Changing Significance of Parties & of Powers

• More significant

  • Parties were not in the Constitution, but Congress is now split between two main parties, with some independents.
  • Party-line voting has increased since the 1970s, making it more important.
  • This rise may be due to more partisan constituents or representatives.
  • Legislation changes more depending on the party in power.
• • Political parties have become less important to some of the public.
  • Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump gained popularity by opposing the party mainstream.
  • In 2016, 6/10 people felt unrepresented by the major parties.
  • Millennials are more likely to identify as independent than with a political party.
• less significant in congress

  • Caucuses in Congress are gaining more power.
  • The Freedom Caucus forced Speaker John Boehner to resign in 2015 and made Kevin McCarthy drop out of the race.
  • The Freedom Caucus played a key role in rejecting the American Health Care Act in 2017 by withholding support, preventing it from passing.