Political vocabulary & government processes · Article 5 of 20 · United States
Political party
An organization competing to govern.
What the term means
Political parties recruit candidates, organize campaigns, coordinate legislative priorities and help voters interpret competing platforms. Parties are not themselves branches of government.
How it works in practice
Within a party, elected officials, local organizations, donors, activists and voters may disagree. A party platform is a political commitment, not a statute that automatically takes effect.
A concrete example
A party may win the presidency but lack the votes needed to pass a bill in one chamber of Congress.
What to examine next
Separate party goals from the votes and legal steps required to enact them.
Next: Primary election.