Capitalize Political Party Names
Capitalization
Rulebase Summary
Capitalize the names of political parties and the words identifying their members — Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Democratic Party. Do not capitalize the underlying political philosophy or system of government when used generically — communism, democracy, socialism.
Examples
A. She is a registered democrat.
A. She is a registered Democrat.
The name of a political party member is capitalized.
A. He believes in Democracy as a system of government.
A. He believes in democracy as a system of government.
The generic philosophy or system of government is not capitalized.
Transcript Notes
Capitalize names of political parties (past and present) and the adjectives derived from them (Republican, Democratic, Federalist). When 'republican' and 'democratic' have generic meanings referring to a principle rather than a party, they are lowercase (democratic ideals, republican form of government).
Style Guide References (2)
Morson's
BGGP