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realignment  

Definition

  • REALIGNMENT THEORY EMERGED as the result of a straightforward observation: American political life has been dominated by only two parties since the Civil War, but their ideologies, their electoral base, and the balance of power between them have changed radically more than once. Realignment theory is the attempt to explain when, why, and how these changes occur. [Source: Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior; Realignment]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/realignment

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