Missouri Democratic Party
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Missouri Democratic Party
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|---|---|
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| Chairperson | Stephen Webber |
| Headquarters | Jefferson City, MO |
| Ideology |
Liberalism Progressivism Social liberalism |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Colors | Blue |
| Seats in the Upper House |
9 / 34
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| Seats in the Lower House |
45 / 163
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| Website | |
| www |
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The Missouri Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Missouri. The party Chairman is Stephen Webber, who has been chair since 2016.
The Missouri Democratic Party politics were characterized by diverse cultural, economic and social issues which led to antagonism between two factions of the party at the end of the 1920s. The conflicts, mainly due to the dysfunctional relationship between Senator Jim Reed and president Woodrow Wilson, led to a disruption for the Missouri Democratic Party, degrading the party to minority status throughout most of the 1920s.
The dispute was over whether the US should join the League of Nations or not. Reed strongly opposed this while President Wilson was a strong supporter in favor of it. This question led to debate in many states but none was so affected as Missouri. Mainly the dispute was over president Wilson's will to form a strong national leadership, while Reed wanted more state control. Despite most Missourian Democrats favoring entrance to the organization, Reed remained firm in his stand which caused some state Democrats to create their own pro-League club called "The Missouri State Democratic Club" Among the supporters for Reed were mainly Irish immigrants settled in the urban part of Missouri. The supporters for the President mainly resided in the more rural parts of the state. Another big issue within Democratic politics was the prohibition issue.
In the state of Missouri, wet candidates tended to win office, although dry candidates were found both in the Democratic and the Republican party. Republicans managed to agree to a higher degree than democrats on a wet stand, which might be one of the reasons why they managed to win all of the presidential and gubernatorial elections during the 1920s. The African-American part of the state population, who earlier had favored GOP, for the most part switched sides in the beginning of the 1930s. This was partly caused by the Democratic Party's 1928 backing of Joseph L. McLemore for Congress, making it the first-time ever nomination of an African-American for Congress. Also contributing to the change was the Republicans inability to handle the Great Depression. During the phase-out of the party bosses, power moved from Kansas City to St. Louis which had been a Democratic city since 1933.
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Wikipedia