284 Chapter 8Chapter 8 || Political PartiesPolitical Partiesoutraised their Republican counterparts. And congressional leaders raised almost
$50 million for the campaigns of their colleagues.^32
Along with supplying campaign funds, party organizations give candidates
other assistance, ranging from offering campaign advice (including which issues
to emphasize, how to deal with the press, and the like) to conducting polls. Party
organizations at all levels also undertake get-out-the-vote activities, encouraging
supporters to get to the polls. In the 2016 election, Republican candidate Donald
Trump’s campaign was almost completely reliant on the Republican Party’s
mobilization efforts, while Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign used a combination
of campaign and party resources. In the end, however, the Democrats failed to mobilize
key groups—like African Americans and Latinos—as successfully as they had in 2012.Party Platforms The party platform is a set of promises explaining what candidates
from the party will do if elected. The most visible party platform is the one approved
at each party’s presidential nominating convention, but the party organizations in
the House and Senate also release platforms, as do other major-party groups. Party
platforms generally reflect the brand name differences between the parties. For
example, in the case of abortion rights, the 2016 Republican presidential platform
favored a total ban on abortions, while the Democratic presidential platform expressed
support for a woman’s right to choose, meaning that abortion would be legal under a
wider range of conditions.
In theory, party platforms describe differences between the major parties, capture
each party’s diagnosis of the problems facing the country, and give the party’s plan
for solving those problems. In this way, party platforms give citizens an easy way
to evaluate candidates. However, candidates are not obligated to support their
party’s platform and many take divergent stances on some issues. For example,
notwithstanding the consistently strong pro-choice position on abortion in the
Democratic Party’s presidential platforms over the last generation, some Democratic
members of Congress, such as Illinois representative Dan Lipinski, have promised to
vote to restrict abortions—a position closer to the Republican platform.^33 For some of
these candidates, their position reflects personal or religious beliefs; for others, it is
driven by the desire to reflect the opinion of voters in their district or state.
Despite these exceptions, party platforms are important documents. Political
scientist John Gerring’s research shows that platforms provide a general guide for
voters about the issues and issue positions that separate the major parties. Platforms
indicate what sorts of policies winning candidates are likely to vote for if elected. While
some candidates may ignore or run against their party’s platform, most candidates
will support the platform because they agree with it or because they
believe it is popular with their constituents.^34Cooperation in Government
As Republicans and Democrats in Congress have become more
polarized, particularly in recent years, the majority- and minority-
party legislative caucuses have taken on larger roles in efforts to set
legislative priorities, formulate compromise proposals, and work to
enact these proposals on the floor of the House and Senate.Agenda-Setting Throughout the year, the parties in government
meet to devise strategies for legislative action—that is, to set
agendas. What proposals should they offer, and in what orderparty platform
A set of objectives outlining the
party’s issue positions and priorities.
Candidates are not required to
support their party’s platform.One of the most important ways
parties help candidates is by raising
funds. Here, volunteers work the
phones in a National Republican
Congressional Committee field
office in California ahead of midterm
elections.Full_09_APT_64431_ch08_262-295.indd 284 16/11/18 1:41 PM