Political Parties (Facts)

Question 1

What percentage of voters think there are important differences between what the two parties stand for (1972 and 2008)?

Answer 1

1972: 46%
2008: 78%

Question 2

Which organisation attempted to centralise the Democratic party after 1984 and 1988 election defeats?

Answer 2

Democratic Leadership Council (DLC)

Question 3

Examples of moderate Republicans

Answer 3

Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Christine Todd Whitman

Question 4

Examples of conservative Republicans

Answer 4

Ronald Reagan, John Ashcroft, Mitt Romney

Question 5

Solid South: Southern Democrat and Republican congress members (both houses) in 1960

Answer 5

Democrat: 99 House, 22 Senate
Republican: 7 House, 0 Senate

Question 6

Solid South: Southern Democrat and Republican congress members (both houses) in 2012

Answer 6

Democrat: 40 House, 6 Senate
Republican: 98 House, 16 Senate

Question 7

Reasons for Red-Blue divide?

Answer 7

Reagan wooed conservative Democrats and unsettled moderate Republicans (1981-1989); end of Cold War in 1989; partisan presidencies of Clinton, Bush and Obama

Question 8

Action of a national committee

Answer 8

DNC stripped Michigan and Florida of half their convention delegates in 2008 as they scheduled their primaries too early

Question 9

21st Century Elections where Democrat and Republican candidates have accounted for 99% of the vote

Answer 9

2004, 2008 and 2012

Question 10

Combined share of Clinton and Trump in 2016

Answer 10

94%

Question 11

Third parties deciding elections

Answer 11

2000: Green candidate Nader won 2.7% of result, giving close states to Bush instead of Gore.
Bush won Florida by 537 votes, Nader won 100,000 votes there

Question 12

What requirement limits third parties from accessing federal matched funds?

Answer 12

Must have won 5% of vote in previous election

Question 13

Ballot access laws in California

Answer 13

Must receive signatures equal to 1% of state population

Question 14

Who popularised theory of Party decline?

Answer 14

David Broder

Question 15

Percentage of ‘independent’ voters in 1972 and 2012 elections?

Answer 15

1972: 34%
2012: 29%

Question 16

Evidence for Party Decline in 2016

Answer 16

Trump’s election despite not having the backing of Republican establishment (Romney, Ryan. Bush etc)

Question 17

Legislation opposed by Tea Party

Answer 17

Emergency Economic Stabilisation Act (2008) and Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus package

Question 18

Size of tea party caucus in 2017

Answer 18

52 (48 House, 4 Senate)

Question 19

Successful Tea Party Senate primary upsets in 2012

Answer 19

Richard Mourdock defeating six-term incumbent Richard Lugar and Ted Cruz’s defeat of David Dewhurst

Question 20

Evidence of Faithless Electors 2016?

Answer 20

One Hawaii delegate pledged to Clinton voted for Bernie Sanders; One Texas delegate pledged to Trump voted for John Kasich

Question 21

Third Parties at the 2016 election?

Answer 21

Gary Johnson (LIB): 4.5 million votes (3.3%)
Jill Stein (GRN): 1.5 million votes (1.1%)

Question 22

Last presidential election where a third party/ independent carried any states?

Answer 22

1968

Question 23

Presidential election results in Michigan 2012 and 2016?

Answer 23

2012: Obama 54% Romney 45%
2016: Trump 47.5% Clinton 47.3%

Question 24

Which traditional Democrat states did Trump capture in 2016?

Answer 24

Michigan (last Republican in 1988) and Wisconsin (last Republican in 1984)

Question 25

Partisan voting on legislation?

Answer 25

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)

All 178 Republican House members voted against; all but 34 Democrats voted in favour

Question 26

Partisan voting on appointments?

Answer 26

All 52 Republican Senators voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch in 2017; all but 3 Democrats voted against

Question 27

Anti-Partisan voting on legislation?

Answer 27

Freedom Caucus (31 House seats) did not support first American Healthcare Bill in 2017