Realignment Flashcards
Critical Realignment
Secular realignment
very slow and not a big step up
class based realignment
Grown up economically deprived so once they are up, they vote for the GOP. Change of status will change their party
-democrats are the party of the working class
culturally oriented realignment
movement of people who are unlike the population
generational placement realignment
Grandkids vote differently than Grandparents: now the democrats have this advantage
movers vs stayers realignment
movement of people who are unlike the population
conversion realignment
Southern white evangelicals vote conservatives but once they got politically active then the GOP party grew even mor
relative advantage realignment
o White conservatives find more political and economic power in the GOP especially with black mobilization
o Strom Thurmond I didn’t leave the democratic party, it left me because I am still conservative
o Redistricting plays a role in advantaged simultaneously
Factors promoting realignment from Democratic Party to GOP
- In-migration of Republican voters from the North
- Socioeconomic gains of southerners
- Moral Majority and other Evangelicals
- Policy disagreements with liberal policies promoted by Northern Democrats
Causes for potential realignment from Republican to Democrat in Growth States
- Demographic change as Gen Zers and Millennials move to southern cities
- Demographic change as electorates become more ethnically diverse
- White, middle class, suburban women reject Trump
- Growing numbers of secular whites
Changes at the elite level that prompted White Democrats to shift to the GOP
- ORVIS recruitment
- With the election of the Democratic House whip, conservatives lost influence at the highest ranks of the party leadership
- Conservative southern Democrats blocked from advancing in the party such as committee chairs
- Northern Democrats push for racial equality
- Nixon’s Southern Strategy
- Economic development
Response of southern democratic political leaders to changes in party: EXIT
people leaving the party
Response of southern democratic political leaders to changes in party: VOICE
voice concerns about the direction of the party ( John Barrow)
Response of southern democratic political leaders to changes in party: LOYALTY
Richard russell, stayed with Dems even though it changes
Careers of Democratic office holders who switched to the GOP
o 1968: 5 democrats switched to the Republican party
o Strom Thurmond switched parties
