Title: Democratic Party (United States) Content: The United States Democratic Party is a center-left party that is one of the two biggest political parties in the United States of America. The other is the Republican Party, which is the Democratic Party's main opponent, and positioned on the center-right of the political spectrum. The U.S. also has several smaller political parties known as third parties. Members of this party are known as Democrats. Every four years the party holds a National Convention where they agree on their candidate for president. The Democratic National Committee coordinates most of the activities of the Democratic Party in all 50 United States. Since Andrew Jackson's inauguration in 1829, there have been 16 Democratic presidents (17 if including John Tyler, who, though originally elected to the Vice Presidency as a Whig, was expelled from his party shortly after taking office, became an independent, and allied with Democrats), the most recent (and current) being former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE) who took office as President of the United States in 2021. The Democratic Party represents a broad spectrum of liberal and left-wing ideologies,including—but not limited to—classical liberalism, social democracy, progressivism, and social (modern) liberalism. == Philosophy and role in government == Democrats, also sometimes called 'the left', 'liberals' or 'progressives' make up one of the two main political parties in the United States. A mostly Democratic state is sometimes called a 'blue state'. This comes from the party’s main color, which is blue, referring to a state supporting ‘blue’ candidates. Democrats believe in a strong government with social assistance programs to help members of society. They prefer diplomatic solutions to conflicts, and take generally multilateralist views on trade, believing that trade must be free, but fair to protect American workers, consumers, local communities, and the environment. Some Democrats are economic centrists. Socially, most Democrats believe in sociocultural liberalism, taking pro-immigration, pro-marriage equality, and pro-choice views. ==Current Democratic beliefs== Currently, the Democratic Party is identified by progressivism, liberalism, and left-wing policies. Not all Democrats believe in the same thing, but generally these are the things many Democrats support: * Progressive income tax. * Higher corporate taxes and recapturing income from overseas profits. * Spending on business, education, infrastructure, clean- energy. * Expanding spending on government programs. * Ending the death penalty. * Expanding rights to Abortion. * Gun control to prevent criminals, children, and those who cannot pass the psychological test. * Support Same-sex marriage. * Universal healthcare. * Declare Washington D.C. an official state. * Helping students go to college or university for free without having to pay back the government. * Allow undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to stay, pay taxes, and oppose mass deportation. Most support for Democrats comes from states in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and the Pacific Coast, as well as from the state of Hawaii. == Symbols == The symbol of the Democratic Party is the donkey.see "History of the Democratic Donkey" Since the election of 2000, the color blue has become a symbol for Democrats. thumb|125px|right|President Thomas Jefferson Historically, Thomas Jefferson, whom the party claims as its founder, has been often seen as symbols of the Democratic Party, particularly emphasized in the annual celebrations of Jefferson Day Dinners held since the days of Andrew Jackson. As such, the Democratic Party is also often referred to as the “Party of Jefferson.” ==Democratic U.S. Presidents== * Andrew Jackson (1829 – 1837) * Martin Van Buren (1837 – 1841) * John Tyler (1841 – 1845) (A Democrat for most of his life, Tyler was elected as the Whig candidate for vice president, but allied with Democrats after assuming the presidency after William Henry Harrison’s death.) * James K. Polk (1845 – 1849) * Franklin Pierce (1853 – 1857) * James Buchanan (1857 – 1861) * Andrew Johnson (1865 – 1869) (A Democrat for most of his life, Johnson was elected as the National Union candidate for vice president, but allied with Democrats after assuming the presidency after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.) *Grover Cleveland (1885–1889 and 1893–1897) ;Presidents during the 20th century * Woodrow Wilson (1913 – 1921) * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 – 1945) * Harry S. Truman (1945 – 1953) * John F. Kennedy (1961 – 1963) * Lyndon B. Johnson (1963 – 1969) * Jimmy Carter (1977 – 1981) * Bill Clinton (1993 – 2001) ;Presidents during the 21st century *Barack Obama (2009 – 2017) *Joe Biden (2021 – present) == Other famous Democratic Politicians == thumb|120px|Former senator Daniel Inouye thumb|120px|Senator Bernie Sanders thumb|120px|Vice President Kamala Harris * Kamala Harris (California), Vice President and Senator from California * John Kerry (Massachusetts), former Secretary of State, former Senator, former presidential nominee * Patrick Leahy (Vermont), former President Pro Tempore, Senator, and Dean of the Senate * Hillary Clinton (New York), former Secretary of State, former Senator, former First Lady, former presidential nominee * Jim Clyburn (South Carolina), Representative and Assistant Democratic Leader * Howard Dean (Vermont), former Governor and former head of the Democratic National Committee * Christopher Dodd (Connecticut), former Senator * Mario Cuomo (New York), former Governor * Dick Durbin (Illinois), Senate Whip * George Moscone (California), former Mayor of San Francisco * Chuck Schumer (New York), Senator and Senate Minority Leader. * Harvey Milk (California), Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors * William M. Daley (Illinois), candidate for Governor of Illinois, former White House Chief of Staff * Frank Lautenberg (New Jersey), former Senator * Pat Quinn, Governor of Illinois * Paul Simon (Illinois), former Senator * Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania), former Senator * Bob Menendez (New Jersey), Senator * Richard M. Daley (Illinois), former Mayor of Chicago * John Edwards (North Carolina), former Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate * Richard J. Daley (Illinois), former Mayor of Chicago * Al Gore (Tennessee), former presidential candidate and vice-president * Robert F. Kennedy, former Senator, former presidential candidate, and brother of John F. Kennedy * Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), former President Pro Tempore, former Senator, and former Dean of the Senate * Steny Hoyer (Maryland), House Minority Whip * Robert Byrd (West Virginia), former President Pro Tempore, former Senator, and former Dean of the Senate * Tim Kaine (Virginia), Governor, 2016 vice presidential nominee and former head of the Democratic National Committee * Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Representative * Janet Napolitano (Arizona), Secretary of Homeland Security * Nancy Pelosi (California), Speaker of the House * Brian Schweitzer (Montana), former Governor * Harry Reid (Nevada), former Senate Minority Leader * Rahm Emanuel (Illinois), Mayor of Chicago, former White House Chief of Staff * Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (Virginia), former Senator * Bill Richardson (New Mexico), Governor * Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida), Representative and former head of the Democratic National Committee * Eliot Spitzer (New York), former Governor * Mark Warner (Virginia), Senator and former Governor * George Wallace (Alabama), 45th Governor of Alabama * Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts == Independents who caucus with Democrats == * Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont and 2016 presidential campaign * Angus King, Senator from Maine ==Former Democrats== * Ronald Reagan (California), 40th President of the United States (1981–1989). Registered Democrat until 1962. * Condoleezza Rice (Alabama), 66th United States Secretary of State (2005–2009). Registered Democrat until 1982. * Rudy Giuliani (New York), 107th Mayor of New York City (1994–2001). Registered Democrat until 1975. * Rick Perry (Texas), 14th United States Secretary of Energy (2017–2019), 47th Governor of Texas (2000–2015). Registered Democrat until 1989. * Jesse Helms (North Carolina), United States Senator (1973–2003). Registered Democrat (1942–1970). * Donald Trump (New York), 45th President of the United States (2017–2021), Registered Democrat on and off until 2009. ==Related pages== * Libertarian Party (United States) * Green Party (United States) * Democratic-Republican Party