Explore how political parties shape Texas democracy and elections!
Enter your name to begin your journey through Texas political parties:
Understand what political parties are and why they matter in democracy.
Learn about the party-in-electorate, party organization, and party-in-government.
Explore how Texas shifted from Democratic dominance to Republican control.
Discover political ideologies and how Texans identify with parties.
Understand permanent and temporary party organizations in Texas.
Learn about La Raza Unida, Green Party, Libertarians, Tea Party, and Occupy.
Explore how Texas selects candidates and delegates for elections.
At some point, most of us have found ourselves part of a group trying to solve a problem, like picking a restaurant or movie to attend or completing a big project at school or work. Members of the group probably had various opinions about what should be done. Some may have even refused to help make the decision or to follow it once it had been made. This kind of collective action problem is very common in societies, as groups and entire societies try to solve problems or distribute scarce resources.
+30 points! 📋 Party functions revealed!
Political parties perform several crucial functions: They nominate candidates to run for state government, Congress, and the presidency. They coordinate political campaigns and mobilize voters. Party platforms guide legislation, and parties inform members how to vote on important issues. While interest groups work indirectly to influence leaders, political parties try to directly influence public policy through members who seek to win and hold public office.
In Federalist No. 10, written in the late eighteenth century, James Madison noted that the formation of self-interested groups, which he called factions, was inevitable in any society, as individuals started to work together to protect themselves from the government. Interest groups and political parties are two of the most easily identified forms of factions in the United States.
+30 points! 📜 Platform politics explained!
Parties accomplish their goals by identifying and aligning sets of issues that are important to voters in the hopes of gaining support during elections. Their positions on these critical issues are often presented in documents known as a party platform, which is adopted at each party's presidential nominating convention every four years. If successful, a party can create a large enough electoral coalition to gain control of the government. Once in power, the party is then able to deliver the policy preferences its voters and elites choose.
A key fact about the U.S. political party system is that it's all about the votes. If voters do not show up to vote for a party's candidates on Election Day, the party has no chance of gaining office and implementing its preferred policies. For much of their history, the two parties have been adapting to changes in the size, composition, and preferences of the U.S. electorate.
+30 points! 📊 Generational trends revealed!
Generation affects party identification significantly. Millennials (aged 21–37) are more likely to identify as or lean towards the Democratic Party and less likely to favor Republicans than are their Baby Boomer parents and grandparents (born between 1946 and 1964). Even among self-proclaimed independents, the overwhelming majority claim to lean in the direction of one party or the other, suggesting they behave as if they identified with a party during elections even if they preferred not to publicly pick a side.
+30 points! 🏘️ Local party work revealed!
The county-level organization is the workhorse of the party system, especially around election time. It takes on many basic responsibilities: identifying and mobilizing potential voters and donors, identifying and training potential candidates for public office, and recruiting new members for the party. County organizations are also responsible for finding volunteers to serve on Election Day, either as officials operating the polls or as monitors ensuring elections are conducted honestly and fairly.
+30 points! 🏛️ Governing challenges revealed!
The U.S. government's separation of powers and federalism create problems for maintaining party unity. Each level and unit of government has different constituencies that office holders must satisfy. A legislator may serve a constituency that disagrees with the party executive on key matters of policy. For issues important enough to voters, like gun control or abortion rights, an office holder may feel their job will be in jeopardy if they too closely follow the party line. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, supported by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson (Democrats), saw many Republicans vote in favor while many southern Democrats opposed it.
The 19th-century culture of Texas was heavily influenced by the plantation culture of the Old South, dependent on African-American slave labor, as well as the patron system once prevalent in northern Mexico and South Texas. In these societies, the government's primary role was seen as being the preservation of social order.
+35 points! 👤 A Texas political pioneer!
Norris Wright Cuney (1846–1898) was one of the most influential black leaders in the South during the 19th century. In the post-Civil War era, he rose to leadership of the Republican Party in Texas. His mentor, George T. Ruby, was a black community organizer and director in the federal Freedmen's Bureau. Cuney was a mulatto whose wealthy, white planter father freed him before the Civil War and arranged for his education in Pennsylvania. He became active in Galveston politics, serving as an alderman and national Republican delegate. In 1889, he was appointed U.S. Collector of Customs in Galveston – the highest-ranking appointed position of any African American in the late 19th-century South.
From 1902 through 1965, the Democrat-dominated legislature in Texas had virtually disenfranchised most blacks and many Latinos and poor whites through the imposition of the poll tax and white primaries. Republican support in Texas had been based almost exclusively in free black communities, particularly in Galveston, and in the "German counties" – the rural Texas Hill Country inhabited by German immigrants who had opposed slavery.
+35 points! 🔄 Political realignment begins!
Some analysts suggest that the rebirth of the Republican Party in Texas among white conservatives can be traced to 1952, when Democrat Governor Allan Shivers clashed with the Truman Administration over the federal claim on the Tidelands – offshore lands claimed by both Texas and the national government believed to contain oil. Shivers led a movement often known as the Shivercrat movement, which forecast a dramatic change in party alignments a quarter-century later. He worked to help Texas native General Dwight D. Eisenhower carry the state.
As of June 2017, Democrats were the minority party in the state legislature, did not hold any statewide elected offices, and occupied only 11 of the state's 36 congressional seats. When one party controls the governor's office, the state House, and state Senate, that party controls a trifecta. Republicans gained the Texas trifecta in 2003 and have maintained it since, making Texas one of the most Republican states in the U.S. Despite overall Republican dominance, Austin, El Paso, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley remain primarily Democratic.
+30 points! 🔮 Changing demographics!
The Hispanic population has continued to increase. As of 2011, the Hispanic population accounted for 38.1% of the state's population (compared to 44.8% for non-Hispanic whites). The state's changing demographics may result in a change in its overall political alignment, as most Hispanic and Latino voters support the Democrat Party. Analysts with Gallup suggest that low turnout among Texas Hispanics is all that enables continued Republican dominance. In 2018, Democrat Beto O'Rourke lost his Senate bid to Ted Cruz by only about 200,000 votes – a significant gain for Democrats that challenged notions of Republican dominance.
+30 points! 🔵 Liberal ideology explained!
Liberals advocate strong civil liberties and social progressivism according to which societal practices need to be changed whenever necessary for the greater good of society. They believe that government action is needed in order for people to be as free as possible. The government must thereby ensure the provision of positive rights, protect civil liberties and ensure equality. Liberals commonly reject both laissez-faire capitalism and socialism as means to distribute economic resources. A mixed economy – a capitalist free market economy with limited government regulation and intervention – is seen as the ideal.
+30 points! 🔴 Conservative ideology explained!
The word "conservative" comes from "conserve," hence describing those who generally wish to conserve the status quo, conserve morality, or conserve money. A majority of conservatives support tax-cuts and other laissez-faire (reduced governmental interference) policies, oppose same-sex marriage, oppose abortion, oppose stricter gun control laws on the grounds of the Second Amendment, and favor increased military spending. Conservatives tend to favor (racial) color-blindness and oppose affirmative action quotas. They also tend to favor state governments over the federal.
+30 points! 📊 Growing divide revealed!
The past thirty years have brought a dramatic change in the relationship between the two parties as fewer conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans have been elected to office. As political moderates leave the political parties at all levels, the parties have grown farther apart ideologically – a result called partisan polarization. This is the degree to which Democrats have become more liberal and Republicans have become more conservative. In politics, partisan polarization may make it increasingly more difficult for politicians to compromise on critical policy issues.
Although many Texans claim that they are "registered Republicans" or "registered Democrats," Texas does not have a system of party registration. Registered voters may vote in either the Democrat or Republican primary. One of the most important functions of political parties is to select candidates to run for office under the party label, which is currently accomplished through primary elections.
As of September 2019, the state of Texas officially recognized four political parties:
In order to be recognized by the state, a political party must fulfill certain ballot access requirements. Texas does not allow candidates to use political party designations (alternative labels) on the ballot.
+30 points! 🗳️ Convention system explained!
