How Political Parties Work

How Political Parties Work — page 3

How Political Parties Work — page 4 — 5 CHAPTER ONE Party Support It was a cold night in November 2012 More than 20,000 people braved the chilly weather in Des Moines Iowa They stood outside for hours and listened to speeches in support of Barack Obama the president of the United States This was the final political rally for Obama before the next day’s presidential election Obama and his Democratic supporters hoped the president would be reelected President Barack Obama spoke to his supporters on November 5 2012 in Des Moines Iowa

How Political Parties Work — page 5 — R o c k m u s i c i a n B r u c e S p r i n g s t e e n p e r f o r m e d a t O b a m a s final campaign rally before the 2012 election US flags waved in the breeze as people held up signs supporting the president Obama’s aides spoke of the long road to his first-term win in 2008 Four years earlier the president’s campaign had held similar political rallies all across the country Rallies are held to urge voters to elect a specific person to a public office such as the presidency The rallies urged voters to elect Obama as president 6

How Political Parties Work — page 6 — FL LA MS GA AL SC AR TX NC TN NM OK AZ KY VA KS MS WV CO IN OH NV UT CA PA IL NE IA WY NY VERMONT MI SD OR WI ME ND ID MT WA MN 7 But to win the presidency Obama needed the support of the Democratic Party one of the two major political parties in the United States Months before the Democratic Party had decided to stand behind Obama during his run for the presidency The party helped him pay for his campaign and organize Mitt Romney Republican Barack Obama Democratic Margin or difference in votes of less than 10 MD DE NJ RI CT MA NH VT AL HI The 2012 Election by State This map shows which political parties candidates people voted for in the 2012 presidential election Are you surprised by how the states voted How does this map help you understand US political parties

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