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• 1. Introduction: They Tax Dogs in West Virginia, Don’t They?
• 2. Federalism: The Power Plan
• 3. Constitutions: Operating Instructions
• 4. Political Attitudes and Participation: Venting and Voting
• 5. Parties and Interest Groups: Elephants, Donkeys, and Cash Cows
• 6. Legislatures: The Art of Herding Cats
• 7. Governors and Executives: There Is No Such Thing As Absolute Power
• 8. Courts: Turning Law into Politics
• 9. Bureaucracy: What Nobody Wants but Everybody Needs
• 10. Local Government: Function Follows Form
• 11. Metropolitics: The Hole Government Problem
• 12. Finances: Filling the Till and Paying the Bills
• 13. Education: Reading, Writing, and Regulation
• 14. Crime and Punishment
• 15. Health and Welfare Policy: State, Heal Thyself!
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Chapter 5: Parties and Interest Groups

Study

Chapter Summary
The decline of the power and influence of national parties and the rise of candidate-centered politics have made state and local governments increasingly responsible for administering elections and distributing political power. Because the two major parties enjoy more financial and popular support, third parties have had relatively little success at the federal and state level.

The candidate-centered nature of political campaigns has shifted the role of state parties to one that is more consultative and facilitative than in the past. Despite a decline in party machines across states, the degree of interparty competition within states remains high, as evidenced by the 2002 and 2006 state legislative elections. From campaign finance regulation to the administration of state political primaries, state governments remain highly influential in the nomination process.

The trend toward professionalized campaigns has been intensified by the increasing prominence of interest groups in the legislative process. Interest group activity in the states has increased tremendously in the last fifty years. Although the American public tends to distrust them, interest groups fill important informational, mobilization, and financial roles in the political process.

Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should understand…

• how political parties and interest groups differ
• the role of political parties at the state level
• regional and demographic variation in support of political parties
• the responsible party model
• the pros and cons of political machines
• the role of primary elections and the different types of primaries
• how the role of state and local political parties has changed
• the regulations concerning campaign finance
• why third parties have had relatively little electoral success in the United States
• the role of interest groups, which interest groups are the most influential, and the different types of interest groups
  

Study Questions

1. How do political parties and interest groups differ?


2. Which areas of the country tend to be the most supportive of the Democratic Party? The Republican Party?

3. How do U.S. political parties differ from those in other Western-style democracies?

4. How has the role of political parties changed in recent decades? Discuss the rise and fall of political machines. What is “candidate-centered politics,” and how has it affected the role of political parties?

5. What is the responsible party model? What are the requirements of this model?

6. What is the role of primary elections? What are the different types of primaries?

7. How do interest groups affect the political process? Which type of groups tend to be the most influential and why?