Political parties in the United States
This list of political parties in the United States contains past and present political parties in the United States. Political parties are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution; which defines a nonpartisan presidential system in which citizens vote for electors that make up the Electoral College. The Electoral College in turn elects the President and Vice President of the United States. Today the Electoral College votes for presidential candidates that represent their respective political parties.
Political parties are private organizations that manage themselves, organize primary elections for local, state, and federal offices, define common policy initiatives, and run campaign contribution drives for the benefit of their party candidates. No laws limit the number of political parties that may operate, so theoretically, it can operate as a simple multi-party system. However, since the Civil War (1864), the country has had a de facto two-party system, with occasional inlets made by third parties. There are and have been many political parties other than the two dominant ones (the Republican Party and the Democratic Party), but few have had political success.
Categorizing U.S. political parties
The political parties are listed in four categories below, "Current largest parties", "Other current national parties that have endorsed candidates", "Current regional parties that have endorsed candidates" and "Political parties in U.S. history".
An alternate means for categorizing U.S. political parties, historically and currently, is to apply the Federal Election Commission's definition of "national committees" retroactively in time to the beginning of the U.S. To see such a list, see Richard Winger's article in the Election Law Journal, April 2006 (Vol. 5 no. 2), which can be read on-line. Within that article, the list of parties is in Appendix A.
Year is when founded. Order of current parties is alphabetical.
Current largest parties
Each of these had ballot status for its presidential candidate in states with enough electoral votes for President of the United States to have had a chance of winning the 2004 presidential election--or has done likewise for the 2008 presidential election.
- Democratic Party (1792, 1820s – present).
- Republican Party (1854 – present).
- Libertarian Party (1971).
- Green Party of the United States (1984).
- Constitution Party (formerly the U.S. Taxpayers Party) (1992).
Other active national parties (that have endorsed candidates)
These parties have offered candidates in recent elections, but did not in 2004 (and do not for 2008) have ballot status in enough states to win the presidency normally. Some do not have presidential candidates, but for other offices only.
- American Independent Party (1968) - the California affiliate of the Constitution Party
- American Party (1969)
- American Patriot Party (2003)
- American Whig Party (2007)
- Centrist Party (United States) (2006)
- Independence Party of America (2007)
- Independent American Party (1998)
- Marijuana Party (2002)
- Peace and Freedom Party (1967) - active primarily in California
- Pacifist Party of America (2007)
- Personal Choice Party (1997)
- Populist Party of America (2002)
- Prohibition Party (1867)
- Reform Party of the United States of America (1995) - currently divided into two factions both using the name of the "Reform Party"
- Socialist Equality Party (1953)
- Socialist Party USA (1973)
- Socialist Workers Party (1938)
- United Citizens Party (1969)
- Workers World Party (1959)
- Working Families Party (1998)
Other current national parties (that have endorsed candidates)
These parties want to organize nationally, but did not in 2004 (and do not for 2008) have ballot status in enough states to win the presidency normally. Some do not have presidential candidates, but for other offices only.
- American Centrist Party
- America First Party (2002)
- American Heritage Party (2000)
- American Reform Party (1997)
- Christian Freedom Party (2004)
- Christian Falangist Party of America (1985)
- Citizens For Reform Party (2005)
- Commonwealth Party
- Communist Party USA (1919)
- Expansionist Party
- Freedom Road Socialist Organization (1985)
- Jefferson Republican Party
- Labor Party (1995)
- National Nihilist Party (1988)
- National Socialist Movement (1974)
- New American Independent Party (2004)
- New Union Party (1974)
- United Fascist Union (1996)
- Socialist Action (1983)
- Socialist Alternative (1986)
- Socialist Labor Party (1876)
- Workers Party, USA
- World Socialist Party of the United States (1916)
For more parties, including parties which have yet to endorse candidates, see at bottom (below): "See also", "Other lists", and "External links", such as "Directory of U.S. Political Parties".
Current regional parties (that have endorsed candidates)
Few, if any, of these parties have had (or have) presidential candidates. The years are when they were founded.
