ABSTRACT

The seventeenth edition of Party Politics in America continues the comprehensive and authoritative coverage of political parties for which it is known while expanding and updating the treatment of key related topics including interest groups and elections. Marjorie Hershey builds on the book’s three-pronged coverage of party organization, party in the electorate, and party in government and integrates contemporary examples—such as campaign finance reform, party polarization, and social media—to bring to life the fascinating story of how parties shape our political system.

New to the 17th Edition

  • Fully updated through the 2016 election, including changes in virtually all of the boxed materials, the chapter openings, and the data presented.
  • Explores increasing partisan hostility, the status of voter ID laws and other efforts to affect voter turnout, young voters' attitudes and participation, and the role of big givers such as the energy billionaire Koch brothers in the 2016 campaigns.
  • Critically examines the idea that Super PACs are replacing, or can replace, the party organizations in running campaigns.
  • New and expanded online Instructor's Resources, including author-written test banks, essay questions, relevant websites with correlated sample assignments, the book’s appendix, and links to a collection of course syllabi.

part I|52 pages

Parties and Party Systems

chapter 1|26 pages

What Are Political Parties?

chapter 2|23 pages

The American Two-Party System

part II|70 pages

The Political Party as an Organization

chapter 3|21 pages

The State and Local Party Organizations

chapter 4|25 pages

The Parties’ National Organizations

chapter 5|21 pages

Party Activists

part III|80 pages

The Political Party in the Electorate

chapter 6|22 pages

Party Identification

chapter 7|29 pages

Party Coalitions and Party Change

chapter 8|26 pages

Parties and Voter Turnout

part IV|100 pages

Parties, Nominations, and Elections

chapter 9|19 pages

How Parties Choose Candidates

chapter 10|24 pages

Choosing the Presidential Nominees

chapter 11|25 pages

The General Election

chapter 12|30 pages

Financing the Campaigns

part V|85 pages

The Party in Government

chapter 13|28 pages

Parties in Congress and State Legislatures

chapter 14|15 pages

The Party in the Executive and the Courts

chapter 15|22 pages

The Semi-Responsible Parties

chapter 16|18 pages

The Place of Parties in American Politics