12.6The parties today

The realignment born in the 1960s has fully matured. Today's Democratic Party draws its strength from cities, younger and more diverse voters, the coasts, and the college-educated, championing an active government role in health care, climate, and economic fairness. The Republican Party dominates rural areas, the South, and among many working-class white voters, emphasizing lower taxes, restricted immigration, gun rights, and traditional values.

The regional bases have completely reversed from a century ago: the once-Democratic "Solid South" is now reliably Republican, while the once-Republican Northeast leans Democratic. "Liberal" and "conservative" now map onto the two parties far more cleanly than in the past. The result is intense polarization, with Americans increasingly divided not just over policy but over facts, identity, and the nature of the country itself.