- Alaskan Independence Party (1984)
- Aloha Aina Party
- Charter Party of Cincinnati, Ohio (1924)
- Connecticut for Lieberman Party (2006)
- Conservative Party of New York (1962)
- Covenant Party (Northern Mariana Islands)
- Independence Party of Minnesota (1992)
- Independence Party of New York (1991)
- Independent Citizens Movement (US Virgin Islands)
- Liberal Party of Minnesota
- Liberal Party of New York (1944)
- Liberty Union Party (Vermont) (1970)
- Marijuana Reform Party (New York) (1997)
- New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (1967)
- New York State Right to Life Party (1970)
- Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico (1938)
- Populist Party of Maryland (Nader 2004 - affiliated, unrelated to earlier so-named parties)
- Progressive Party of Washington (1912-1960 and 2003-present)
- Puerto Rican Independence Party (1946)
- Republican Moderate Party of Alaska (1986)
- Southern Party (1999)
- Southern Independence Party
- The Centre Party (Florida) (2007)
- United Party (Idaho) (2005)
- Vermont Progressive Party (1999)
Political parties in U.S. history
- Most of the following parties are no longer functioning. Some of them had considerable influence. In order of founding.
- Federalist Party (c.1789–c.1820)
- Democratic-Republican Party (1792–c.1824)
- Anti-Masonic Party (1826–1838)
- National Republican Party (1829–1833)
- Nullifier Party (1830–1839)
- Whig Party (1833–1856)
- Liberty Party (1840–1848)
- Law and Order Party of Rhode Island (1840s)
- Free Soil Party (1848–1855)
- Anti-Nebraska Party (1854)
- American Republican Party (1843-1854)
- American Party (“Know-Nothings”) (c.1854–1858)
- Opposition Party (1854–1858)
- Constitutional Union Party (1860)
- National Union Party, (1864–1868)
- Readjuster Party (1870-1885)
- Liberal Republican Party (1872)
- Greenback Party (1874–1884)
- Anti-Monopoly Party (1884)
- Populist Party (1892–1908)
- Silver Party (1892-1902)
- National Democratic Party/Gold Democrats (1896–1900)
- Silver Republican Party (1896-1900)
- Social Democratic Party (1900–1901)
- Home Rule Party of Hawaii (created to serve the native Hawaiian agenda in the state legislature and U.S. Congress) (1900–1912)
- Socialist Party of America (1901–1973)
- Progressive Party 1912 (“Bull Moose Party”) (1912–1914)
- National Woman's Party (1913-1930)
- Non-Partisan League (Not a party in the technical sense) (1915–1956)
- Farmer-Labor Party (1918–1944)
- Progressive Party 1924 (1924)
- Communist League of America (1928–1934)
- American Workers Party (1933–1934)
- Workers Party of the United States (1934–1938)
- Union Party (1936)
- American Labor Party (1936–1956)
- America First Party (1944) (1944–1996)
- American Fascist Party (1945)
- States' Rights Democratic Party (“Dixiecrats”) (1948)
- Progressive Party 1948 (1948–1955)
- Vegetarian Party (1948–1964)
- Constitution Party (United States 50s) (1952–1968?)
- National States Rights Party (1958-1987)
- American Nazi Party (1959-1966)
- Puerto Rican Socialist Party (1959–1993)
- Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (1964)
- National Socialist White People's Party (1967-1983)
- Communist Workers Party (1969–1985)
- People's Party (1971–1976)
- U.S. Labor Party (1975–1979)
- Concerned Citizens Party (1975-1992) Become the Connecticut affiliate of the Constitution Party (then known as U.S. Taxpayers Party) with party founding
- Citizens Party (1979–1984)
- New Alliance Party (1979–1992)
- Populist Party of 1980s-1990s (1984–1994)
- Looking Back Party (1984–1996)
- Grassroots Party (1986–2004)
- Independent Party of Utah (1988–1996)
- Greens/Green Party USA (1991–2005)
- New Party (1992 – 1998)
- Natural Law Party (1992–2004)
- Mountain Party (2000-2007) Become the West Virginia affiliate of the Green Party July 16, 2007 [1]
External links
This article is not based.
Its weak and faggy. Somebody copied it over from some woke SJW source, and now its namby-pamby wording is gaying up our program.