Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Fitzgerald, Keith

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

After the 2016 elections, the Democratic Party had not been in a worse state since the 1920’s, but Florida Democrats had been essentially out of power since the political ascent of Jeb Bush nearly twenty years ago. The remarkable electoral success of Florida Republicans has led to something akin to one party governance in the state, with predictable drawbacks that transcend healthy partisan conflict. By examining the various asymmetries between the two major parties, this project seeks to explain their political trajectories in Florida and make recommendations that will benefit not just the electoral aspirations of Florida Democrats, but the entirety of the party system. Looking toward the future, this project draws upon selectorate theory to argue for the potential of think tanks as linkage institutions. The potential of think tanks extends beyond policy orientation benefiting a single party or set of issues but will attempt to synthesize an agenda with an aim toward small-d democracy. A calling back to democratic principles have become cliché in response to the state of modern politics, but the concluding proposals seek to provide practical advice to take advantage of the opportunities that come with being a party in the wilderness in a political environment that remains competitive at a few levels. There is a relatively rare opportunity to realistically to improve not only the competitiveness of the party system, but to explore ways to better align some good behavior with good politics.

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