Democratic Party (United States)

"Democratic Party" redirects here. For other uses, see Democratic Party (disambiguation).

The United States Democratic Party is one of the two biggest political parties in the United States. Since the mid-1850's, the party's main opponent has been the Republican Party. Both political parties have controlled American politics ever since.

Democratic Party
Chairperson	Jaime Harrison
Governing body	Democratic National Committee[1][2]
U.S. President	Joe Biden
U.S. Vice President	Kamala Harris
Senate Majority Leader	Chuck Schumer
House Minority Leader	Hakeem Jeffries
Founders	Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren
Founded	January 8, 1828; 196 years ago (1828-01-08)[3] Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Preceded by	Democratic-Republican Party
Headquarters	430 South Capitol St. SE, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Student wing	High School Democrats of America College Democrats of America
Youth wing	Young Democrats of America
Women's wing	National Federation of Democratic Women
LGBT wing	Stonewall Democrats
Overseas wing	Democrats Abroad
Ideology	Liberalism[4] Factions: Centrism[5] Progressivism[6]
Political position	Center-left[lower-alpha 2]
Caucuses	Blue Dog Coalition New Democrat Coalition Congressional Progressive Caucus
Colors	Blue
Senate	47 / 100[lower-alpha 3]
House of Representatives	212 / 435
State Governors	23 / 50
State upper chambers	857 / 1,973
State lower chambers	2,425 / 5,413
Territorial Governors	4 / 5
Seats in Territorial upper chambers	31 / 97
Seats in Territorial lower chambers	9 / 91
Election symbol
Website
democrats.org
Politics of the United States Political parties

The party sits at the centre to centre-left of the American political spectrum, with the Republican Party being positioned to their right.

Every four years the party holds a National Convention where they agree on their candidate for president. The Democratic National Committee coordinates most of the activities of the Democratic Party in all 50 United States. Since Andrew Jackson's inauguration in 1829, there have been 16 Democratic presidents. The most recent and current is Joe Biden who took office as the 46th president of the United States in January 2021.

The Democratic Party represents a broad spectrum of liberal and left-wing ideologies,including but not limited toclassical liberalism, social democracy, progressivism, and social modern liberalism.

Philosophy and role in government

Democrats, also sometimes called the left, liberals or progressives make up one of the two main political parties in the United States. A mostly Democratic state is sometimes called a blue state. This comes from the party’s main color, which is blue, referring to a state supporting ‘blue’ candidates.

Democrats believe in a strong government with social assistance programs to help members of society. They prefer diplomatic solutions to conflicts, and take generally multilateralist views on trade, believing that trade must be free, but fair to protect American workers, consumers, local communities, and the environment. Some Democrats are economic centrists.^[14][15]

Socially, most Democrats believe in sociocultural liberalism, taking pro-immigration, pro-marriage equality, and pro-choice views.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Philosophy and role in government

Democrats, also sometimes called the left, liberals or progressives make up one of the two main political parties in the United States. A mostly Democratic state is sometimes called a blue state. This comes from the party’s main color, which is blue, referring to a state supporting ‘blue’ candidates.

Democrats believe in a strong government with social assistance programs to help members of society. They prefer diplomatic solutions to conflicts, and take generally multilateralist views on trade, believing that trade must be free, but fair to protect American workers, consumers, local communities, and the environment. Some Democrats are economic centrists.^[20][21]

Socially, most Democrats believe in sociocultural liberalism, taking pro-immigration, pro-marriage equality, and pro-choice views.^{[22][23][24][25]}

Democratic Beliefs

Currently, the Democratic Party is identified by progressivism, liberalism, and left-wing policies.

Not all Democrats believe in the same thing, but generally these are the things many Democrats support:

• Progressive income tax.
• Higher corporate taxes and recapturing income from overseas profits.
• Spending on business, education, infrastructure, clean-energy.
• Expanding spending on government programs.
• Ending the death penalty.
• Expanding rights to Abortion.
• Gun regulations to prevent citizens from hurting themselves and others with firearms.
• Support Same-sex marriage.
• Universal healthcare.
• Declare Washington D.C. an official state.
• Helping students go to college or university for free without having to pay back the government.
• Allow undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to stay, pay taxes, and oppose mass deportation.

