What trend generally occurs when one party is dominant in a state over an extended period of time? The more dominant a party is, the less likely there are to be truly significant internal divisions. When one party becomes particularly dominant, it is likely to move increasingly further away from its national counterpart. Divisions within the dominant party become more important than divisions between the parties. When one party becomes dominant, members of the out-party often join the dominant party in hopes of effecting change internally.