Who is the political party made up of?

A political party is a group of individuals with broad common

interests who organize in order to nominate candidates for office,

win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy,

both at the state and national level. The most organized political

parties are found at the state level. But both state and national

political parties provide the following for the citizens of the

nation:

1. Recruiting candidates to run for office and to present the goals

and ideals of the political party.

2. By campaigning, educate the public on the issues of the day and

how that particular party plans to meet those issues.

3. Operating the government. Parties play a key role in running and

staffing the branches of the government. Both Congress and state

legislatures carry on their work on the basis of party affiliation.

Party leaders make sure the members support the party's position

when it comes time to vote on a bill.

4. Parties dispense favors, known as patronage, to reward party

loyalists. The favors include jobs, contracts, and appointments to

positions in government.

5. The party out of office must act as "the loyal opposition" and

assume the role of "watchdog" over the party in power.