Democratic Party
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|
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Chairperson | Donna Brazile (LA) (acting) |
Secretary | Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (MD) |
Senate leader |
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) |
House leader |
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA) |
Chair of Governors Association | Dan Malloy (CT) |
Founded | 1828 |
Preceded by | Democratic-Republican Party |
Headquarters | 430 South Capitol St. SE, Washington, D.C., 20003 |
Student wing | College Democrats of America |
Youth wing | Young Democrats of America |
Women's wing | National Federation of Democratic Women |
Overseas wing | Democrats Abroad |
Ideology |
Majority: Modern liberalism Social liberalism Progressivism Factions: Social democracy Centrism Libertarianism Conservatism |
International affiliation | Progressive Alliance |
Colors | Blue |
Seats in the Senate |
46 / 100
|
Seats in the House |
194 / 435
|
Governorships |
16 / 50
|
State Upper House Seats |
804 / 1,972
|
State Lower House Seats |
2,339 / 5,411
|
Territorial Governorships |
2 / 6
|
Territorial Upper Chamber Seats |
31 / 97
|
Territorial Lower Chamber Seats |
0 / 91
|
Website | |
www |
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The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active party.
The Democrats' dominant worldview was once classical liberalism, while, especially in the rural South, populism was its leading characteristic. In the 1890s, under the influence of its three-time defeated presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan and the Populist Party, the party moved to the left from an economic point of view and, since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, it has promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting social justice.
Today, the House Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists, with a smaller minority of conservative Democrats. The party's philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality, along with the welfare state. It seeks to provide government intervention and regulation in the economy. These interventions, such as the introduction of social programs, support for labor unions, affordable college tuitions, moves toward universal health care and equal opportunity, consumer protection, and environmental protection form the core of the party's economic policy. The party has united with smaller left-wing regional parties throughout the country such as Farmer–Labor Party in Minnesota and the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota.