in both major parties, since the start of the 21st century. An April 2009 ABC News/Washington Post public opinion poll put support among Democrats at 62%.NEWS,abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1089a6HotButtonIssues.pdf, Changing Views on Social Issues, April 30, 2009, May 14, 2009, November 10, 2010,abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1089a6HotButtonIssues.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20101110130400abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1089a6HotButtonIssues.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20101110130400abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1089a6HotButtonIssues.pdf, live, A broad majority of Democrats have supported other LGBT-related laws such as extending hate crime statutes, legally preventing discrimination against LGBT people in the workforce and repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy. A 2006 Pew Research Center poll of Democrats found that 55% supported gays adopting children with 40% opposed while 70% support gays in the military, with only 23% opposed.Less Opposition to Gay Marriage, Adoption and Military Service {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310052909people-press.org/report/273/less-opposition-to-gay-marriage-adoption-and-military-service |date=March 10, 2011}}. Pew Research Center. March 22, 2006. Gallup polling from May 2009 stated that 82% of Democrats support open enlistment.WEB,www.gallup.com/poll/120764/conservatives-shift-favor-openly-gay-service-members.aspx, Conservatives Shift in Favor of Openly Gay Service Members, The Gallup Organization, Gallup.com, June 5, 2009, Lymari, Morales, August 25, 2010, May 1, 2016,www.gallup.com/poll/120764/Conservatives-Shift-Favor-Openly-Gay-Service-Members.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20160501214245www.gallup.com/poll/120764/Conservatives-Shift-Favor-Openly-Gay-Service-Members.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20160501214245www.gallup.com/poll/120764/Conservatives-Shift-Favor-Openly-Gay-Service-Members.aspx, live, A 2023 Gallup public opinion poll found 84% of Democrats support same-sex marriage, compared to 71% support by the general public and 49% support by Republicans.WEB,news.gallup.com/poll/506636/sex-marriage-support-holds-high.aspx, June 5, 2023, U.S. Same-Sex Marriage Support Holds at 71% High, Justin, McCarthy, June 5, 2023, June 5, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230605083325/https://news.gallup.com/poll/506636/sex-marriage-support-holds-high.aspx, live, The 2004 Democratic National Platform stated that marriage should be defined at the state level and it repudiated the Federal Marriage Amendment.WEB,www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf, The 2004 Democratic National Platform for America, dead,www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20041013001521www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20041013001521www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf, October 13, 2004, {{small|(111 KB)}} John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, did not support same-sex marriage in his campaign. While not stating support of same-sex marriage, the 2008 platform called for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage and removed the need for interstate recognition, supported antidiscrimination laws and the extension of hate crime laws to LGBT people and opposed “don’t ask, don’t tell”.WEB, Garcia, Michelle,www.advocate.com/print-issue/advance/2012/04/22/year-democrats-embrace-marriage-equality, Is This the Year Democrats Embrace Marriage Equality?, Advocate.com, April 22, 2012, October 2, 2013, October 4, 2013,www.advocate.com/print-issue/advance/2012/04/22/year-democrats-embrace-marriage-equality," title="web.archive.org/web/20131004234045www.advocate.com/print-issue/advance/2012/04/22/year-democrats-embrace-marriage-equality,">web.archive.org/web/20131004234045www.advocate.com/print-issue/advance/2012/04/22/year-democrats-embrace-marriage-equality, live, The 2012 platform included support for same-sex marriage and for the repeal of DOMA.WEB, All Things Considered,www.npr.org/2012/09/04/160562404/democratic-platform-endorses-gay-marriage, Democratic Platform Endorses Gay Marriage, Npr.org, September 4, 2012, October 2, 2013, October 5, 2013,www.npr.org/2012/09/04/160562404/democratic-platform-endorses-gay-marriage," title="web.archive.org/web/20131005001326www.npr.org/2012/09/04/160562404/democratic-platform-endorses-gay-marriage,">web.archive.org/web/20131005001326www.npr.org/2012/09/04/160562404/democratic-platform-endorses-gay-marriage, live, On May 9, 2012, Barack Obama became the first sitting president to say he supports same-sex marriage.NEWS,www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57431122-503544/obama-backs-same-sex-marriage/, Obama backs same-sex marriage, CBS News, May 9, 2012, May 9, 2012, May 10, 2012,www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57431122-503544/obama-backs-same-sex-marriage/," title="web.archive.org/web/20120510010911www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57431122-503544/obama-backs-same-sex-marriage/,">web.archive.org/web/20120510010911www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57431122-503544/obama-backs-same-sex-marriage/, live, NEWS,huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/obama-gay-marriage_n_1503245.html, Obama Backs Gay Marriage, Sam Stein, May 9, 2012, The Huffington Post, December 6, 2019, September 20, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180920002222/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/obama-gay-marriage_n_1503245.html, dead, Previously, he had opposed restrictions on same-sex marriage such as the Defense of Marriage Act, which he promised to repeal,NEWS,www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.samesexmarriage.html, Same-sex Marriage – Issues – Election Center 2008, CNN, January 19, 2015, April 28, 2016,www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.samesexmarriage.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160428162155www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.samesexmarriage.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160428162155www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.samesexmarriage.html, live, California’s Prop 8,Obama Opposes Gay Marriage Ban {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926223051voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/02/obama_opposes_gay_marriage_ban.html |date=September 26, 2011}}. The Washington Post. By Perry Bacon Jr. July 2, 2008. and a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage (which he opposed saying that “decisions about marriage should be left to the states as they always have been“),Obama Statement on Vote Against Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208020010obama.senate.gov/press/060607-obama_statement_26/index.php |date=December 8, 2008}}. United States Senate Official Website {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228084718www.senate.gov/ |date=December 28, 2016}}. June 7, 2006. but also stated that he personally believed marriage to be between a man and a woman and that he favored civil unions that would “give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples”. Earlier, when running for the Illinois Senate in 1996 he said, “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages”.NEWS,huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/13/obama-once-supported-same_n_157656.html, Obama Once Supported Same-Sex Marriage ‘Unequivocally’, Huffingtonpost.com, January 13, 2009, June 17, 2010, Jason, Linkins, May 12, 2011,www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/13/obama-once-supported-same_n_157656.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110512012736www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/13/obama-once-supported-same_n_157656.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110512012736www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/13/obama-once-supported-same_n_157656.html, live, Former presidents Bill ClintonNEWS,ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/25/video-clinton-shifts-on-gay-marriage/, CNN, Video: Clinton shifts on gay marriage, May 1, 2010, September 25, 2009, December 26, 2009,ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/25/video-clinton-shifts-on-gay-marriage/," title="web.archive.org/web/20091226140541ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/25/video-clinton-shifts-on-gay-marriage/,">web.archive.org/web/20091226140541ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/25/video-clinton-shifts-on-gay-marriage/, live, and Jimmy CarterNEWS, March 19, 2012,huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/president-jimmy-carter-bible-book_n_1349570.html, President Jimmy Carter Authors New Bible Book, Answers Hard Biblical Questions, The Huffington Post, June 26, 2012, Paul, Raushenbush, June 25, 2012,www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/president-jimmy-carter-bible-book_n_1349570.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120625134951www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/president-jimmy-carter-bible-book_n_1349570.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120625134951www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/president-jimmy-carter-bible-book_n_1349570.html, live, along with former Democratic presidential nominees Al GoreWEB,current.com/items/88817757_gay-men-and-women-should-have-the-same-rights.htm, Gay men and women should have the same rights Current, Current.com, January 17, 2008, June 17, 2010, https:web.archive.org/web/20091129220957current.com/items/88817757_gay-men-and-women-should-have-the-same-rights.htm, November 29, 2009, dead, and Michael DukakisWEB, Israel, Josh, Mondale and Dukakis Back Marriage Equality, ThinkProgress, May 16, 2013,thinkprogress.org/mondale-dukakis-back-marriage-equality-joining-every-living-democratic-presidential-nominee-56a1d402991d/, November 4, 2019, November 4, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191104164913/https://thinkprogress.org/mondale-dukakis-back-marriage-equality-joining-every-living-democratic-presidential-nominee-56a1d402991d/, live, support same-sex marriage. President Joe Biden has supported same-sex marriage since 2012, when he became the highest-ranking government official to support it. In 2022, Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act; the law repealed the Defense of Marriage Act, which Biden had voted for during his Senate tenure.WEB, Cournoyer, Caroline, Joe Biden Endorses Gay Marriage,www.governing.com/archive/Joseph-Biden-Endorses-Gay-Marriage.html, Governing, May 7, 2012, February 9, 2021, February 22, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210222013528/https://www.governing.com/archive/Joseph-Biden-Endorses-Gay-Marriage.html, live,Status of Puerto Rico and D.C.