The temporary organization includes precinct conventions, where delegates are selected for the county convention and resolutions may be submitted that could become part of the party platform. Delegates chosen at precinct conventions go to county conventions (or district conventions in urban areas), which then elect delegates to the state convention. At state conventions held every other year: nominees are certified for statewide office, a party platform is adopted, and the chair, vice-chair, and state executive committee are elected. In presidential election years, state conventions also select delegates for national conventions and choose presidential electors.
+30 points! 🎪 The media spectacle!
National conventions are typically held between June and September and last four to five days, with days devoted to platform discussion and nights reserved for speeches. Members of the candidate's family speak during the first few days, with the vice-presidential nominee speaking on the next-to-last night and the presidential candidate on the final night. While conventions used to feature high drama, modern conventions have become highly sanitized, orchestrated media events. Speakers often have their speeches prescreened to ensure they don't deviate from the party line. Between 1960 and 2004, viewership declined by half.
At various points in the past 170 years, elites and voters have sought to create alternatives to the existing party system. Political parties that are formed as alternatives to the Republican and Democratic parties are known as third parties, or minor parties. As with many other states, the two-party system in Texas has made it very difficult for third parties to get on the ballot.
+30 points! 🌿 Third parties explained!
The Green Party of Texas was founded as the electoral arm for grassroots democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom, peace, and nonviolence. Ralph Nader's 1996 campaign spurred growth. They gained ballot access through 2026 after obtaining 2% of the vote for Railroad Commissioner in 2016.
The Libertarian Party of Texas has emerged as a third-party alternative. Libertarians believe in limited government and are typically considered fiscal conservatives and social liberals. While unsuccessful at the polls, they can influence politics when major parties adopt their positions to win support in run-off elections.
+30 points! 🍵 Conservative movement revealed!
Born from the Libertarian Party, the Tea Party movement was launched following a February 19, 2009 call by CNBC reporter Rick Santelli on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The movement allied with the Republican Party and has had great influence in Texas due to its antitax messaging. The Tea Party is hostile to government intervention, especially taxation and business regulation, viewing them as threats to capitalism and democracy. Some factions are active on social issues, opposing same-sex marriage and abortion rights. In 2012, 86% of Tea Party members voted Republican. Tea Party activist Grover Norquist exacted promises from many Republicans to oppose any bill that sought to raise taxes.
Presidential candidates in the United States are not directly nominated via primary elections; instead, presidential nominees are formally nominated at political party conventions. Presidential preference primary elections and caucuses are held in each state to determine how that state's delegation will vote during the nominating convention.
+30 points! 💃 A unique Texas system!
The Texas Two-Step (named after the partner dance) was a process where Texans were required to first vote in the primary election in order to be eligible for participation in party caucuses where delegates were selected. The Texas Democratic Party abandoned this former caucus-based system in 2015 after the 2008 Democratic County Conventions produced great confusion. Both Clinton and Obama supporters had concerns about how these conventions were conducted, with the most common complaint being that delegates were not being apportioned based on Precinct Convention results.
+30 points! 📊 Delegate math explained!
Republicans: Have a winner-take-all provision, but the chances any candidate will get all delegates are very small. A candidate would need more than 50% statewide AND in each of the 36 congressional districts. Absent that, a pro-rata system allocates delegates according to votes received.
Democrats: No longer use caucuses. After primary votes are counted, delegates are awarded among candidates who received 15% or more, in proportion to votes received. A Democrat could only get all Texas delegates by winning 85% statewide AND 85% in each of Texas' 31 state Senate districts – making it even harder than for Republicans.
Chapter 10: Political Parties in Texas
| Section | Topic | Status | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Political Parties | ❌ | 0/145 |
| 2 | Party Structure & Organization | ❌ | 0/165 |
| 3 | History of Parties in Texas | ❌ | 0/165 |
| 4 | Party Identification | ❌ | 0/160 |
| 5 | Texas Party Organization | ❌ | 0/155 |
| 6 | Third-Party Movements | ❌ | 0/160 |
| 7 | Candidate & Delegate Selection | ❌ | 0/150 |
This report documents the student's completion of Chapter 10: Political Parties in Texas. The percentage score reflects both content exploration and knowledge check performance. Students should aim for 80% or higher to demonstrate mastery.