Party Switches

The Republican party has adopted a two-track strategy to attract Democratic defectors and turn them into partisan Republicans. First, the party has made direct appeals to rank-and-file Democrats during and after campaigns. Second, the party has targeted Democratic officeholders for conversion. By contrast, the Democratic party has been much less active in promoting party switches. In this book, a number of prominent political figures talk about realignment. Many have switched parties, and their thoughts reflect their reasons.