The 2016 Democratic Party platform declares, regarding the status of Puerto Rico: “We are committed to addressing the extraordinary challenges faced by our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico. Many stem from the fundamental question of Puerto Rico’s political status. Democrats believe that the people of Puerto Rico should determine their ultimate political status from permanent options that do not conflict with the Constitution, laws, and policies of the United States. Democrats are committed to promoting economic opportunity and good-paying jobs for the hardworking people of Puerto Rico. We also believe that Puerto Ricans must be treated equally by Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs that benefit families. Puerto Ricans should be able to vote for the people who make their laws, just as they should be treated equally. All American citizens, no matter where they reside, should have the right to vote for the president of the United States. Finally, we believe that federal officials must respect Puerto Rico’s local self-government as laws are implemented and Puerto Rico’s budget and debt are restructured so that it can get on a path towards stability and prosperity”.WEB,www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Democratic-Party-Platform-7.21.16-no-lines.pdf, Democratic Party Platform 2016, November 11, 2016, dead,web.archive.org/web/20161110225904/https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Democratic-Party-Platform-7.21.16-no-lines.pdf, November 10, 2016, Also, it declares that regarding the status of the District of Columbia: “Restoring our democracy also means finally passing statehood for the District of Columbia, so that the American citizens who reside in the nation’s capital have full and equal congressional rights as well as the right to have the laws and budget of their local government respected without Congressional interference.”Legal issues
Gun control
(File:20210420 Gun control survey by political party - Pew Research.svg|thumb|upright=1.5| U.S. opinion on gun control issues is deeply divided along political lines, as shown in this 2021 survey.WEB, Amid a Series of Mass Shootings in the U.S., Gun Policy Remains Deeply Divisive,www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/04/20/amid-a-series-of-mass-shootings-in-the-u-s-gun-policy-remains-deeply-divisive/, PewResearch.org,web.archive.org/web/20220530202009/https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/04/20/amid-a-series-of-mass-shootings-in-the-u-s-gun-policy-remains-deeply-divisive/, May 30, 2022, April 20, 2021, live, )With a stated goal of reducing crime and homicide, the Democratic Party has introduced various gun control measures, most notably the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Brady Bill of 1993 and Crime Control Act of 1994. In its national platform for 2008, the only statement explicitly favoring gun control was a plan calling for renewal of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.WEB,www.queerty.com/wp/docs/2008/08/2008-democratic-platform-080808.pdf, The Draft 2008 Democratic National Platform: Renewing America’s Promise, February 4, 2014, dead,www.queerty.com/wp/docs/2008/08/2008-democratic-platform-080808.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20120512191810www.queerty.com/wp/docs/2008/08/2008-democratic-platform-080808.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20120512191810www.queerty.com/wp/docs/2008/08/2008-democratic-platform-080808.pdf, May 12, 2012, In 2022, Democratic president Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which among other things expanded background checks and provided incentives for states to pass red flag laws.WEB, Clyde, Don, Miranda, Shauneen, Biden signs gun safety bill into law,www.npr.org/2022/06/25/1107626030/biden-signs-gun-safety-law, NPR, June 25, 2022, September 20, 2022, September 24, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220924024307/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/25/1107626030/biden-signs-gun-safety-law, live, According to a 2023 Pew Research Center poll, 20% of Democrats owned firearms, compared to 32% of the general public and 45% of Republicans.WEB,www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/, September 19, 2023, September 13, 2023, Key facts about Americans and guns, Pew Research Center, Katherine, Schaeffer,Death penalty
The Democratic Party’s 2020 platform states its opposition to the death penalty. Although most Democrats in Congress have never seriously moved to overturn the rarely used federal death penalty, both Russ Feingold and Dennis Kucinich have introduced such bills with little success. Democrats have led efforts to overturn state death penalty laws, particularly in New Jersey and in New Mexico. They have also sought to prevent the reinstatement of the death penalty in those states which prohibit it, including Massachusetts, New York, and Delaware. During the Clinton administration, Democrats led the expansion of the federal death penalty. These efforts resulted in the passage of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, signed into law by President Clinton, which heavily limited appeals in death penalty cases.In 1972, the Democratic Party platform called for the abolition of capital punishment.WEB, 1972 Democratic Party Platform, American Presidency Project,www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/1972-democratic-party-platform, July 11, 1972,web.archive.org/web/20220408133915/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/1972-democratic-party-platform, April 8, 2022, live, In 1992, 1993 and 1995, Democratic Texas Congressman Henry González unsuccessfully introduced the s:Death Penalty Abolition Amendment|Death Penalty Abolition Amendment]] which prohibited the use of capital punishment in the United States. Democratic Missouri Congressman William Lacy Clay Sr. cosponsored the amendment in 1993.During his Illinois Senate career, former President Barack Obama successfully introduced legislation intended to reduce the likelihood of wrongful convictions in capital cases, requiring videotaping of confessions. When campaigning for the presidency, Obama stated that he supports the limited use of the death penalty, including for people who have been convicted of raping a minor under the age of 12, having opposed the Supreme Court’s ruling in Kennedy v. Louisiana that the death penalty was unconstitutional in which the victim of a crime was not killed.“Obama Backs Death Penalty for Child Rapists” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527012457www.newser.com/story/30953/obama-backs-death-penalty-for-child-rapists.html |date=May 27, 2009}}. Newser, June 26, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2009. Obama has stated that he thinks the “death penalty does little to deter crime” and that it is used too frequently and too inconsistently.WEB, The Candidates on the Death Penalty,pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Death_Penalty, July 26, 2009, Pew Research Center,pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Death_Penalty," title="web.archive.org/web/20080704020036pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Death_Penalty,">web.archive.org/web/20080704020036pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Death_Penalty, July 4, 2008, In June 2016, the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee unanimously adopted an amendment to abolish the death penalty.WEB, Democratic Platform Drafting Meeting Concludes,demconvention.com/news/democratic-platform-drafting-meeting-concludes/, June 25, 2016, June 29, 2016, DNCC, dead,archive.today/20160802094026/https://demconvention.com/news/democratic-platform-drafting-meeting-concludes/, August 2, 2016,Torture
Many Democrats are opposed to the use of torture against individuals apprehended and held prisoner by the United States military, and hold that categorizing such prisoners as unlawful combatants does not release the United States from its obligations under the Geneva Conventions. Democrats contend that torture is inhumane, damages the United States’ moral standing in the world, and produces questionable results. Democrats are largely against waterboarding.NEWS, Tyson, Alec, Americans divided in views of use of torture in U.S. anti-terror efforts,www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/26/americans-divided-in-views-of-use-of-torture-in-u-s-anti-terror-efforts/, March 21, 2020, January 26, 2017, March 21, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200321214249/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/26/americans-divided-in-views-of-use-of-torture-in-u-s-anti-terror-efforts/, live, Torture became a divisive issue in the party after Barack Obama was elected president.WEB,www.usnews.com/news/obama/articles/2009/05/22/obama-and-democrats-torture-problem, Obama and Democrats’ Torture Problem, Kenneth T. Walsh, U.S. News & World Report, August 26, 2017, July 6, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170706211938/https://www.usnews.com/news/obama/articles/2009/05/22/obama-and-democrats-torture-problem, live,Privacy
