Eugene Debs was one of the most famous socialists in American history. He ran for Presidency as the candidate of the Socialist Party of America on five separate occasions, once attracting over five percent of the popular vote.

It is probable you had not heard this nickname before. As such you would have to try and infer the correct answer from what you know about the five men who are given as options. William Jennings Bryan was the representative of the Populist movement with the Democratic Party throughout the waning decades of the nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth century. He supported many issues that favorably affected the common man and had great faith in the ability of the common man to make informed decisions. For this faith he was affectionately called "The Great Commoner."

The Populist Party arose very quickly in the 1880s and early 1890s and disappeared even quicker after the election of 1896. The Party was a coalition of the poor and farmers from the South and the western plains. They primarily wanted to see America come off the gold standardin order to put a stop to the rapid deflation that was affecting the price of agricultural products.

From the beginning of Roosevelt’s government in the 1930s—during The Great Depression—all the way through to the mid 1960s, American politics was dominated by the Democratic Party. This dominance fell apart in the dealignment election of 1968, when much of the Democratic Party’s support base migrated towards the Republicans.

The election of 1860 was the last election before the Civil War, and it demonstrated a stark sectional divide in political preference. Lincoln, and the Republican Party, carried every Free Soil state and won the electoral vote with only thirty-nine percent of the popular vote. This election propelled the Republican Party into a period of national dominance.

Although James Madison would have been called a "Federalist" during the ratification issue, by the time the first two American political parties (Federalists and Democratic-Republicans) had solidified, he was firmly a Democratic-Republican. George Washington belonged to no political party, although likely he would have leaned more towards the Federalists. The Federalists had died out before Andrew Jackson entered the political arena. The only politician who is correctly matched is Thomas Jefferson. Not only was Jefferson a Democratic-Republican, he formed the party. The Federalist Party was founded and led by Alexander Hamilton.

The New Deal coalition emerged during the early years of the Roosevelt administration and would allow the Democratic party to dominate American politics for the next thirty years. It is used to refer to the alignment of seemingly disparate social and interest groups into one reliable voting bloc that would support New Deal policies and the continued expansion of social welfare and government involvement in the well-being of the population. It included the urban working class, Catholics, Jews, white southerners, African Americans, farmers, and intellectuals.

The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans (sometimes just called the Republicans) were the first party system to emerge out of George Washington’s presidency.

The Federalists tended to favor in political concentration in the hands of the elite, along with a more business-favored outlook. Thus, people like Hamilton and Adams were preeminent Federalists.

The Democratic-Republicans, on the other hand, believed that political power should be more diffuse, and were a much more diverse bunch. That said, don’t get too confused—they were just more diverse than Federalists; they were not all-welcoming by any means. Jefferson and Madison were leaders of the party. The D-Rs believed in a much more agrarian-based economy, and were less enthusiastic about northern business interests. The first party system lasted from c.a. 1796 – c.a. 1824.

At the end of the First Party system, we see the Democratic-Republicans deeply fractured, internally. A lot of students assume that the “Era of Good Feelings” (Monroe’s presidency, [elected in] 1816-1824) means that there was no party competition at all, but this is not necessarily true. During the Era of Good Feelings there was INTRA-party competition.  The Democratic - Republican Party was deeply divided over issues such as internal improvements, tariffs, and more. Remember: historians coined the term “Era of Good Feelings” because the Federalists had essentially fallen into obsolescence after the War of 1812, thus leaving only the Democratic-Republicans extant.

This division, of course, leads us into the Second Party system (c.a. 1828 - c.a. 1854). The remnants of the Federalists, and some similar-thinking Democratic-Republicans formed the Whig party. The Democratic – Republicans dropped the “Republican” part, and began calling themselves “Democrats.” Many political scientists and historians refer to them as “Jacksonian” Democrats because Andrew Jackson was the first duly elected “Democrat” president.

The third party system (c.a. 1854 – c.a. 1890s) is where we see the development and the solidification of the two parties that still exist today, the Democrats and Republicans. Remember: Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.

Having said that, it’s important to note that make-up of the parties (no, not the kind you wear on your face) has changed tremendously throughout the years. This is a product of what political scientists call realignment, which if beyond the scope of this particular question. For now, just know that 1854 is the first Democrat v. Republican election, and that it’s pretty much been Democrat v. Republican since then.