Democratic Party (United States)

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 citizens from owning firearms.
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. Since the election of 2000, the color blue has become a symbol for Democrats.
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
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
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Representative
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
References
Other websites
www.democrats.org
1828 establishments in the United States