The Democratic Party believes that individuals should have a right to privacy. For example, many Democrats have opposed the NSA warrantless surveillance of American citizens.WEB,www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00313, Senate roll call on passage of the PATRIOT Act, Senate.gov, April 25, 2017, January 13, 2018, December 5, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20171205074052/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00313, live, WEB, House approves Patriot Act renewal,www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/07/patriot.act/, CNN.com, March 21, 2020, March 21, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200321220837/https://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/07/patriot.act/, live, Some Democratic officeholders have championed consumer protection laws that limit the sharing of consumer data between corporations. Democrats have opposed sodomy laws since the 1972 platform which stated that “Americans should be free to make their own choice of life-styles and private habits without being subject to discrimination or prosecution”,WEB, 1972 Democratic Party Platform,www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/1972-democratic-party-platform, The American Presidency Project, December 17, 2021, April 8, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220408133915/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/1972-democratic-party-platform, live, and believe that government should not regulate consensual noncommercial sexual conduct among adults as a matter of personal privacy.NEWS, Ashtari, Shadee, Here’s The Medieval-Sounding Sodomy Law That Helped Ken Cuccinelli Lose In Virginia,huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/ken-cuccinelli-sodomy_n_4226708.html, Huffington Post, November 6, 2013, December 6, 2019, March 24, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190324035215/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/ken-cuccinelli-sodomy_n_4226708.html, live,Foreign policy issues
The foreign policy of the voters of the two major parties has largely overlapped since the 1990s. A Gallup poll in early 2013 showed broad agreement on the top issues, albeit with some divergence regarding human rights and international cooperation through agencies such as the United Nations.WEB,www.gallup.com/poll/160649/republicans-democrats-agree-top-foreign-policy-goals.aspx, Republicans, Democrats Agree on Top Foreign Policy Goals, Gallup.com, February 20, 2013, April 16, 2017, March 10, 2016,www.gallup.com/poll/160649/republicans-democrats-agree-top-foreign-policy-goals.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20160310130915www.gallup.com/poll/160649/republicans-democrats-agree-top-foreign-policy-goals.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20160310130915www.gallup.com/poll/160649/republicans-democrats-agree-top-foreign-policy-goals.aspx, live, In June 2014, the Quinnipiac Poll asked Americans which foreign policy they preferred:{{blockquote|A) The United States is doing too much in other countries around the world, and it is time to do less around the world and focus more on our own problems here at home.B) The United States must continue to push forward to promote democracy and freedom in other countries worldwide because these efforts make our own country more secure.}}Democrats chose A over B by 65% to 32%; Republicans chose A over B by 56% to 39%; and independents chose A over B by 67% to 29%.See “July 3, 2014 – Iraq – Getting In Was Wrong; Getting Out Was Right, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll” Quinnipiac University Poll {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402190652www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2057 |date=April 2, 2016}} item #51Iran sanctions
{{see also|United States sanctions against Iran}}The Democratic Party has been critical of the Iran’s nuclear weapon program and supported economic sanctions against the Iranian government. In 2013, the Democratic-led administration worked to reach a diplomatic agreement with the government of Iran to halt the Iranian nuclear weapon program in exchange for international economic sanction relief.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/world/middleeast/talks-with-iran-on-nuclear-deal-hang-in-balance.html, The New York Times, Michael R., Gordon, Accord Reached With Iran to Halt Nuclear Program, November 23, 2013, February 21, 2017, March 26, 2017,www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/world/middleeast/talks-with-iran-on-nuclear-deal-hang-in-balance.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170326212426www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/world/middleeast/talks-with-iran-on-nuclear-deal-hang-in-balance.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170326212426www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/world/middleeast/talks-with-iran-on-nuclear-deal-hang-in-balance.html, live, {{as of|2014}}, negotiations had been successful and the party called for more cooperation with Iran in the future.NEWS,www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.577070, Jewish Democratic donors urge Congress: Back off Iran sanctions, February 28, 2014, Haaretz.com, March 26, 2014, September 24, 2015,www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.577070," title="web.archive.org/web/20150924160604www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.577070,">web.archive.org/web/20150924160604www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.577070, live, In 2015, the Obama administration agreed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which provides sanction relief in exchange for international oversight of the Iranian nuclear program. In February 2019, the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution calling on the United States to re-enter the JCPOA, which President Trump withdrew from in 2018.WEB,www.timesofisrael.com/democratic-party-passes-resolution-calling-for-us-to-re-enter-iran-nuke-deal/, Democratic Party passes resolution calling for US to re-enter Iran nuke deal, Cortellessa, Eric, The Times of Israel, en-US, February 21, 2019, February 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190221022455/https://www.timesofisrael.com/democratic-party-passes-resolution-calling-for-us-to-re-enter-iran-nuke-deal/, live,Invasion of Afghanistan
{{see also|Afghanistan–United States relations|International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan}}Democrats in the House of Representatives and in the Senate near-unanimously voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists against “those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States” in Afghanistan in 2001, supporting the NATO coalition invasion of the nation. Most elected Democrats continued to support the Afghanistan conflict for its duration, with some, such as a Democratic National Committee spokesperson, voicing concerns that the Iraq War shifted too many resources away from the presence in Afghanistan.“Democrats say McCain forgot Afghanistan”. Boston Globe. July 24, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820113620www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/07/democrats_say_m_1.html |date=August 20, 2008}}“John McCain & Barack Obama urge Afghanistan surge” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113131424www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/07/15/2008-07-15_john_mccain__barack_obama_urge_afghanist.html |date=November 13, 2009}}. New York Daily News. July 15, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008. During the 2008 Presidential Election, then-candidate Barack Obama called for a “surge” of troops into Afghanistan. After winning the presidency, Obama followed through, sending a “surge” force of additional troops to Afghanistan. Troop levels were 94,000 in December 2011 and kept falling, with a target of 68,000 by fall 2012.“U.S. plans major shift to advisory role in Afghanistan”, Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2011 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819153404latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/us-plans-major-shift-to-advisory-role-in-afghanistan.html |date=August 19, 2016}}Support for the war among the American people diminished over time. Many Democrats changed their opinion over the course of the war, coming to oppose continuation of the conflict. In July 2008, Gallup found that 41% of Democrats called the invasion a “mistake” while a 55% majority disagreed.“Afghan War Edges Out Iraq as Most Important for U.S.” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224202906www.gallup.com/poll/109150/Afghan-War-Edges-Iraq-Most-Important-US.aspx |date=December 24, 2016}} by Frank Newport. Gallup. July 30, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2009. A CNN survey in August 2009 stated that a majority of Democrats opposed the war. CNN polling director Keating Holland said: “Nearly two thirds of Republicans support the war in Afghanistan. Three quarters of Democrats oppose the war”.Most Americans oppose Afghanistan war: poll {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810102232www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25895398-12335,00.html |date=August 10, 2009}}. The Australian. August 7, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.During the 2020 Presidential Election, then-candidate Joe Biden promised to “end the forever wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East.