Most support for Democrats comes from states in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and the Pacific Coast, as well as from the state of Hawaii.

Symbols

The symbol of the Democratic Party is the donkey.^[26] Since the election of 2000, the color blue has become a symbol for Democrats.^[27]

Historically, Thomas Jefferson, whom the party claims as its founder, has been often seen as symbols of the Democratic Party, particularly emphasized in the annual celebrations of Jefferson Day Dinners held since the days of Andrew Jackson. As such, the Democratic Party is also often referred to as the “Party of Jefferson.”^[28]

List of democratic presidents

#	President	Portrait	State	Term start	Term end	Years in office
7	Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)		Tennessee	March 4, 1829	March 4, 1837	8 years, 0 days
8	Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)		New York	March 4, 1837	March 4, 1841	4 years, 0 days
11	James K. Polk (1795–1849)		Tennessee	March 4, 1845	March 4, 1849	4 years, 0 days
14	Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)		New Hampshire	March 4, 1853	March 4, 1857	4 years, 0 days
15	James Buchanan (1791–1868)		Pennsylvania	March 4, 1857	March 4, 1861	4 years, 0 days
17	Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)		Tennessee	April 15, 1865[lower-alpha 4]	March 4, 1869	3 years, 323 days
22	Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)		New York	March 4, 1885	March 4, 1889	8 years, 0 days
24				March 4, 1893	March 4, 1897
28	Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)		New Jersey	March 4, 1913	March 4, 1921	8 years, 0 days
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)		New York	March 4, 1933	April 12, 1945[lower-alpha 5]	12 years, 39 days
33	Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)		Missouri	April 12, 1945	January 20, 1953	7 years, 283 days
35	John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)		Massachusetts	January 20, 1961	November 22, 1963[lower-alpha 5]	2 years, 306 days
36	Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)		Texas	November 22, 1963	January 20, 1969	5 years, 59 days
39	Jimmy Carter (born 1924)		Georgia	January 20, 1977	January 20, 1981	4 years, 0 days
42	Bill Clinton (born 1946)		Arkansas	January 20, 1993	January 20, 2001	8 years, 0 days
44	Barack Obama (born 1961)		Illinois	January 20, 2009	January 20, 2017	8 years, 0 days
46	Joe Biden (born 1942)		Delaware	January 20, 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 240 days

List of famous Democratic politicians

• Kamala Harris (California), Vice President and U.S. Senator from California
• John Kerry (Massachusetts), former Secretary of State, former Senator, former presidential nominee
• Patrick Leahy (Vermont), former President Pro Tempore, Senator, and Dean of the Senate
• Hillary Clinton (New York), former Secretary of State, former Senator, former First Lady, former presidential nominee
• Jim Clyburn (South Carolina), Representative and Assistant Democratic Leader
• Howard Dean (Vermont), former Governor and former head of the Democratic National Committee, former presidential nominee
• Christopher Dodd (Connecticut), former Senator
• Mario Cuomo (New York), former Governor
• Dick Durbin (Illinois), Senate Whip
• George Moscone (California), former Mayor of San Francisco
• Chuck Schumer (New York), Senator, former Senate Majority Leader
• Harvey Milk (California), Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
• William M. Daley (Illinois), candidate for Governor of Illinois, former White House Chief of Staff
• Frank Lautenberg (New Jersey), former Senator
• Pat Quinn, Governor of Illinois
• Paul Simon (Illinois), former Senator
• Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania), former Senator
• Bob Menendez (New Jersey), Senator
• Richard M. Daley (Illinois), former Mayor of Chicago
• Richard J. Daley (Illinois), former Mayor of Chicago
• Al Gore (Tennessee), former presidential candidate and vice-president
• John F. Kennedy, former President (Massachusetts)
• Robert F. Kennedy, former Senator, former presidential candidate, and brother of John F. Kennedy
• Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), former President Pro Tempore, former Senator, and former Dean of the Senate
• Steny Hoyer (Maryland), House Minority Whip
• Robert Byrd (West Virginia), former President Pro Tempore, former Senator, and former Dean of the Senate
• Tim Kaine (Virginia), Governor, 2016 vice presidential nominee and former head of the Democratic National Committee
• Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Representative
• Janet Napolitano (Arizona), Secretary of Homeland Security
• Nancy Pelosi (California), Speaker of the House, former Speaker of the House.
• Brian Schweitzer (Montana), former Governor
• Harry Reid (Nevada), former Senate Minority Leader, former Majority Leader
• Rahm Emanuel (Illinois), Mayor of Chicago, former White House Chief of Staff
• Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (Virginia), former Senator
• Bill Richardson (New Mexico), Governor
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida), Representative and former head of the Democratic National Committee
• Mark Warner (Virginia), Senator and former Governor
• Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Representative
• Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader

Independents who caucus with Democrats

• Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont
• Angus King, Senator from Maine
• Kyrsten Sinema, Senator from Arizona
• Joe Manchin, Senator from West Virginia

List of former Democrats

President Ronald Reagan

• Ronald Reagan (California), 40th president of the United States (1981–1989). Registered Democrat until 1962.
• Condoleezza Rice (Alabama), 66th United States Secretary of State (2005–2009). Registered Democrat until 1982.
• Rudy Giuliani (New York), 107th Mayor of New York City (1994–2001). Registered Democrat until 1975.
• Rick Perry (Texas), 14th United States Secretary of Energy (2017–2019), 47th Governor of Texas (2000–2015). Registered Democrat until 1989.
• Jesse Helms (North Carolina), United States Senator (1973–2003). Registered Democrat (1942–1970).
• Donald Trump (New York), 45th President of the United States (2017–2021), Registered Democrat on and off until 2009.^[29]

Related pages

• Libertarian Party (United States)
• Green Party (United States)
• Democratic-Republican Party

References

1. "About the Democratic Party". Democratic Party. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022. For 171 years, [the Democratic National Committee] has been responsible for governing the Democratic Party
2. Democratic Party (March 12, 2022). "The Charter & The Bylaws of the Democratic Party of the United States" (PDF). p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022. The Democratic National Committee shall have general responsibility for the affairs of the Democratic Party between National Conventions
3. Cole, Donald B. (1970). Jacksonian Democracy in New Hampshire, 1800–1851. Harvard University Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-67-428368-8.
4. Arnold, N. Scott (2009). Imposing values: an essay on liberalism and regulation. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780495501121. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020. Modern liberalism occupies the left-of-center in the traditional political spectrum and is represented by the Democratic Party in the United States.
5. Bacon, Perry Jr. (March 11, 2019). "The Six Wings Of The Democratic Party". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
6. Stein, Letita; Cornwell, Susan; Tanfani, Joseph (August 23, 2018). "Inside the progressive movement roiling the Democratic Party". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
7. Rae, Nicol C. (June 2007). "Be Careful What You Wish For: The Rise of Responsible Parties in American National Politics". Annual Review of Political Science. 10 (1). Annual Reviews: 169–191. doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.10.071105.100750. ISSN 1094-2939. What are we to make of American parties at the dawn of the twenty-first century? ... The impact of the 1960s civil rights revolution has been to create two more ideologically coherent parties: a generally liberal or center-left party and a conservative party.
8. Marantz, Andrew (May 24, 2021). "Are We Entering a New Political Era?". The New Yorker. New York, New York: Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024. Moderation may be relative, but moderates still run the Democratic Party.
9. Bruner, Christopher M. (2018). "Center-Left Politics and Corporate Governance: What Is the 'Progressive' Agenda?". BYU Law Review. 2018 (2). Digital Commons: 267–334. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2917253. ISSN 2162-8572. SSRN 2917253. This article has argued that a widespread and fundamental reorientation of the Democratic Party toward decidedly centrist national politics over recent decades fundamentally altered the role of corporate governance, and related issues, in the project of assembling a competitive electoral coalition.
10. Coates, David, ed. (2012). "Liberalism, Center-left". The Oxford Companion to American Politics. Oxford University Press. pp. 68–69. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199764310.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-976431-0. Observes that the terms "progressive" and "liberal" are "often used interchangeably" in political discourse regarding "the center-left".
