by Owen North

As election day rolls on in the United States between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris many are asking, ‘what characterises the Political parties represented by the 45th President and by the current vice President. 

UWSNews takes a closer look at the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party is steeped in history, it is the oldest active political party in the world, having been in 1828, and as one would expect it has undergone a dramatic evolution since then. 

When it was founded, the Party largely represented Agrarian and Southern interests and to this end it opposed high tariffs on manufactured goods as well as supporting the preservation of the slave trade.

The Party’s first President Andrew Jackson is well regarded by historians and is, said to be a favourite of Donald Trump.

The personality of the President can often overshadow the party and many see the American Presidential race as a battle of two personalities beyond their party.

This is exemplified by a Pro-Trump ad published by Robert F Kennedy Jr, pleading with voters not to vote for him (standing as an Independent) and instead elect Donald J Trump so that he can join his administration, despite the massive grass roots support Kennedy received.

Robert F. Kennedy hails from the famous Democratic political dynasty of the Kennedy’s, which gave America its first Catholic President from 1960-64 as well as a number of prominent Senators. Kennedy maintains he is still in favour of traditional Democratic values he was brought up but with and contends that those values are now more supported than the Republicans.

Today the Democratic Party is broadly a Liberal Party, which is Centre Right to Left Wing in its political orientation and the shift-termed a “political realignment”- occurred largely in the aftermath of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The Democrats draw their support base from urban voters, ethnic minorities, the poor, urban voters, women and those with college degrees.

The party typically supports policies such as a higher minimum wage at both federal and state levels, it supports increasing government spending and intervention in the economy, it also supports unions, universal childcare and paid sick leave. On social issues it is pro-LGBT, pro-life, action on climate change and the legalisation of marijuana.

In terms of foreign affairs, the party has a mixed record, with the sitting administration has lead the way in providing aid to the Ukrainian government in the ongoing conflict, providing hundreds of billions of dollars in aid.