“WEB, Joe Biden: I Promise To ‘End The Forever Wars In Afghanistan And Middle East’ As President,www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/joe-biden-i-promise-to-end-the-forever-wars-in-afghanistan-and-middle-east-as-president/, November 19, 2022, cbsnews.com, July 11, 2019, en-US, November 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221119224140/https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/joe-biden-i-promise-to-end-the-forever-wars-in-afghanistan-and-middle-east-as-president/, live, Biden went on to win the election, and in April 2021, he announced he would withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of that year.WEB, Biden to pull US troops from Afghanistan, end ‘forever war’,apnews.com/article/joe-biden-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan-september-11-d2c7426736f9f530e0e62f2295a44d28, November 19, 2022, AP NEWS, April 14, 2021, en, November 19, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221119224139/https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan-september-11-d2c7426736f9f530e0e62f2295a44d28, live, The last troops left in August, bringing America’s 20-year-long military campaign in the country to a close.WEB, Liebermann, Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler, Barbara Starr, Oren, August 30, 2021, The last US military planes have left Afghanistan, marking the end of the United States’ longest war {{!, CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/politics/us-military-withdraws-afghanistan/index.html |access-date=November 19, 2022 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911182417www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/politics/us-military-withdraws-afghanistan/index.html |url-status=live }} According to a 2023 AP-NORC poll, a majority of Democrats believed that the War in Afghanistan wasn’t worth it.WEB,apnews.com/article/afghanistan-911-terrorism-taliban-women-rights-268ebebb40beea7be3b1528ed6ae5808, Republicans and Democrats agree that the Afghanistan war wasn’t worth it, an AP-NORC poll shows, October 18, 2023, AP News, October 19, 2023, October 18, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20231018190501/https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-911-terrorism-taliban-women-rights-268ebebb40beea7be3b1528ed6ae5808, live,Israel
{{see also|Israel–United States relations}}File:Shimon Peres observes Binyamin Nitanyahu greeting Barack Obama.jpg|thumb|Israeli prime minister Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuDemocrats have historically been a stronger supporter of Israel than Republicans.BOOK, Cavari, Amnon, American Public Opinion Toward Israel: From Consensus to Divide, Freedman, Guy, Taylor & Francis, 2020, 145, During the 1940s, the party advocated for the cause of an independent Jewish state over the objections of many conservatives in the Old Right, who strongly opposed it. In 1948, Democratic President Harry Truman became the first world leader to recognize an independent state of Israel.WEB, Tenorio, Rich, November 3, 2020, How a nascent Israel was a key issue in Truman’s stunning 1948 election upset,www.timesofisrael.com/how-a-nascent-israel-was-a-key-issue-in-trumans-stunning-1948-election-upset/, November 1, 2023, Times of Israel, November 18, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20231118203848/https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-a-nascent-israel-was-a-key-issue-in-trumans-stunning-1948-election-upset/, live, The 2020 Democratic Party platform acknowledges a “commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad” and that “we oppose any effort to unfairly single out and delegitimize Israel, including at the United Nations or through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement”.WEB,democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/, PARTY PLATFORM, Democrats.org, June 17, 2022, March 15, 2014,www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform," title="web.archive.org/web/20140315234633www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform,">web.archive.org/web/20140315234633www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform, live, During the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, the party requested a large-scale military aid package to Israel.NEWS, Shear, Michael D., 2023-10-19, Israel-Hamas War: Biden Urges U.S. to Remain ‘Beacon to the World’ in Aiding Allies at War, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/19/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news, 2023-10-20, 0362-4331, October 20, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20231020160855/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/19/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news, live, During the Israel–Hamas war, Biden announced military support for Israel, condemned the actions of Hamas and other Palestinian militants as terrorism,NEWS, Baker, Peter, October 10, 2023, In Unforgiving Terms, Biden Condemns ‘Evil’ and ‘Abhorrent’ Attack on Israel, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/us/politics/biden-israel-hamas.html, October 12, 2023, 0362-4331, October 12, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20231012001950/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/us/politics/biden-israel-hamas.html, live, and ordered the US military to build a port to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.WEB,www.voanews.com/a/biden-orders-us-military-to-build-port-in-gaza-to-facilitate-aid/7518026.html, Biden Ordering US Military to Build Port in Gaza to Facilitate Aid, March 7, 2024,Demographics
(File:Fig 109 - does someone in house belong to union.JPG|thumb|Higher percentages of Democrats than Republicans are members of union households.)Since the 2010s, the Democratic Party is strongest among urban residents, union workers, college graduates,WEB,nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/education-polarization-diploma-divide-democratic-party-working-class.html, How the Diploma Divide Is Remaking American Politics, Eric, Levitz, New York (magazine), New York Intelligencer, October 19, 2022, April 24, 2023, October 20, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221020215535/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/education-polarization-diploma-divide-democratic-party-working-class.html, live, WEB,www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/opinion/education-american-politics.html, The ‘Diploma Divide’ Is the New Fault Line in American Politics, The New York Times, April 17, 2023, April 24, 2023, Doug, Sosnik, April 24, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424073901/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/opinion/education-american-politics.html, live, most ethnic minorities,WEB,www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/04/09/partisanship-by-race-ethnicity-and-education/, April 9, 2024, Partisanship by race, ethnicity and education, April 26, 2024, Pew Research Center, the unmarried, and sexual minorities.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/10/democrats-iowa-kansas-rural-votes-scholten-king, Can Democrats ever win back white, rural America?, Chris, McGreal, November 11, 2018, March 7, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190308080818/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/10/democrats-iowa-kansas-rural-votes-scholten-king, March 8, 2019, live, The Guardian, JOURNAL, Miller, Gary, Schofield, Norman, 2003, Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States, American Political Science Review, 97, 2, 245–260, 10.1017/S0003055403000650, 12885628, 1537-5943, By 2000, however, the New Deal party alignment no longer captured patterns of partisan voting. In the intervening 40 years, the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts had triggered an increasingly race-driven distinction between the parties. ... Goldwater won the electoral votes of five states of the Deep South in 1964, four of them states that had voted Democratic for 84 years (Califano 1991, 55). He forged a new identification of the Republican party with racial conservatism, reversing a century-long association of the GOP with racial liberalism. This in turn opened the door for Nixon’s “Southern strategy” and the Reagan victories of the eighties., The victory of Republican Donald Trump in 2016 brought about a realignment in which many working-class voters voted Republican.MAGAZINE, Cohn, Nate, June 11, 2012, Obama’s Problem With White, Non-College Educated Voters is Getting Worse,newrepublic.com/article/103969/obamas-problem-white-non-college-educated-voters-getting-worse, The New Republic, February 13, 