The Democratic Party is a minor party.
The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States , along with the Republican Party . Overall , the Democratic Party has retained a membership lead over its major rival the Republican Party ( GOP ) . In the 115th Congress , following the 2016 elections , Democrats are the opposition party , holding a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate . The Republican Party , commonly referred to as the GOP ( abbreviation for Grand Old Party ) , is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States , the other being its historic rival , the Democratic Party .