Democratic Party (United States) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Democratic Party

Chairperson	Jaime Harrison
Governing body	Democratic National Committee
U.S. President	Joe Biden
U.S. Vice President	Kamala Harris
Senate Majority Leader	Chuck Schumer
House Minority Leader	Hakeem Jeffries
Founders	Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren
Founded	January 8, 1828; 197 years ago (1828-01-08) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Preceded by	Democratic-Republican Party
Headquarters	430 South Capitol St. SE, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Student wing	High School Democrats of America College Democrats of America
Youth wing	Young Democrats of America
Women's wing	National Federation of Democratic Women
Overseas wing	Democrats Abroad
Membership (2023)	45,916,356
Ideology	Majority: Social liberalism (American) Factions: Centrism Progressivism (American) Social democracy
Colors	Blue
Seats in the Senate	48 / 100
Seats in the House of Representatives	213 / 435
State governorships	23 / 50
Seats in state upper chambers	857 / 1,973
Seats in state lower chambers	2,425 / 5,413
Territorial governorships	4 / 5
Seats in territorial upper chambers	31 / 97
Seats in territorial lower chambers	9 / 91
Election symbol

Politics of the United States Political parties

The Democratic Party is one of the two main political parties in the United States. It was founded in 1828. Its main rival since the 1850s has been the Republican Party.

Many people call the Democratic Party the world's oldest active political party. Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren helped create the party. In its early days, the party supported strong presidential power. It also supported the interests of states where slavery was allowed.

After 1932, when Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, the Democratic Party began to focus on social programs. These included Social Security and unemployment insurance. More recently, under presidents like Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the party has supported programs like the Affordable Care Act. It also has a more progressive economic plan.

The party's supporters have traditionally included working-class people, Catholics, Jews, Black people, and labor unions.

What Democrats Believe
- Key Policies and Ideas
Party Symbols
Democratic Presidents
Famous Democratic Politicians
Independents Who Work With Democrats
Former Democrats
Images for kids
See also

What Democrats Believe

Democrats are sometimes called the "left," "liberals," or "progressives." Their main color is blue, so states that mostly support Democrats are called "blue states."

Democrats generally believe in a strong government. They think the government should help people through social programs. When it comes to global issues, they prefer talking things out instead of fighting. They also believe in fair trade to protect American workers and the environment.

On social issues, most Democrats support immigration. They also believe in marriage equality for all people.

Key Policies and Ideas

While not all Democrats agree on everything, here are some common beliefs:

Taxes: They support a progressive income tax. This means people who earn more pay a higher percentage in taxes. They also want higher taxes for large companies.
Spending: They support government spending on things like education and clean energy. They also want to expand existing government programs.
Justice: Many Democrats want to end the death penalty. They also support rules to control guns.
Healthcare: They believe everyone should have access to universal healthcare.
Statehood: They support making Washington D.C. an official state.
Education: Some Democrats want to help students go to college or university for free.
Immigration: They believe undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S. and pay taxes. They are against large-scale deportation.

Most Democratic support comes from states in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and Pacific Coast. The state of Hawaii also strongly supports Democrats.

Party Symbols

The main symbol of the Democratic Party is the donkey. Since the year 2000, the color blue has also become a symbol for Democrats.

Historically, Thomas Jefferson is often seen as a symbol of the Democratic Party. The party often calls itself the "Party of Jefferson."

Democratic Presidents

Many presidents have been Democrats. Here is a list of U.S. presidents who were members of the Democratic Party:

#	President	State	Term start	Term end	Years in office
7	Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)	Tennessee	March 4, 1829	March 4, 1837	8 years, 0 days
8	Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)	New York	March 4, 1837	March 4, 1841	4 years, 0 days
11	James K. Polk (1795–1849)	Tennessee	March 4, 1845	March 4, 1849	4 years, 0 days
14	Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)	New Hampshire	March 4, 1853	March 4, 1857	4 years, 0 days
15	James Buchanan (1791–1868)	Pennsylvania	March 4, 1857	March 4, 1861	4 years, 0 days
17	Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)	Tennessee	April 15, 1865	March 4, 1869	3 years, 323 days
22	Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)	New York	March 4, 1885	March 4, 1889	8 years, 0 days
24	Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)	New York	March 4, 1893	March 4, 1897	8 years, 0 days
28	Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)	New Jersey	March 4, 1913	March 4, 1921	8 years, 0 days
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)	New York	March 4, 1933	April 12, 1945	12 years, 39 days
33	Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)	Missouri	April 12, 1945	January 20, 1953	7 years, 283 days
35	John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)	Massachusetts	January 20, 1961	November 22, 1963	2 years, 306 days
36	Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)	Texas	November 22, 1963	January 20, 1969	5 years, 59 days
39	Jimmy Carter (born 1924)	Georgia	January 20, 1977	January 20, 1981	4 years, 0 days
42	Bill Clinton (born 1946)	Arkansas	January 20, 1993	January 20, 2001	8 years, 0 days
44	Barack Obama (born 1961)	Illinois	January 20, 2009	January 20, 2017	8 years, 0 days
46	Joe Biden (born 1942)	Delaware	January 20, 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 140 days

Famous Democratic Politicians

Many well-known politicians are part of the Democratic Party. Here are some examples:

Kamala Harris (California), the current Vice President of the U.S.
Hillary Clinton (New York), a former Secretary of State and First Lady. She was also a presidential nominee.
Chuck Schumer (New York), a Senator and the current Senate Majority Leader.
Nancy Pelosi (California), a former Speaker of the House.
Joe Biden (Delaware), the current President of the U.S.
Barack Obama (Illinois), a former President of the U.S.
Al Gore (Tennessee), a former Vice President and presidential candidate.
Robert F. Kennedy, a former Senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy.
Elizabeth Warren, a Senator from Massachusetts.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), a Representative.

Independents Who Work With Democrats

Sometimes, politicians who are not officially Democrats choose to work with the Democratic Party. They are called "independents who caucus with Democrats."

Bernie Sanders, a Senator from Vermont.
Angus King, a Senator from Maine.
Kyrsten Sinema, a Senator from Arizona.

Former Democrats

Some famous politicians started as Democrats but later joined other parties, often the Republican Party.

Ronald Reagan (California), who became the 40th President of the United States. He was a registered Democrat until 1962.
Condoleezza Rice (Alabama), who became the 66th United States Secretary of State. She was a registered Democrat until 1982.
Rudy Giuliani (New York), a former Mayor of New York City. He was a registered Democrat until 1975.
Donald Trump (New York), who became the 45th President of the United States. He was a registered Democrat on and off until 2009.