2017, WEB, Teixeira, Ruy, Ruy Teixeira, November 6, 2022, Democrats’ Long Goodbye to the Working Class,www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/democrats-long-goodbye-to-the-working-class/672016/, November 8, 2022, The Atlantic, en, As we move into the endgame of the 2022 election, the Democrats face a familiar problem. America’s historical party of the working class keeps losing working-class support. And not just among White voters. Not only has the emerging Democratic majority I once predicted failed to materialize, but many of the non-White voters who were supposed to deliver it are instead voting for Republicans... From 2012 to 2020, the Democrats not only saw their support among White working-class voters — those without college degrees — crater, they also saw their advantage among non-White working-class voters fall by 18 points. And between 2016 and 2020 alone, the Democratic advantage among Hispanic voters declined by 16 points, overwhelmingly driven by the defection of working-class voters. In contrast, Democrats’ advantage among White college-educated voters improved by 16 points from 2012 to 2020, an edge that delivered Joe Biden the White House., January 7, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230107212010/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/democrats-long-goodbye-to-the-working-class/672016/, live, INTERVIEW, Teixeira, Ruy, Steve Inskeep, Democrats’ Problem: White, Working-Class Voters,www.npr.org/2015/01/02/374511123/democrats-problem-white-working-class-voters, May 5, 2015, NPR, January 2, 2015, WEB,www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/04/new-republican-party-working-class-coalition-00122822, The Emerging Working-Class Republican Majority, Patrick, Ruffini, November 4, 2023, POLITICO, In the 2020 presidential election, Democrats won the majority of votes from African American, Hispanic, and Asian voters; young voters; women; urban voters; voters with college degrees; and voters with no religious affiliation.WEB,www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results, National Results 2020 President exit polls., www.cnn.com, According to exit polling, LGBT Americans typically vote Democratic in national elections.WEB, November 26, 2008, Gay Support for Obama Similar to Dems in Past Elections,www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/press/GaySupportForObamaSimilarToDemsInPastElections.html, dead,www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/press/GaySupportForObamaSimilarToDemsInPastElections.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20091209021908www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/press/GaySupportForObamaSimilarToDemsInPastElections.html,">web.archive.org/web/20091209021908www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/press/GaySupportForObamaSimilarToDemsInPastElections.html, December 9, 2009, June 17, 2010, Law.ucla.edu, Support for the civil rights movement in the 1960s by Democratic presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson helped increase the Democrats’ support within the African American community. African Americans have consistently voted between 85% and 95% Democratic since the 1960s, making African Americans one of the largest of the party’s constituencies.WEB, Jackson, Brooks, April 18, 2008, Blacks and the Democratic Party,www.factcheck.org/2008/04/blacks-and-the-democratic-party/, live,www.factcheck.org/2008/04/blacks%2Dand%2Dthe%2Ddemocratic%2Dparty/," title="web.archive.org/web/20111103050026www.factcheck.org/2008/04/blacks%2Dand%2Dthe%2Ddemocratic%2Dparty/,">web.archive.org/web/20111103050026www.factcheck.org/2008/04/blacks%2Dand%2Dthe%2Ddemocratic%2Dparty/, November 3, 2011, October 30, 2011, FactCheck.org, WEB, Bositis, David, Blacks and the 2012 Democratic National Convention; page 9, table 1: black votes in presidential elections, 1936 - 2008,jointcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Blacks-and-the-2012-Democratic-National-Convention.pdf, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, As of 2023, every Democratic president, Democratic vice president, and Democratic presidential nominee has been a Christian. According to the Pew Research Center, 78.4% of Democrats in the 116th United States Congress were Christian.WEB, January 3, 2019, Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 116th Congress,www.pewforum.org/2019/01/03/faith-on-the-hill-116/, May 18, 2020, Pew Research Center, February 18, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210218040423/https://www.pewforum.org/2019/01/03/faith-on-the-hill-116/, live, However, the vast majority of white evangelical and Latter-day Saint Christians favor the Republican Party.NEWS, 2020-11-03, National Exit Polls: How Different Groups Voted, en-US, Andre, Michael, et al, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/exit-polls-president.html, 2020-12-05, 0362-4331, A critical component of the Party coalition has been organized labor. Labor unions supply a great deal of the money, grass roots political organization, and voters for the party. Democrats are far more likely to be represented by unions than Republican voters are. Younger Americans, including millennials and Generation Z, tend to vote mostly for Democratic candidates in recent years.WEB, March 20, 2018, 1. Trends in party affiliation among demographic groups,www.people-press.org/2018/03/20/1-trends-in-party-affiliation-among-demographic-groups/, live,web.archive.org/web/20200605002725/https://www.people-press.org/2018/03/20/1-trends-in-party-affiliation-among-demographic-groups/, June 5, 2020, December 29, 2018, Pew Research Center, en-US, Since 1980, a “gender gap” has seen stronger support for the Democratic Party among women than among men. Unmarried and divorced women are more likely to vote for Democrats.“Unmarried Women in the 2004 Presidential Election” {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101195440www.wvwv.org/docs/WVWV_2004_post-election_memo.pdf|date=January 1, 2016}} (PDF). Report by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, January 2005. p. 3: “The marriage gap is one of the most important cleavages in electoral politics. Unmarried women voted for Kerry by a 25-point margin (62 to 37 percent), while married women voted for President Bush by an 11-point margin (55 percent to 44 percent). Indeed, the 25-point margin Kerry posted among unmarried women represented one of the high water marks for the Senator among all demographic groups.“NEWS,www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591624-republicans-should-worry-unmarried-women-shun-them-marriage-gap?fsrc=scn/tw/te/pe/themarriagegap, Republicans should worry that unmarried women shun them, December 14, 2013, The Economist, September 18, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180115185951/https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591624-republicans-should-worry-unmarried-women-shun-them-marriage-gap?fsrc=scn%2Ftw%2Fte%2Fpe%2Fthemarriagegap, January 15, 2018, live, Although women supported Obama over Mitt Romney by a margin of 55–44% in 2012, Romney prevailed amongst married women, 53–46%.NEWS, December 3, 2012, The Marriage Gap in the Women’s Vote, Meg T., McDonnell,www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote, Crisis Magazine, December 11, 2014,www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote," title="web.archive.org/web/20141031034237www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote,">web.archive.org/web/20141031034237www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote, October 31, 2014, dead, Obama won unmarried women 67–31%.NEWS, Suzanne, Goldenberg, November 9, 2012, Single women voted overwhelmingly in favour of Obama, researchers find, The Guardian,www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama, December 11, 2014,www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama," title="web.archive.org/web/20141231035001www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama,">web.archive.org/web/20141231035001www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama, December 31, 2014, live, According to a December 2019 study, “White women are the only group of female voters who support Republican Party candidates for president. They have done so by a majority in all but 2 of the last 18 elections”.JOURNAL, Junn, Jane, Jane Junn, Masuoka, Natalie, 2020, The Gender Gap Is a Race Gap: Women Voters in US Presidential Elections, Perspectives on Politics, 18, 4, 1135–1145, 10.1017/S1537592719003876, 1537-5927, free, WEB,www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/white-women-support-gop/507617/, White Female Voters Continue to Support the Republican Party, Hard-core partisans don’t switch teams over the personal shortcomings of their champion., The Atlantic, November 14, 2016, January 30, 2021, December 15, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20231215024943/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/white-women-support-gop/507617/, live, Geographically, the party is strongest in the Northeastern United States, the Great Lakes region, parts of the Southwestern United States, and the West Coast. The party is also very strong in major cities, regardless of region.WEB, Thompson, Derek, How Democrats Conquered the City,www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/brief-history-how-democrats-conquered-city/597955/, The Atlantic, September 13, 2019, March 13, 2020, March 7, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200307075726/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/brief-history-how-democrats-conquered-city/597955/, live, NEWS,www.economist.com/united-states/2010/11/11/the-long-goodbye, November 11, 2010, The Economist, The long goodbye, In 1981 Republicans took control of the Senate for the first time since 1953, but most Southern elected officials remained white Democrats. When Republicans took control of the House in 1995, white Democrats still comprised one-third of the South’s tally. ... white Southern Democrats have met their Appomattox: they will account for just 24 of the South’s 155 senators and congressmen in the 112th United States Congress., February 20, 2023,Factions
