Abstract
From 1932 until 1980, the New Deal public philosophy attracted an electoral coalition that had enabled the Democratic Party to dominate national politics for decades. However, since 1964, the New Deal consensus began to be challenged by some groups within each party's coalition while the rise of New Politics Coalition was dividing the Democratic Party. The defeat of Jimmy Carter in 1980, as well as the loss of the Senate and of thirty-three seats in the House confirmed the doubts of some democrats about the future of their party. Therefore, in the aftermath of the 1984 presidential elections that would be the biggest victory in the US history with the reelection of Reagan, a group of Democrats emerged. They were identified with centrist social positions and neoliberal fiscal values and would be called the "New Democrats" later on and began to gain power arguing that the party had to craft a new public philosophy, called a "Third Way", that would establish a winning and defensible posture before the next elections.
