Aim: What causes party realignment?

Do Now: What issues can identify that would change people’s voting patterns? How are

the parties of today similar or different to how they were in the 19th Century?

Critical or Realignment Period:

• Periods when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties.

• The issues that separate the parties change• The kinds of voters supporting each party

change• Occurs when a new issue (slavery, the

economy) cuts across existing party divisions and replaces old issues that were formerly the basis for party identification

Realignment Elections: • Some political scientists believe there is a 30-36

year span in between realigning periods. • These are some elections regarded as realigning

or critical election, although not all political scientists agree on them.

• 1800: Jefferson• 1828: Jackson• 1860: Lincoln• 1896: McKinley• 1932: Franklin Roosevelt• 1964/1968: Johnson/Nixon• 1980: Reagan• 2008: Obama???

By Party:

• Democrats from 1800-1860

• Republicans from 1860-1932

• Democrats from 1932-1968

• Divided Government from 1968-2000

• Republicans from 2000-2006

• Democrats in 2008