{{further|Factions in the Democratic Party (United States)}}Upon foundation, the Democratic Party supported agrarianism and the Jacksonian democracy movement of President Andrew Jackson, representing farmers and rural interests and traditional Jeffersonian democrats.John Ashworth, “Agrarians” & “aristocrats”: Party political ideology in the United States, 1837–1846(1983) Since the 1890s, especially in northern states, the party began to favor more liberal positions (the term “liberal” in this sense describes modern liberalism, rather than classical liberalism or economic liberalism). Historically, the party has represented farmers, laborers, and religious and ethnic minorities as it has opposed unregulated business and finance and favored progressive income taxes. In the 1930s, the party began advocating social programs targeted at the poor. The party had a fiscally conservative, pro-business wing, typified by Grover Cleveland and Al Smith,Susan Dunn, Roosevelt’s Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party (2010) pp. 202-213. and a Southern conservative wing until President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In foreign policy, internationalism (including interventionism) was a dominant theme from 1913 to the mid-1960s. The major influences for liberalism were labor unions (which peaked in the 1936–1952 era) and African Americans. Environmentalism has been a major component since the 1970s. From its inception until the 2010s, the party had a fiscally conservative, pro-business faction,NEWS, Kane, Paul, 2014-01-15, Blue Dog Democrats, whittled down in number, are trying to regroup, The Washington Post,www.washingtonpost.com/politics/blue-dog-democrats-whittled-down-in-number-are-trying-to-regroup/2014/01/15/37d4e7e2-7dfd-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html, live, 2014-07-23,web.archive.org/web/20140116091758/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/blue-dog-democrats-whittled-down-in-number-are-trying-to-regroup/2014/01/15/37d4e7e2-7dfd-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html, 2014-01-16, Four years ago, they were the most influential voting bloc on Capitol Hill, more than 50 House Democrats pulling their liberal colleagues to a more centrist, fiscally conservative vision on issues such as health care and Wall Street reforms., typified by Grover Cleveland and Al Smith. The party’s Southern conservative wing began shrinking after President Lyndon B. Johnson supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and largely died out in the 2010s, as the Republican Party built up its Southern base.NEWS,www.economist.com/united-states/2010/11/11/the-long-goodbye, November 11, 2010, The Economist, The long goodbye, In 1981 Republicans took control of the Senate for the first time since 1953, but most Southern elected officials remained white Democrats. When Republicans took control of the House in 1995, white Democrats still comprised one-third of the South’s tally. ... white Southern Democrats have met their Appomattox: they will account for just 24 of the South’s 155 senators and congressmen in the 112th United States Congress., February 20, 2023, The party still receives support from African Americans and urban liberals in the Southern United States.WEB, Kilgore, Ed, A Different Kind of Democratic Party Is Rising in the South, November 9, 2018,nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/changing-southern-democratic-party.html, New York Magazine, November 9, 2018, The 21st century Democratic Party is predominantly a coalition of centrists, liberals, and progressives, with significant overlap between the three groups. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that among Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters, 47% identify as liberal or very liberal, 38% identify as moderate, and 14% identify as conservative or very conservative.WEB, Gilberstadt, Hannah, Daniller, Andrew, 2020-01-17, Liberals make up the largest share of Democratic voters, but their growth has slowed in recent years,www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/17/liberals-make-up-largest-share-of-democratic-voters/, live,web.archive.org/web/20200117201701/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/17/liberals-make-up-largest-share-of-democratic-voters/, 2020-01-17, 2020-06-12, Pew Research Center, WEB, Brownstein, Ronald, The Democrats’ Coalition Could Fundamentally Change by 2020,www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/05/democrats-progressive-agenda-and-2020-election/589066/, The Atlantic, May 9, 2019, March 13, 2020, March 23, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200323161712/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/05/democrats-progressive-agenda-and-2020-election/589066/, live, In recent exit polls, the Democratic Party has had broad appeal across most socioeconomic and ethnic demographics.WEB,www.pewresearch.org/2008/11/05/inside-obamas-sweeping-victory/, Inside Obama’s Sweeping Victory, Pew Research Center, November 5, 2008, July 11, 2017, July 15, 2017,www.pewresearch.org/2008/11/05/inside-obamas-sweeping-victory/," title="web.archive.org/web/20170715170423www.pewresearch.org/2008/11/05/inside-obamas-sweeping-victory/,">web.archive.org/web/20170715170423www.pewresearch.org/2008/11/05/inside-obamas-sweeping-victory/, live, NEWS, National Results 2020 President exit polls.,www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results, 2020-12-04, CNN, en, NEWS,www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html, CNN. (2006). Exit Poll, July 11, 2007, February 13, 2018,www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20180213112422www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html,">web.archive.org/web/20180213112422www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html, live, Political scientists characterize the Democratic Party as less ideologically cohesive than the Republican Party due to the broader diversity of coalitions that compose the Democratic Party.JOURNAL, Gidron, Noam, Ziblatt, Daniel, May 11, 2019, Center-Right Political Parties in Advanced Democracies, Annual Review of Political Science, en, 22, 1, 17–35, 10.1146/annurev-polisci-090717-092750, 182421002, 1094-2939, free, BOOK, Grossman, Matt,oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190626594.001.0001/acprof-9780190626594, Asymmetric Politics: Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats, Hopkins, David A., 2016, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-062659-4, 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190626594.001.0001, November 10, 2021, November 28, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211128121511/https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190626594.001.0001/acprof-9780190626594, live, JOURNAL, Lelkes, Yphtach, Sniderman, Paul M., 2016, The Ideological Asymmetry of the American Party System, British Journal of Political Science, en, 46, 4, 825–844, 10.1017/S0007123414000404, 0007-1234, free,Liberals
