In CA alone, I believe there's 38 parties. There are major-minor ones, such as Green (Environment), Peace and Freedom, Libertarian (no government), etc. Then there are what I can minor-minor ones, such as The Rock and Roll Political Party, which usually has only 3 members in it. 3 members of a Party have a more challenging time raising money, outreaching to others, and trusting other candidates IN their Party. In the Dem Party, for example, the PLATFORM defines what their candidates stand for on major issues, such as links to www.sddemocrats.org. Compare platforms, not candidates, when choosing one.