ABSTRACT
The Republicans dominated the two-party system during the first three decades, while the Democrats dominated after 1932. This chapter analyzes three aspects of the debate on party realignment. It deals with the basic question of whether a party realignment occurred during the 1980s. The chapter focuses on the debate about whether the party system moved into a new phase. It examines the thesis that a party realignment occurred, but the results cannot be seen in legislatures because of Democratic gerrymandering. Consequently, the data indicates support for the proposition that partisan redistricting has had little effect on House elections. The Democrats did not maintain control of the House of Representatives through partisan gerrymandering in the 1980s. Other research has also indicated that partisan redistricting has had little effect on House elections. Although the dominant party in partisan gerrymanders did make some gains, the relationship between partisan control of redistricting and partisan gains in seats was rather weak.
