Party Politics in America (17^th Ed.)

The seventeenth edition of Party Politics in America continues the comprehensive and authoritative coverage of political parties for which it is known while expanding and updating the treatment of key related topics including interest groups and elections. Marjorie Hershey builds on the book?s three-pronged coverage of party organization, party in the electorate, and party in government and integrates contemporary examples?such as campaign finance reform, party polarization, and social media?to bring to life the fascinating story of how parties shape our political system.

New to the 17th Edition

• Fully updated through the 2016 election, including changes in virtually all of the boxed materials, the chapter openings, and the data presented.
• Explores increasing partisan hostility, the status of voter ID laws and other efforts to affect voter turnout, young voters' attitudes and participation, and the role of big givers such as the energy billionaire Koch brothers in the 2016 campaigns.
• Critically examines the idea that Super PACs are replacing, or can replace, the party organizations in running campaigns.
• New and expanded online Instructor's Resources, including author-written test banks, essay questions, relevant websites with correlated sample assignments, the book?s appendix, and links to a collection of course syllabi.

Part I Parties and Party Systems

1. What Are Political Parties?

2. The American Two-Party System

Part II The Political Party as an Organization

3. The State and Local Party Organizations

4. The Parties' National Organizations

5. Party Activists

Part III The Political Party in the Electorate

6. Party Identification

7. Party Coalitions and Party Change

8. Parties and Voter Turnout

Part IV Parties, Nominations, and Elections

9. How Parties Choose Candidates

10. Choosing the Presidential Nominees

11. The General Election

12. Financing the Campaigns

Part V The Party in Government

13. Parties in Congress and State Legislatures

14. The Party in the Executive and the Courts

15. The Semi-Responsible Parties

16. The Place of Parties in American Politics

Marjorie Randon Hershey is Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, USA.