American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

THE ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN AMERICAN POLITICS| 177

election or a caucus, in which they compete for a particular party’s spot on the
ballot. (Most states use primaries; a few state parties use conventions to select
candidates.) Nuts and Bolts 6.1 further explains these diff erent ways that the par-
ties select candidates.
Running as a party’s nominee is almost always the easiest way to get on the gen-
eral election ballot. Some states give the Republican and Democratic nominees an
automatic spot on the ballot; even in states that don’t automatically allocate bal-
lot slots this way, the requirements for the major parties to get a candidate on the

caucus (electoral) A local

meeting in which party members

select a party’s nominee for the

general election.

TABLETABLE » »^ 6.35.1

ISSUE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE REPUBLICAN AND

DEMOCRATIC PARTIES IN THE ELECTORATE

PERCENTAGE CONSIDERING
EACH AS A “TOP PRIORITY” REPUBLICANS DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICAN–

DEMOCRATIC

DIFFERENCE

Providing health insurance to
uninsured 26% 75% –49

Dealing with global warming 11 43 –32

Dealing with problems of poor 40 67 –27

Protecting the environment 34 60 –26

Reducing health care costs 48 71 –23

Improving educational system 54 75 –21

Securing Medicare 54 72 –18

Dealing with U.S. energy problem 43 56 –13

Improving job situation 80 90 –10

Reducing crime 46 55 –9

Securing Social Security 62 68 –6

Strengthening nation’s economy 81 87 –6

Dealing with global trade 32 37 –5

Reducing middle-class taxes 45 45 0

Reducing budget defi cit 61 60 +1

Dealing with moral breakdown 52 45 +7

Defending U.S. against terrorism 89 80 +9

Reducing infl uence of lobbyists 45 27 +18

Dealing with illegal immigration 49 30 +19

Strengthening the military 64 44 +20

Source: Pew Research Center, “Energy Concerns Fall, Defi cit Concerns Rise,” January 25, 2010, www
.people-press.org/fi les/legacy-pdf/584.pdf (accessed 9/17/12).