Seventh Party System

Seventh Party System
← Sixth Proposed

The Seventh Party System is a proposed era of American politics that began sometime around the 2010s or 2020s. Its periodization, alongside the Sixth Party System, is heavily debated due to the lack of an overwhelming change of hands in Congress since the end of the New Deal Party System.

Dating the Seventh Party System

Theories as to the beginning date of the Seventh Party system range from 2008 to 2020. As political scientists Mark D. Brewer and L. Sandy Maisel describe, "In the wake of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory, there is now strengthening debate as to whether [the United States is] entering a new party system as Trump fundamentally reshapes the Republican Party and the Democratic Party responds and evolves as well."[1]

Donald Trump's 2024 re-election has led to major speculation and discussions on a potential political realignment due to voter demographic shifts.[2] Trump's victories in all swing states, dominance with white working-class voters, historic Republican gains with Hispanics and Asians have produced conversations[examples needed] on the emergence of the Seventh Party system in the American landscape.

Characteristics of the proposed Seventh Party System

Proponents of the shift to the Seventh Party System note several recent shifts in demographics and voting patterns. Non-white voters, who predominantly vote Democratic, have grown as a share of the population since the start of the Sixth Party System, and previously Republican-leaning secular college-educated white voters have moved to the left. At the same time, Republicans have made significant inroads with white voters without a college degree, while maintaining their favor with evangelical Christian voters.[3][4]

One of the biggest shifts is that of education, which is growing to become a bigger divide in politics than race. Since 2016, Democrats, while losing significant support among Asians and Latino voters, gained support among college-educated voters. Republicans have in turn gained support among the non-college educated.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Brewer, Mark D.; Maisel, L. Sandy (2020). Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 42. ISBN 978-1538136072.
  2. ^ Cohn, Nate (December 25, 2024). "Trump's Re-election Defines a New Era of American Politics". New York Times. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Vance, Chris (January 12, 2021). "The Seventh Party System - Niskanen Center". Niskanen Center - Improving Policy, Advancing Moderation. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Gerstle, Gary (2022). The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0197519646.
  5. ^ Wolf, Zachary B. (October 14, 2024). "Analysis: Why education level has become the best predictor for how someone will vote". CNN. Retrieved November 6, 2024.