What is the term for an election that signals a long-term realignment of party loyalties?

• A. Realignment
• B. Critical election
• C. Dealignment
• D. Partisan realignment

Answer: (B)

A critical election is the moment when voter coalitions shift in a way that reshapes party support for a generation. It signals a long-term realignment of party loyalties because the issues, groups, and voting blocs that defined the previous era are replaced by new alignments, and these changes endure across many elections. Historical examples include elections that brought in a new dominant coalition and a lasting party order, such as the rise of the Republican realignment in the 1860s, the New Deal coalition formed in the 1930s, or the changes around civil rights in the 1960s. By contrast, terms like realignment describe the process in general, dealignment refers to a weakening of partisan attachments, and partisan realignment is an awkward phrasing for the idea of shifting loyalties, not the name of the specific election that signals the shift.