List of political parties in the United States

Political parties of the United States traditionally divide the available spectrum of choices into two camps. The first is known the "major parties" and the second as the "third parties" camp. This is due to the fact that in the United States the two largest centrist[?] parties tend to divide the vote between themselves in the national elections.

The limited success of third parties is not to be overlooked. Many third parties throughout U.S. history have achieved notable regional success, and some (notably the Prohibition party[?] and the Socialist Party of America) have had major portions of their platforms incorporated into the "major parties" platforms. While the parties in question did not go on to become one dominant players in American political life, their overall political platforms took root in the American political landscape.

For the last century and a half, the two "major parties" have been:

• Democratic Party
• Republican Party

The current "third parties" include:

Each of these five parties has received 100,000 votes or more for at least one of its candidates in the past 20 years.

• Consitution Party (formerly the U.S. Taxpayers' Party)
• Green Party
• Libertarian Party
• Natural Law Party
• Reform Party

Other minor parties:

• American Independent[?]
• Communist Party USA
• Democratic Socialist Party
• Labor Party
• Natural Medicine Party[?]
• Peace and Freedom Party
• Revolutionary Communist Party
• Socialist Labor Party
• Socialist Party USA

Historical political parties include:

• Anti-Masonic
• Democratic-Republican (also known as "Anti-Federalist", "Jeffersonian", "Jacksonian" or simply "Republican")
• Dixiecrat (also known as States' Rights Democratic)
• Federalist
• Free Soil
• Greenback[?]
• National Republican[?]
• Know-Nothing Party, (officially called the American Party)
• Populist
• Progressive (including the "Bull Moose" party)
• Prohibition[?]
• Whig

See: Party designation in early United States Congresses

External Links

• Minor Party Links (http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com/PartyLink.htm)