By reading this chapter, you will be able to do the following:

9.1 Reflect on the obstacles that insurgent candidates face and the challenges that they present to their party establishments.

9.2 Identify the roles the political parties play in supporting and nominating candidates for office.

9.3 Evaluate the relationship between party identification and political ideology.

9.4 Reflect on the challenges that an outsider’s election presents to presidential leadership.

9.5 Examine the role of parties in government and the traditional dominance of two major political parties in national elections.