11. Cronin, James E.; Ross, George W.; Shoch, James (August 24, 2011). "Introduction: The New World of the Center-Left". What's Left of the Left: Democrats and Social Democrats in Challenging Times. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-5079-8. pp. 17, 22, 182: Including the American Democratic Party in a comparative analysis of center-left parties is unorthodox, since unlike Europe, America has not produced a socialist movement tied to a strong union movement. Yet the Democrats may have become center-left before anyone else, obliged by their different historical trajectory to build complex alliances with social groups other than the working class and to deal with unusually powerful capitalists ... Taken together, the three chapters devoted to the United States show that the center-left in America faces much the same set of problems as elsewhere and, especially in light of the election results from 2008, that the Democratic Party's potential to win elections, despite its current slide in approval, may be at least equal to that of any center-left party in Europe ... Despite the setback in the 2010 midterms, together the foregoing trends have put the Democrats in a position to eventually build a dominant center-left majority in the United States.
12. Hacker, Jacob S.; Malpas, Amelia; Pierson, Paul; Zacher, Sam (December 27, 2023). "Bridging the Blue Divide: The Democrats' New Metro Coalition and the Unexpected Prominence of Redistribution". Perspectives on Politics. Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Political Science Association: 3. doi:10.1017/S1537592723002931. ISSN 1537-5927. We conclude by considering why Democrats have taken this course, why they are not perceived as having done so, and why, at this fraught juncture for American democratic capitalism, political scientists could learn much from closer examination of the rich world's largest center-left party.
14. Gould, Joe (2021-05-13). "Bernie Sanders wants to cut defense spending. Not all Democrats agree". Defense News. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
15. "Biden's sweeping — and fluid — tax plans are making some congressional Democrats nervous". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
16. Paul Starr. "Center-Left Liberalism". Princeton University. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
17. Frumin, Aliyah (November 25, 2013). "Obama: 'Long past time' for immigration reform". MSNBC.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
18. "Changing Views on Social Issues" (PDF). April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
19. "Pew Research Center. (May 10, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue, p. 1 of 8". May 10, 2005. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
20. Gould, Joe (2021-05-13). "Bernie Sanders wants to cut defense spending. Not all Democrats agree". Defense News. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
21. "Biden's sweeping — and fluid — tax plans are making some congressional Democrats nervous". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
22. Paul Starr. "Center-Left Liberalism". Princeton University. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
23. Frumin, Aliyah (November 25, 2013). "Obama: 'Long past time' for immigration reform". MSNBC.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
24. "Changing Views on Social Issues" (PDF). April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
25. "Pew Research Center. (May 10, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue, p. 1 of 8". May 10, 2005. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
26. see "History of the Democratic Donkey"
27. Farhi, Paul (November 2, 2004). "Elephants Are Red, Donkeys Are Blue". Washington Post. p. C01. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
28. Trotter, Bill (February 11, 2008). "Obama sets sights on November battle". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
29. Tom Murse (July 20, 2019). "Was Donald Trump a Democrat?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved September 13, 2019.

1. According to the Manifesto Project Database MARPOR dataset for 2020, the Democratic Party has a RILE score of -24.662, putting it within the range of being a center to center-left party. Historically, it has classified the party as centrist or center-right, but the database has noted a relatively recent shift to the left in the party's politics.
2. ^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][lower-alpha 1]}
3. There are 47 senators who are members of the party; however, four independent senators, Angus King, Bernie Sanders, Joe Manchin III, and Kyrsten Sinema caucus with the Democrats, effectively giving the Democrats a 51–49 majority.
4. Elected as Vice President with the National Union Party ticket in the 1864 presidential election. Ascended to the presidency after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Rejoined the Democratic Party in 1868.
5. Died in office.

Other websites

• www.democrats.org