Chapter 11

an organized group that may include office holders, candidates, activists, and voters who pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the electoral process

rinciple drafter of the Declaration of Independence; sec- ond vice president of the United States; third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Co-founder of the Democratic-Republican Party

politics that focus on the candidates, their particular issues, and character rather than party affiliation

dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape

an election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues and personalities

the gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system

a party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform

Role played by a representative who votes the way his or her con- stituents would want, regardless of personal opinions; may refer to an elected representative to Congress or a representative to the party convention

Delegate to the Democratic Party's national convention that is reserved for a party official and whose vote at the convention is unpledged to a candidate

The forty-fifth president, a Republican, elected in 2016; first president elected without prior political or military experience; an experienced businessman.