The New Deal had an immediate impact on the American political system. New Deal programs helped Franklin Roosevelt get elected an unprecedented four terms. The New Deal created many government agencies and jobs, thus creating a new source of political patronage. The New Deal also helped to popularize the Democratic Party for the first half of the twentieth century.

The New Deal is even more important in its legacy. Whenever there is an economic crisis, people expect the government to help fix the issue. This level of assistance was unprecedented in American political history. Even though the New Deal did not directly end the Great Depression, Roosevelt's willingness to try new programs gave people hope and presented the image that the federal government cared about the average American.

Some New Deal programs are considered untouchable in modern politics. Interest groups become very agitated whenever lawmakers discuss making changes to Social Security benefits. The government has stepped in to become both an insurer with FDIC and a watchdog with the SEC. Roosevelt's actions during the New Deal has placed the federal government firmly into the lives of every American. Roosevelt also learned the limits of his power when he tried to pick Supreme Court justices who would do his bidding. Resistance to this demonstrated that the American people had their limits as to what they would allow a chief executive to do. Supreme Court picks are still controversial, and the public scrutinizes how much power each pick will give the president.

Though there are many long-range economic repercussions of the New Deal, Franklin Roosevelt helped to redefine the public's relationship with the federal government.