{{see also|Modern liberalism in the United States|}}File:Eleanor Roosevelt at the Democratic Nationall Convention in Chicago, Illinois - NARA - 195997.jpg|thumb|left|Eleanor Roosevelt at the 1956 Democratic National Convention1956 Democratic National ConventionModern liberals are a large portion of the Democratic base. According to 2018 exit polls, liberals constituted 27% of the electorate, and 91% of American liberals favored the candidate of the Democratic Party.WEB, Exit Polls,www.cnn.com/election/2018/exit-polls, CNN Politics, July 4, 2020, November 14, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20181114225635/https://www.cnn.com/election/2018/exit-polls, live, White-collar college-educated professionals were mostly Republican until the 1950s, but they had become a vital component of the Democratic Party by the early 2000s.WEB, Judis, John B., The trouble with Howard Dean, Salon, Salon.com,dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/07/11/dean/index.html,www.salon.com/2003/07/11/dean_15/," title="web.archive.org/web/20120921000516www.salon.com/2003/07/11/dean_15/,">web.archive.org/web/20120921000516www.salon.com/2003/07/11/dean_15/, September 21, 2012, July 11, 2003, July 19, 2007, dead, A large majority of liberals favor moving toward universal health care, with many supporting an eventual gradual transition to a single-payer system in particular. A majority also favor diplomacy over military action; stem cell research, same-sex marriage, stricter gun control, environmental protection laws, as well as the preservation of abortion rights. Immigration and cultural diversity are deemed positive as liberals favor cultural pluralism, a system in which immigrants retain their native culture in addition to adopting their new culture. Most liberals oppose increased military spending and the mixing of church and state.WEB,people-press.org/2005/05/10/beyond-red-vs-blue/, Pew Research Center. (May 10, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue, p. 1 of 8,www.people-press.org/2005/05/10/beyond-red-vs-blue/," title="web.archive.org/web/20120731155950www.people-press.org/2005/05/10/beyond-red-vs-blue/,">web.archive.org/web/20120731155950www.people-press.org/2005/05/10/beyond-red-vs-blue/, July 31, 2012, July 12, 2007, dead, May 10, 2005, They tend to be divided on free trade agreements such as the USMCA and PNTR with China, with some seeing them as more favorable to corporations than workers.WEB,www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/18/18215442/2020-democratic-presidential-candidates-policies-trade, Vox, Vox.com, The big divide among 2020 Democrats over trade — and why it matters, February 18, 2019, May 10, 2019, May 8, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190508165656/https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/18/18215442/2020-democratic-presidential-candidates-policies-trade, live, As of 2020, the three most significant labor groupings in the Democratic coalition were the AFL–CIO and Change to Win labor federations as well as the National Education Association, a large, unaffiliated teachers’ union. Important issues for labor unions include supporting industrial policy that sustains unionized manufacturing jobs, raising the minimum wage, and promoting broad social programs such as Social Security and Medicare.WEB, Lipka, Michael, Smith, Gregory A., January 31, 2020, Among Democrats, Christians lean toward Biden, while ‘nones’ prefer Sanders,www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/31/among-democrats-christians-lean-toward-biden-while-nones-prefer-sanders/, November 16, 2020, Pew Research Center, February 11, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210211092938/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/31/among-democrats-christians-lean-toward-biden-while-nones-prefer-sanders/, live, This ideological group differs from the traditional organized labor base. According to the Pew Research Center, a plurality of 41% resided in mass affluent households and 49% were college graduates, the highest figure of any typographical group. It was also the fastest growing typological group since the late 1990s to the present. Liberals include most of academiaNEWS, College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds, Kurtz, Howard,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html, The Washington Post, Washingtonpost.com,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120604090510www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120604090510www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html, June 4, 2012, July 2, 2007, March 29, 2005, dead, and large portions of the professional class.WEB, Levitz, Eric, October 19, 2022, How the Diploma Divide Is Remaking American Politics,nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/education-polarization-diploma-divide-democratic-party-working-class.html, October 21, 2022, New York (magazine), New York, en-us, Blue America is an increasingly wealthy and well-educated place. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Americans without college degrees were more likely than university graduates to vote Democratic. But that gap began narrowing in the late 1960s before finally flipping in 2004... A more educated Democratic coalition is, naturally, a more affluent one... In every presidential election from 1948 to 2012, white voters in the top 5 percent of America’s income distribution were more Republican than those in the bottom 95 percent. Now, the opposite is true: Among America’s white majority, the rich voted to the left of the middle class and the poor in 2016 and 2020, while the poor voted to the right of the middle class and the rich., October 20, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221020215535/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/education-polarization-diploma-divide-democratic-party-working-class.html, live,Moderates
{{see also|New Democrats (United States)|New Democrat Coalition|Blue Dog Coalition}}Moderate Democrats, or New Democrats, are an ideologically centrist faction within the Democratic Party that emerged after the victory of Republican George H. W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election.WEB, DLC: The New American Choice Resolutions,www.dlc.org/ndol_cid211.html?kaid=86&subid=194&contentid=1251, dead,www.dlc.org/ndol_cid211.html?kaid=86&subid=194&contentid=1251," title="archive.today/20140111224830www.dlc.org/ndol_cid211.html?kaid=86&subid=194&contentid=1251,">archive.today/20140111224830www.dlc.org/ndol_cid211.html?kaid=86&subid=194&contentid=1251, January 11, 2014, February 25, 2013, Democratic Leadership Council, Running as a New Democrat, Bill Clinton won the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections.Alvarez, R. Michael, and Jonathan Nagler. “Economics, Entitlements, and Social Issues: Voter Choice in the 1996 Presidential Election.” American Journal of Political Science 42, no. 4 (1998): 1361. They are an economically liberal and “Third Way” faction that dominated the party for around 20 years, until the start of Obama’s presidency.NEWS, Kane, Paul, 2014-01-15, Blue Dog Democrats, whittled down in number, are trying to regroup, The Washington Post,www.washingtonpost.com/politics/blue-dog-democrats-whittled-down-in-number-are-trying-to-regroup/2014/01/15/37d4e7e2-7dfd-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html, live, 2014-07-23,web.archive.org/web/20140116091758/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/blue-dog-democrats-whittled-down-in-number-are-trying-to-regroup/2014/01/15/37d4e7e2-7dfd-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html, 2014-01-16, Four years ago, they were the most influential voting bloc on Capitol Hill, more than 50 House Democrats pulling their liberal colleagues to a more centrist, fiscally conservative vision on issues such as health care and Wall Street reforms., They are represented by organizations such as the New Democrat Network and the New Democrat Coalition.The Blue Dog Coalition was formed during the 104th Congress to give members from the Democratic Party representing conservative-leaning districts a unified voice after the Democrats’ loss of Congress in the 1994 Republican Revolution.WEB, Dumain, Emma, May 12, 2015, 20 years in, Blue Dogs not ready to roll over,www.rollcall.com/news/blue-dogs, rollcall.com, WEB, History,ross.house.gov/BlueDog/history.htm, dead,webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120405021833/http://ross.house.gov/BlueDog/history.htm, April 5, 2012, April 10, 2012, ross.house.gov/BlueDog/, Blue Dog Coalition, NEWS, Bendavid, Naftali, July 28, 2009, ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats hold health care overhaul at bay, The Wall Street Journal, However, in the late 2010s and early 2020s, the Coalition’s focus shifted towards ideological centrism. One of the most influential centrist groups was the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), a nonprofit organization that advocated centrist positions for the party. The DLC disbanded in 2011.WEB, February 7, 2011, Democratic Leadership Council will fold,www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/Democratic_Leadership_Council_will_fold.html, live,www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/Democratic_Leadership_Council_will_fold.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150626020036www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/Democratic_Leadership_Council_will_fold.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150626020036www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/Democratic_Leadership_Council_will_fold.html, June 26, 2015, September 18, 2011, Politico, Some Democratic elected officials have self-declared as being centrists, including former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, Senator Mark Warner, former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, former Senator Jim Webb, President Joe Biden, and former congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick.WEB, Members – New Democrat Coalition,newdemocratcoalition-kind.house.gov/members, dead,web.archive.org/web/20160907005152/https://newdemocratcoalition-kind.house.gov/members, September 7, 2016, JOURNAL, Hale, Jon F., January 1, 1995, The Making of the New Democrats, Political Science Quarterly, 110, 2, 207–232, 10.2307/2152360, 2152360, The New Democrat Network supports socially liberal and fiscally moderate Democratic politicians and is associated with the congressional New Democrat Coalition in the House.WEB, New Democrat Coalition,newdemocratcoalition.house.gov/, live,web.archive.org/web/20220308074931/https://newdemocratcoalition.house.gov/, March 8, 2022, March 11, 2022, Annie Kuster is the chair of the coalition, and former senator and President Barack Obama was self-described as a New Democrat.WEB, March 10, 2009, Obama: ‘I am a New Democrat’,www.politico.com/story/2009/03/obama-i-am-a-new-democrat-019862#ixzz3o9jykSUe, live,www.politico.com/story/2009/03/obama-i-am-a-new-democrat-019862#ixzz3o9jykSUe," title="web.archive.org/web/20170419161022www.politico.com/story/2009/03/obama-i-am-a-new-democrat-019862#ixzz3o9jykSUe,">web.archive.org/web/20170419161022www.politico.com/story/2009/03/obama-i-am-a-new-democrat-019862#ixzz3o9jykSUe, April 19, 2017, April 16, 2017, Politico.com,Progressives
{{see also|Congressional Progressive Caucus}}Progressives are the most left-leaning faction in the party and support strong business regulations, social programs, and workers’ rights.WEB,www.bartleby.com/65/pr/progrsvsm.html,www.bartleby.com/65/pr/progrsvsm.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080629030845www.bartleby.com/65/pr/progrsvsm.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080629030845www.bartleby.com/65/pr/progrsvsm.html, June 29, 2008, Progressivism, Columbia Encyclopaedia, 2007, January 19, 2015, WEB,www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/Progressive%20Reforms.htm, Important Examples of Progressive Reforms, University of Michigan, April 2, 2014, February 12, 2015,www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/Progressive%20Reforms.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20150212014328www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/Progressive%20Reforms.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20150212014328www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/Progressive%20Reforms.htm, dead, Many progressive Democrats are descendants of the New Left of Democratic presidential candidate Senator George McGovern of South Dakota whereas others were involved in the 2016 presidential candidacy of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Progressives are often considered to have ideas similar to social democracy due to heavy inspiration from the Nordic Model, believing in federal top marginal income taxes ranging from 52% to 70%,WEB,www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/4/18168431/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-70-percentDemocratic presidents
{{see also|List of presidents of the United States|Republican Party (United States)#Republican presidents}}{{as of|2021}}, there have been a total of 16 Democratic presidents.{|class=“sortable wikitable”Recent electoral history
In congressional elections: 1950–present
{{see also|Party divisions of United States Congresses}}{| class=“wikitable“! colspan=“3” |House of RepresentativesIn presidential elections: 1828–present
{{see also|List of United States Democratic Party presidential tickets}}{|class=“sortable wikitable”See also
- Democratic Party (United States) organizations
- List of political parties in the United States
- List of United States Democratic Party presidential candidates
- List of United States Democratic Party presidential tickets
- Political party strength in U.S. states
- Politics of the United States
Notes
{{notelist}}{{notelist-ua}}References
{{reflist}}Further reading
- The Almanac of American Politics 2022 (2022) details on members of Congress, and the governors: their records and election results; also state and district politics; revised every two years since 1975. details; see The Almanac of American Politics
- American National Biography (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries and at Pseudopedia Library.
- Andelic, Patrick. Donkey Work: Congressional Democrats in Conservative America, 1974–1994 (2019) excerpt
- Baker, Jean H. Affairs of party: The political culture of northern Democrats in the mid-nineteenth century (Fordham UP, 1998).
- Bass Jr, Harold F. Historical dictionary of United States political parties (Scarecrow Press, 2009).
- JOURNAL, Black, Merle, 2004, The transformation of the southern Democratic Party, Journal of Politics, 66, 4, 1001–1017, 10.1111/j.1468-2508.2004.00287.x, 154506701,
- Burner, David. The Politics of Provincialism: The Democratic Party in Transition, 1918–1932 (Knopf, 1968).
- Congressional Quarterly. National Party Conventions, 1831–2000 (2001).
- Congressional Quarterly. Presidential Elections 1789–2008 (10th edition, 2009)
- Craig, Douglas. “Newton D. Baker and the Democratic Malaise, 1920–1937.” Australasian Journal of American Studies (2006): 49–64. in JSTOR {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819101710www.jstor.org/stable/41054006 |date=August 19, 2018}}
- Dowe, Pearl K. Ford, et al. Remaking the Democratic Party: Lyndon B. Johnson as a Native-Son Presidential Candidate (University of Michigan Press, 2016).
- Feller, David. “Politics and Society: Toward a Jacksonian Synthesis” Journal of the Early Republic 102 (1990), pp. 135–161 in JSTOR {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819101717www.jstor.org/stable/3123555 |date=August 19, 2018}}
- Frymer, Paul. Black and blue: African Americans, the labor movement, and the decline of the Democratic party (Princeton UP, 2008).
- Gerring, John. “A chapter in the history of American party ideology: The nineteenth-century Democratic Party (1828–1892).” Polity 26.4 (1994): 729–768. online {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202021309people.bu.edu/jgerring/documents/19thcDems.pdf |date=February 2, 2017}}
- BOOK, Gillon, Steven M., Steven M. Gillon, 1992, The Democrats’ Dilemma: Walter F. Mondale and the Liberal Legacy, New York, Columbia University Press, 9780231076302, online
- Hilton, Adam. True Blues: The Contentious Transformation of the Democratic Party (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021), since 1972.
- Kazin, Michael. What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party (2022) excerpt
- Landis, Michael Todd. Northern Men with Southern Loyalties: The Democratic Party and the Sectional Crisis. (Cornell UP, 2014).
- Lawrence, David G. The collapse of the democratic presidential majority: Realignment, dealignment, and electoral change from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton. (Westview Press, 1997).
- JOURNAL, McGuire, John Thomas, 2014, Beginning an ‘Extraordinary Opportunity’: Eleanor Roosevelt, Molly Dewson, and the expansion of women’s boundaries in the Democratic Party, 1924–1934, Women’s History Review, 23, 6, 922–937, 10.1080/09612025.2014.906841, 146773549,
- Maisel, L. Sandy, and Jeffrey M. Berry, eds. The Oxford handbook of American political parties and interest groups (Oxford UP, 2010).
- Mieczkowski, Yanek, and Mark C Carnes. The Routledge historical atlas of presidential elections (2001).
- Neal, Steven. Happy Days are Here Again: The 1932 Democratic Convention, the Emergence of FDR—and how America was Changed Forever (HarperCollins, 2010).
- Remini, Robert V. Martin Van Buren and the making of the Democratic Party (Columbia UP, 1961).
- Savage, Sean J. Roosevelt: The Party Leader, 1932–1945 (U Press of Kentucky, 2015).
- Savage, Sean J. JFK, LBJ, and the Democratic Party (SUNY Press, 2012).
- Savage, Sean J. Truman and the Democratic Party (U Press of Kentucky, 2015).
- Woods, Randall B. Prisoners of Hope: Lyndon B. Johnson, the Great Society, and the Limits of Liberalism (Basic Books, 2016).
External links
{{Prone to spam|date=March 2017}}{{Sister project links|display=Democratic Party|d=Q29552|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|n=Category:Democratic Party (United States)|wikt=Democrat|s=Category:Democratic Party (United States)|b=Voter’s Guide/United States/Democratic Party|v=no}}- {{official website}}
- {{curlie|Regional/North_America/United_States/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Parties/Democratic/|Democratic Party}}.
- content above as imported from Wikipedia
- "Democratic Party (United States)#Centrists" does not exist on GetWiki (yet)
- time: 4:54am EDT - Wed, May 22 2024
- "Democratic Party (United States)#Centrists" does not exist on GetWiki (yet)
- time: 4:54am EDT - Wed, May 22 2024
[ this remote article is provided by Wikipedia ]
LATEST EDITS [ see all ]
GETWIKI 21 MAY 2024
The Illusion of Choice
Culture
Culture
GETWIKI 09 JUL 2019
Eastern Philosophy
History of Philosophy
History of Philosophy
GETWIKI 09 MAY 2016
GetMeta:About
GetWiki
GetWiki
GETWIKI 18 OCT 2015
M.R.M. Parrott
Biographies
Biographies
GETWIKI 20 AUG 2014
GetMeta:News
GetWiki
GetWiki
CONNECT
© 2024 M.R.M. PARROTT | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED