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{{Short description|American political party}}
{{redirect|GOP}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Anarcho-Capitalist Party
| abbreviation     = ACP
| logo             = [[File:Flag_of_Anarcho-capitalism.svg|125px]]
| logo_alt         = Half black on the top left and half yellow on the bottom right split slanted.
| colorcode        = {{party color|Anarcho-Capitalism (United States)}}
| chairman         = [[Elon Musk]]
| governing_body   = [[Anarcho-capitalists|ACP Committee]]
| founders         = {{unbulleted list|[[Murray Rothbard]]}}
| foundation       = ?
| merger           = {{unbulleted list|[[Libertarian Party]]|Anarchists}}
| predecessor      = {{unbulleted list|[[Libertarian Party]]}}
| headquarters     = 310 First Street SE,<br />[[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| student_wing     = {{unbulleted list|College Anarcho-Capitalists}}
| youth_wing       = {{unbulleted list|Young Anarcho-Capitalists}}
| womens_wing      = Anarcho-Capitalists Women
| wing1_title      = LGBT wing
| wing1            = Log Cabin Republicans
| wing2_title      = Overseas wing
| wing2            = Anarcho-Capitalists International
| membership_year  = 2022
| membership       = {{increase}} 36,019,694<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winger |first=Richard |title=December 2022 Ballot Access News Print Edition |url= https://ballot-access.org/2022/12/27/december-2022-ballot-access-news-print-edition/ |access-date=December 31, 2022|website=Ballot Access News|date=December 27, 2022 }}</ref>
| ideology         = <!-- Do not change without consensus at talk page. -->'''Majority:''' {{unbulleted list|class=nowrap|
 | [[Anarcho-Capitalism]]<ref name="Smith-2021">{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Robert C. |date=2021 |title=Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, and the Future of the Republican Party and Conservatism in America |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/713662 |journal=[[American Political Thought]] |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=283–289 |doi=10.1086/713662 |s2cid=233401184 |access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref>
 }}
'''Factions:'''{{unbulleted list|class=nowrap|
 | [[Anarcho-Capitalism]]<!-- ♦♦♦ not used <ref name="auto" /> ♦♦♦ --><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/gop-platform-social-conservatives-225782|title=Social conservatives win on GOP platform|first=Bernie|last=Becker|website=[[Politico]]|date=July 18, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329051759/https://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/gop-platform-social-conservatives-225782|archive-date=March 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto8">{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/topics/us-politics/republican-party|title=Republican Party|newspaper=History|date=February 2021 |access-date=February 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329074425/https://www.history.com/topics/us-politics/republican-party|archive-date=March 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Smith-2021"/>
 | [[Libertarianism]]<ref name="Grumbach-2021">{{Citation|last1=Grumbach|first1=Jacob M.|title=The Political Economies of Red States|date=2021|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/american-political-economy/political-economies-of-red-states/BEE22FE6AAB57A14FF10F807E02116BB|work=The American Political Economy: Politics, Markets, and Power|pages=209–244|editor-last=Hertel-Fernandez|editor-first=Alexander|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1316516362|last2=Hacker|first2=Jacob S.|last3=Pierson|first3=Paul|editor2-last=Hacker|editor2-first=Jacob S.|editor3-last=Thelen|editor3-first=Kathleen|editor4-last=Pierson|editor4-first=Paul}}</ref>
 | [[Corporatocracy]]<ref name="auto1">{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Susan |title=Meltdown On Main Street: Inside The Breakdown Of The GOP's Moderate Wing |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/08/23/753404051/meltdown-on-main-street-inside-the-breakdown-of-the-gops-moderate-wing |access-date=June 17, 2022 |work=[[NPR]] |date=August 23, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
 | <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/us/religion-politics-evangelicals.html|title=Religion and Right-Wing Politics: How Evangelicals Reshaped Elections|first=Clyde|last=Haberman|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 28, 2018|access-date=October 14, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/06/upshot/mike-huckabee-and-the-continuing-influence-of-evangelicals.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506151326/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/06/upshot/mike-huckabee-and-the-continuing-influence-of-evangelicals.html |archive-date=May 6, 2015 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Mike Huckabee and the Continuing Influence of Evangelicals|first=Nate|last=Cohn|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 5, 2015|access-date=October 14, 2021}}</ref>
 | <ref name="gopfuture">{{cite book|first=William J.|last=Miller|publisher=Lexington Books|title=The 2012 Nomination and the Future of the Republican Party|year=2013|page=39}}</ref>
 | <ref name="gopfuture" />
 | <ref name="Cassidy">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/donald-trump-is-transforming-the-g-o-p-into-a-populist-nativist-party|title=Donald Trump is Transforming the G.O.P. Into a Populist, Nativist Party|last=Cassidy|first=John|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=February 29, 2016|access-date=July 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304225035/http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/donald-trump-is-transforming-the-g-o-p-into-a-populist-nativist-party|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/populism-american-right/489800/|title=Why Is Populism Winning on the American Right?|website=[[The Atlantic]]|last=Gould|first=J.J.|date=July 2, 2016|access-date=March 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312065834/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/populism-american-right/489800/|archive-date=March 12, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
| position         = <!-- Do not change the position without talk page consensus. -->
| european         = [[European Conservatives and Reformists Party]] (global partner)
| international    = [[International Democracy Union]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://idu.org/member-parties/|title=Members|publisher=IDU|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716031006/http://idu.org/member-parties/|archive-date=July 16, 2015}}</ref>
| colors           = {{color box|{{party color|Republican Party (US)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Red]]
| seats1_title     = [[List of current United States senators|Seats]] in the [[United States Senate|Senate]]
| seats1           = {{composition bar|49|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| seats2_title     = [[List of current members of the United States House of Representatives|Seats]] in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| seats2           = {{composition bar|221|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| seats3_title     = [[List of current United States governors#State governors|State governorships]]
| seats3           = <!--Don't change numbers until terms begin--> {{composition bar|26|50|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| seats4_title     = [[List of U.S. state senators|Seats]] in [[State legislature (United States)|state upper chambers]]
| seats4           = <!--Don't change numbers until terms begin--> {{composition bar|1110|1973|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| seats5_title     = [[List of U.S. state representatives|Seats]] in [[State legislature (United States)|state lower chambers]]
| seats5           = <!--Don't change numbers until terms begin--> {{composition bar|2948|5413|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| seats6_title     = [[List of current United States governors#Territory governors|Territorial governorships]]
| seats6           = <!--Don't change numbers until terms begin--> {{composition bar|0|5|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| seats7_title     = Seats in [[Territories of the United States#Governments and legislatures|territorial upper chambers]]
| seats7           = <!--Don't change numbers until terms begin--> {{composition bar|12|97|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| seats8_title     = Seats in [[Territories of the United States#Governments and legislatures|territorial lower chambers]]
| seats8           = <!--Don't change numbers until terms begin--> {{composition bar|9|91|hex={{party color|Republican Party (US)}}}}
| website          = {{Official URL}}
| country          = United States
}}

The '''Republican Party''', also known as the '''GOP''' ("'''Grand Old Party'''"), is one of the [[Two-party system|two]] [[Major party|major]] contemporary [[political parties in the United States]].  It emerged as the main political rival of [[Democratic Party (United States)|the Democratic Party]] in the mid-1850s.

Considered the ideological and historical successors of [[Northern United States|Northern]] members of [[Whig Party (United States)|the conservative Whig Party]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Major American Political Parties of the 19th Century |url=https://online.norwich.edu/academic-programs/resources/major-american-political-parties-of-the-19th-century |access-date=July 4, 2022 |website=Norwich University Online |language=en |quote=...The Democratic-Republican and Whig parties are considered the predecessors of today's Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705230551/https://online.norwich.edu/academic-programs/resources/major-american-political-parties-of-the-19th-century |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Republican Party was founded in 1854 by [[Abolitionism in the United States|anti-slavery]] activists who opposed the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]], which allowed for the potential expansion of [[chattel slavery]] into [[American frontier|the western territories]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brownstein |first=Ronald |date=November 22, 2017 |title=Where the Republican Party Began |url=https://prospect.org/api/content/e2d2b2ef-bba8-58e7-a60a-61ceaca31c7f/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229073039/https://prospect.org/power/republican-party-began/ |archive-date=December 29, 2021 |website=[[The American Prospect]]}}</ref> It supported [[classical liberalism]] and [[economic reform]],<ref>{{cite book|first1=Joseph R.|last1=Fornieri|first2=Sara Vaughn |last2=Gabbard|title=Lincoln's America: 1809–1865|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xarqzbuf43sC&pg=PA19|year=2008|publisher=SIU Press|page=19|isbn=978-0809387137|access-date=February 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724082654/https://books.google.com/books?id=Xarqzbuf43sC&pg=PA19|archive-date=July 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> while opposing the expansion of slavery into the free territories. The party initially had a very limited presence in [[Southern United States|the South]], but was very successful in the North. By 1858, it had enlisted former Whigs and former [[Free Soilers]] to form majorities in nearly every state in [[New England]]. Seeing a future threat to the practice of slavery with [[1860 United States presidential election|the 1860 election]] of [[Abraham Lincoln]], the first Republican president, many Southern states seceded from the nation and joined [[the Confederacy]].

Under the leadership of Lincoln and a Republican Congress, the Republican Party successfully led the fight to destroy the Confederate States during the [[American Civil War]], preserving [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]] and abolishing slavery. Afterward, the party largely dominated the national political scene until the [[Great Depression]] in the 1930s when Republicans lost their congressional majorities and the Democrats' [[New Deal]] programs proved popular. [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] presided over a period of economic prosperity after [[World War II]]. [[Richard Nixon]] carried 49 states in [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]] with his [[silent majority]]. The [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 election]] of [[Ronald Reagan]] realigned national politics, [[The Three Leg Stool (GOP)|bringing together]] advocates of free-market economics, social conservatives, and [[Cold War]] foreign policy hawks under the Republican banner.<ref name="Devine-2014">{{Cite web |last=Devine |first=Donald |date=April 4, 2014 |title=Reagan's Philosophical Fusionism |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/reagans-philosophical-fusionism/ |access-date=January 18, 2023 |website=The American Conservative |language=en-US}}</ref> [[George W. Bush]] oversaw the response to the [[September 11 attacks]] and the [[Iraq War]].<ref name=":0" /> Since 2008, Republicans have [[Factions in the Republican Party (United States)|faced intense factionalism]] between different factions of the party, which includes most prominently includes [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]], [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarians]], [[Populism|populists]], and [[Centrism|centrists]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Broadwater |first=Luke |date=2023-10-23 |title='5 Families' and Factions Within Factions: Why the House G.O.P. Can't Unite |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/23/us/politics/house-republicans-divisions-speaker.html |access-date=2023-10-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

<!-- THE CONTEMPORARY DEMOGRAPHICS SENTENCE HAS BEEN DISCUSSED SEVERAL TIMES AT TALK. PLEASE OBTAIN CONSENSUS FOR CHANGES. -->As of the 2020s, the party derives its strongest support from rural voters, evangelical Christians, men, senior citizens, and white voters without college degrees. Its platform on social issues calls for [[Abortion law in the United States by state|significantly restricting the legality of abortion]], prohibiting [[Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|non-medical cannabis]], [[Gun law in the United States|loosening gun laws]] and overturning the legality of [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriage]]. On economic issues, the Republican Party supports a [[Laissez-faire|''laissez-faire'' economic system]], [[deregulation]], and increased military spending, while opposing [[Labor unions in the United States|labor unions]] and [[universal health care]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Sperber |first=Jonathan |year=2013 |title=Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life |location=New York |publisher=Liveright Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-87140-467-1 |pages=214, 258 |author-link=Jonathan Sperber}}</ref> It is a member of the [[International Democracy Union]], an international alliance of centre-right parties.<ref>{{cite news |author-last=Weisman |author-first=Steven R. |date=September 23, 1989 |title=Conservative Figures See 'Bright' Future |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/23/world/conservative-figures-see-bright-future.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716145052/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/23/world/conservative-figures-see-bright-future.html |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |issn=1553-8095}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author-last=Sanger |author-first=David E. |date=June 11, 2002 |title=Bush in Terrorist Warning |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/11/world/bush-sees-sharon-and-says-time-isn-t-ripe-for-peace-conference.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719025159/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/11/world/bush-sees-sharon-and-says-time-isn-t-ripe-for-peace-conference.html |archive-date=July 19, 2021 |issn=1553-8095 |quote=[[George W. Bush|President Bush]] warned an international group of conservative and moderate politicians at the White House tonight that terrorists could attain 'catastrophic power' with weapons of mass destruction and would readily use that power to attack the United States or other nations. The president made his remarks to about 100 members of the [[International Democrat Union]], a group of international center and center-right political parties that met today and Sunday for a conference in Washington.}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Republican Party (United States)}}

=== 19th century ===
{{Further|Third Party System|National Union Party (United States)}}
[[File:CharlesRJennison.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Charles R. Jennison]], an anti-slavery militia leader associated with the [[Jayhawkers]] from [[Kansas]] and an early Republican politician in the region]]

In 1854, the Republican Party was founded in the [[Northern United States]] by forces opposed to the expansion of [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]], ex-[[Whig Party (United States)|Whigs]], and ex-[[Free Soilers]]. The Republican Party quickly became the principal opposition to [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|the dominant Democratic Party]] and the briefly popular [[Know Nothing]] Party. The party grew out of opposition to the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]], which repealed the [[Missouri Compromise]] and opened [[Kansas Territory|the Kansas]] and [[Nebraska Territory|Nebraska Territories]] to slavery and future admission as slave states.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Kansas_Nebraska_Act.htm|title=U.S. Senate: The Kansas-Nebraska Act|website=www.senate.gov|access-date=March 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329002617/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Kansas_Nebraska_Act.htm|archive-date=March 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wealthy-activist-who-helped-turn-bleeding-kansas-free-180964494/|title=The Wealthy Activist Who Helped Turn "Bleeding Kansas" Free|website=Smithsonian|access-date=March 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327195015/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wealthy-activist-who-helped-turn-bleeding-kansas-free-180964494/|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> They denounced the expansion of slavery as a great evil, but did not call for ending it in the Southern states. While opposition to the expansion of slavery was the most consequential founding  principal of the party, like the Whig Party it replaced, Republicans also called for economic and social [[modernization]].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

At the first public meeting of the general [[anti-Nebraska movement]] on March 20, 1854, at the [[Little White Schoolhouse]] in [[Ripon, Wisconsin]], the name "Republican" was proposed as the name of the party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/tp&CISOPTR=46379&CISOSHOW=46363|title=The Origin of the Republican Party, A. F. Gilman, Ripon College, 1914|publisher=Content.wisconsinhistory.org|access-date=January 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322223415/http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2Ftp&CISOPTR=46379&CISOSHOW=46363|archive-date=March 22, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The name was partly chosen to pay homage to [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s [[Democratic-Republican Party]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gop.com/history/|title=History of the GOP|publisher=GOP|access-date=May 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129081758/https://gop.com/history/|archive-date=January 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The first official party convention was held on July 6, 1854, in [[Jackson, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/07/archives/birth-of-republicanism-the-michigan-convention-of-1854-twentyfifth.html|title=Birth of Republicanism|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|year=1879}}</ref>

The party emerged from the great political realignment of the mid-1850s, united in pro-capitalist stances with members often valuing [[Radicalism in the United States|Radicalism]].<ref name=":3" /> Historian [[William Gienapp]] argues that the great realignment of the 1850s began before the Whigs' collapse, and was caused not by politicians but by voters at the local level. The central forces were ethno-cultural, involving tensions between pietistic [[Protestants]] versus liturgical [[Catholics]], [[Lutherans]] and [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalians]] regarding Catholicism, [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition]] and [[Nativism (politics)|nativism]]. The Know Nothing Party embodied the social forces at work, but its weak leadership was unable to solidify its organization, and the Republicans picked it apart. Nativism was so powerful that the Republicans could not avoid it, but they did minimize it and turn voter wrath against the threat that slave owners would buy up the good farm lands wherever slavery was allowed. The realignment was powerful because it forced voters to switch parties, as typified by the rise and fall of the Know Nothings, the rise of the Republican Party and the splits in the Democratic Party.<ref>William Gienapp, ''The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852–1856'' (Oxford UP, 1987)</ref><ref>William Gienapp, "Nativism and the Creation of a Republican Majority in the North before the Civil War." ''Journal of American History'' 72.3 (1985): 529–59 [http://faculty.winthrop.edu/huffmons/RelAndPolReadings/Gienapp_KnowNothingsAndCreationOfRepublicanParty.pdf online]</ref>

At the Republican Party's [[1856 Republican National Convention|first National Convention in 1856]], held at [[Musical Fund Hall]] in [[Philadelphia]], the party adopted a national platform emphasizing opposition to the expansion of slavery into the free territories.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/polcon/republicanindex.html|title=Republican National Political Conventions 1856–2008 (Library of Congress)|website=www.loc.gov|access-date=March 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220063038/https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/polcon/republicanindex.html|archive-date=February 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> While Republican nominee [[John C. Frémont]] lost [[1856 United States presidential election|that year's presidential election]] to Democrat [[James Buchanan]], Buchanan managed to win only four of the fourteen northern states and won his home state of [[Pennsylvania]] only narrowly.<ref name="auto4">{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-republican-national-convention-ends|title=First Republican national convention ends|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|website=[[History (American TV network)|History]]|date=February 9, 2010|access-date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322173855/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-republican-national-convention-ends|archive-date=March 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cooper">{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/president/buchanan/campaigns-and-elections|title=James Buchanan: Campaigns and Elections|first=William|last=Cooper|date=October 4, 2016|author-link=William J. Cooper Jr.|publisher=[[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Republicans fared better in congressional and local elections, but Know Nothing candidates took a significant number of seats, creating an awkward three-party arrangement. Despite the loss of the presidency and the lack of a majority in the [[U.S. Congress]], Republicans were able to orchestrate a Republican [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker of the House of Representatives]], which went to [[Nathaniel P. Banks]]. Historian [[James M. McPherson]] writes regarding Banks' speakership that "if any one moment marked the birth of the Republican party, this was it."{{sfn|McPherson|1988|p=144}}

[[File:Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Abraham Lincoln]], the 16th [[president of the United States]] (1861–1865) and first Republican to hold the office]]

The Republicans were eager for [[1860 United States elections|the 1860 elections]].<ref name="Burlingame">{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/president/lincoln/campaigns-and-elections|title=Abraham Lincoln: Campaigns and Elections|first=Michael|last=Burlingame|date=October 4, 2016|author-link=Michael Burlingame (historian)|publisher=[[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Former [[Illinois]] U.S. representative [[Abraham Lincoln]] spent several years building support within the party, campaigning heavily for Frémont in 1856 and [[1859 United States Senate election in Illinois|making a bid for the Senate in 1858]], losing to Democrat [[Stephen A. Douglas]] but gaining national attention from the [[Lincoln–Douglas debates]] it produced.<ref name="Cooper" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Guelzo|first=Allen C.|author-link=Allen C. Guelzo|title=''Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America''|url=https://archive.org/details/lincolndouglasde00alle|url-access=registration|year=2008|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/lincolndouglasde00alle/page/285 285]|isbn=978-0743273206}}</ref> At the [[1860 Republican National Convention]], Lincoln consolidated support among opponents of [[New York (state)|New York]] U.S. senator [[William H. Seward]], a fierce abolitionist who some Republicans feared would be too radical for crucial states such as Pennsylvania and [[Indiana]], as well as those who disapproved of his support for Irish immigrants.<ref name="Burlingame" /> Lincoln won on the third ballot and was ultimately elected president in [[1860 United States presidential election|the general election]] in a rematch against Douglas. Lincoln had not been on the ballot in a single Southern state, and even if the vote for Democrats had not been split between Douglas, [[John C. Breckinridge]] and [[John Bell (Tennessee politician)|John Bell]], the Republicans would have still won but without the [[popular vote (United States presidential election)|popular vote]].<ref name="Burlingame" /> This election result helped kickstart the [[American Civil War]], which lasted from 1861 until 1865.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/12/02/the-election-that-led-to-the-civil-war-mallie-jane-kim|title=The Election That Led to the Civil War|first=Mallie Jane|last=Kim|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=December 2, 2010|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref>

[[1864 United States presidential election|The 1864 presidential election]] united [[War Democrats]] with the GOP in support of Lincoln and [[Tennessee]] Democratic senator [[Andrew Johnson]], who ran for president and vice president on [[National Union Party (United States)|the National Union Party]] ticket;<ref name="auto4" /> Lincoln was re-elected.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-reelected|title=Lincoln reelected|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|website=[[History (American TV network)|History]]|date=November 13, 2009|access-date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322174942/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-reelected|archive-date=March 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> By June 1865, slavery was dead in the ex-[[Confederate States]] but remained legal in some border states. Under Republican congressional leadership, the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]]—which banned slavery, except as punishment for a crime—passed the Senate on April 8, 1864, [[United States House of Representatives|the House of Representatives]] on January 31, 1865, and was ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/congress-passes-13th-amendment-150-years-ago|title=Congress Passes 13th Amendment, 150 Years Ago|first=Christopher|last=Klein|website=History|date=September 2018 |access-date=March 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330070601/https://www.history.com/news/congress-passes-13th-amendment-150-years-ago|archive-date=March 30, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Reconstruction, the gold standard, and the Gilded Age====
{{Main|Gilded Age|Gold Standard|Radical Republicans|Reconstruction era}}
[[File:Ulysses S. Grant 1870-1880.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ulysses S. Grant]], the 18th president (1869–1877)]]

[[Radical Republicans]] during [[Lincoln's presidency]] felt he was too moderate in his eradication of slavery and opposed his [[ten percent plan]]. Radical Republicans passed the [[Wade–Davis Bill]] in 1864, which sought to enforce the taking of the [[Ironclad Oath]] for all former Confederates. Lincoln vetoed the bill, believing it would jeopardize the peaceful reintegration of the ex-Confederate states.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harris |first= William C. |title= With Charity for All: Lincoln and the Restoration of the Union |date= 1997 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |pages= 123–170}}</ref>

Following the [[assassination of Lincoln]], Johnson ascended to the presidency and was deplored by Radical Republicans. Johnson was vitriolic in his criticisms of the Radical Republicans during a national tour ahead of [[1866 United States elections|the 1866 elections]].<ref name="Varnon">{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/president/johnson/campaigns-and-elections|title=Andrew Johnson: Campaigns and Elections|first=Elizabeth R.|last=Varon|date=October 4, 2016|author-link=Elizabeth R. Varon|publisher=[[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Anti-Johnson Republicans won a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress following the elections, which helped lead the way toward [[Impeachment of Andrew Johnson|his impeachment]] and near ouster from office in 1868,<ref name="Varnon" /> the same year former [[Union Army]] general [[Ulysses S. Grant]] was [[1868 United States presidential election|elected as the next Republican president]].

Grant was a Radical Republican, which created some division within the party, some such as [[Massachusetts]] senator [[Charles Sumner]] and Illinois senator [[Lyman Trumbull]] opposed most of his [[Reconstruction era|Reconstructionist]] policies.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1863035|title=Grant or Greeley? The Abolitionist Dilemma in the Election of 1872|first=James M.|last=McPherson|journal=[[The American Historical Review]]|date=October 1965|volume=71|number=1|pages=42–61|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|doi=10.2307/1863035|jstor=1863035|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Others found contempt with the [[Scandals of the Ulysses S. Grant administration|large-scale corruption]] present in the [[Grant administration]], with the emerging [[Stalwarts (politics)|Stalwart faction]] defending Grant and the [[spoils system]], and [[Half-Breeds (politics)|the Half-Breeds]] advocating reform of the [[civil service]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/7/20/12233454/christie-trump-purge-federal-employees|title=Donald Trump and Chris Christie are reportedly planning to purge the civil service|first=Dylan|last=Matthews|date=July 20, 2016|website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|access-date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322175810/https://www.vox.com/2016/7/20/12233454/christie-trump-purge-federal-employees|archive-date=March 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Republicans who opposed Grant branched off to form [[Liberal Republican Party (United States)|the Liberal Republican Party]], nominating [[Horace Greeley]] in [[1872 United States presidential election|the 1872 presidential election]]. The Democratic Party attempted to capitalize on this divide in the GOP by co-nominating Greeley under their party banner. Greeley's positions proved inconsistent with the Liberal Republican Party that nominated him, with Greeley supporting high [[Tariff in United States history|tariffs]] despite the party's opposition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/president/grant/campaigns-and-elections|title=Ulysses S. Grant: Campaigns and Elections|first=Joan|last=Waugh|date=October 4, 2016|author-link=Joan Waugh|publisher=[[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Grant was easily re-elected.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

[[1876 United States presidential election|The 1876 presidential election]] saw a contentious conclusion as both parties claimed victory despite three southern states still not officially declaring a winner at the end of election day. [[Voter suppression in the United States|Voter suppression]] had occurred in the South to depress the black and white Republican vote, which gave Republican-controlled [[returning officer]]s enough of a reason to declare that fraud, intimidation and violence had soiled the states' results. They proceeded to throw out enough Democratic votes for Republican [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] to be declared the winner.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/disputed-election-1876|title=Disputed Election of 1876|first=Shelia|last=Blackford|date=September 30, 2020|publisher=[[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Still, Democrats refused to accept the results and [[Electoral Commission (United States)|the Electoral Commission]] made up of members of Congress was established to decide who would be awarded the states' electors. After the Commission voted along party lines in Hayes' favor, Democrats threatened to delay the counting of electoral votes indefinitely so no president would be inaugurated on March 4. This resulted in the [[Compromise of 1877]] and Hayes finally became president.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/president/hayes/campaigns-and-elections|title=Rutherford B. Hayes: Campaigns and Elections|first=Robert D.|last=Johnston|date=October 4, 2016|publisher=[[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:James G. Blaine - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[James G. Blaine]], the 28th and 31st [[U.S. secretary of state]] (1881; 1889–1892)]]

Hayes doubled down on the [[gold standard]], which had been signed into law by Grant with the [[Coinage Act of 1873]], as a solution to the depressed American economy in the aftermath of [[Panic of 1873|that year's panic]]. He also believed [[Greenback (1860s money)|greenback]]s posed a threat; greenbacks being money printed during the Civil War that was not backed by [[Bullion coin|specie]], which Hayes objected to as a proponent of [[Hard money (policy)|hard money]]. Hayes sought to restock the country's gold supply, which by January 1879 succeeded as gold was more frequently exchanged for greenbacks compared to greenbacks being exchanged for gold.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.org/president/hayes/domestic-affairs|title=Rutherford B. Hayes: Domestic Affairs|first=Robert D.|last=Johnston|date=October 4, 2016|publisher=[[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Ahead of [[1880 United States presidential election|the 1880 presidential election]], Republican [[James G. Blaine]] ran for the party nomination supporting Hayes' gold standard push and supporting his civil reforms. Both falling short of the nomination, Blaine and opponent [[John Sherman]] backed Republican [[James A. Garfield]], who agreed with Hayes' move in favor of the gold standard, but opposed his civil reform efforts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1876/02/the-currency-conflict/519558/|title=The Currency Conflict|first=James A.|last=Garfield|author-link=James A. Garfield|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=February 1876|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last = Peskin| first = Allan| date =Spring 1980| title = The Election of 1880| journal = [[The Wilson Quarterly]]| volume = 4| issue = 2| pages = 172–181| jstor = 40255831}}</ref>

Garfield was elected, but [[Assassination of James A. Garfield|assassinated early into his term]]. However, his death helped create support for the [[Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act]], which was passed in 1883;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/16/pendleton-act-inaugurates-us-civil-service-system-jan-16-1883-340488|title=Pendleton Act inaugurates U.S. civil service system, Jan. 16, 1883|last=Andrew Glass|website=[[Politico]]|date=January 16, 2018 }}</ref> the bill was signed into law by Republican president [[Chester A. Arthur]], who succeeded Garfield.

Blaine once again ran for the presidency, winning the nomination but losing to Democrat [[Grover Cleveland]] in [[1884 United States presidential election|the 1884 election]], the first Democrat to be elected president since Buchanan. Dissident Republicans, known as [[Mugwumps]], had defected Blaine due to corruption which had plagued his political career.<ref>{{cite book|title=Critical Americans: Victorian Intellectuals and Transatlantic Liberal Reform|first=Leslie|last=Butler|date=2009|publisher=[[University of North Carolina Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1893145|title=The Mind of the Boston Mugwump|journal=[[The Journal of American History|The Mississippi Valley Historical Review]]|first=Geoffrey T.|last=Blodgett|year=1962|volume=48|number=4|pages=614–634|doi=10.2307/1893145|jstor=1893145}}</ref> Cleveland stuck to the gold standard policy, which eased most Republicans,<ref>{{cite book|title=Letters of Grover Cleveland, 1850–1908|first=Allan|last=Nevins|author-link=Allan Nevins|date=1933|page=269}}</ref> but he came into conflict with the party regarding budding [[American imperialism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 1891336|title = Was the Presidential Election of 1900 a Mandate on Imperialism?|last1 = Bailey|first1 = Thomas A.|journal = [[The Mississippi Valley Historical Review]]|volume = 24|issue = 1|pages = 43–52|year = 1937|doi = 10.2307/1891336}}</ref> Republican [[Benjamin Harrison]] was able to reclaim the presidency from Cleveland in [[1888 United States presidential election|the 1888 election]]. During his presidency, Harrison signed the [[Dependent and Disability Pension Act]], which established pensions for all veterans of the Union who had served for more than 90 days and were unable to perform manual labor.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 2152487|title = America's First Social Security System: The Expansion of Benefits for Civil War Veterans|last1 = Skocpol|first1 = Theda|journal = [[Political Science Quarterly]]|volume = 108|issue = 1|pages = 85–116|year = 1993|doi = 10.2307/2152487}}</ref>

A majority of Republicans supported the [[annexation of Hawaii]], under the [[Provisional Government of Hawaii|new governance]] of Republican [[Sanford B. Dole]], and Harrison, following his loss in [[1892 United States presidential election|the 1892 election]] to Cleveland, attempted to pass a treaty annexing [[Hawaii]] before Cleveland was to be inaugurated president again.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3636837|title=Benjamin Harrison and Hawaiian Annexation: A Reinterpretation|first=George|last=W. Baker Jr.|journal=[[Pacific Historical Review]]|volume=33|number=3|date=August 1964|pages=295–309|doi=10.2307/3636837|jstor=3636837}}</ref> Cleveland [[Opposition to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom|opposed]] annexation, though Democrats were split geographically on the issue, with most [[Northeastern United States|northeastern]] Democrats representing the strongest opponents.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40400511|title=Anti-Imperialism and the Democrats|first=Harold|last=Bacon|journal=[[Science & Society]]|volume=21|date=Summer 1957|issue=3|pages=222–239|jstor=40400511}}</ref>

[[File:Mckinley.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William McKinley]], the 25th president (1897–1901)]]

In [[1896 United States presidential election|the 1896 presidential election]], Republican [[William McKinley]]'s platform supported the gold standard and high tariffs, having been the creator and namesake for the [[McKinley Tariff]] of 1890. Though having been divided on the issue prior to [[1896 Republican National Convention|that year's National Convention]], McKinley decided to heavily favor the gold standard over [[free silver]] in his campaign messaging, but promised to continue [[bimetallism]] to ward off continued skepticism over the gold standard, which had lingered since the [[Panic of 1893]].<ref name="Phillips 2003 53">{{cite book| last = Phillips| first = Kevin| author-link = Kevin Phillips (political commentator)| year = 2003| title = William McKinley| page=53|publisher = Times Books| location = New York| isbn = 978-0805069532| ref = {{sfnRef|Phillips}}| url = https://archive.org/details/williammckinley00phil}}</ref><ref>Walter Dean Burnham, "Periodization schemes and 'party systems': the 'system of 1896' as a case in point." ''Social Science History'' 10.3 (1986): 263–314.</ref> Democrat [[William Jennings Bryan]] proved to be a devoted adherent to the free silver movement, which cost Bryan the support of Democrat institutions such as [[Tammany Hall]], the ''[[New York World]]'' and a large majority of the Democratic Party's upper and middle-class support.<ref>{{cite book| last = Williams| first = R. Hal| year = 2010| title = Realigning America: McKinley, Bryan and the Remarkable Election of 1896| pages=56, 121| publisher = [[University Press of Kansas]]| location = Lawrence| isbn = 978-0700617210}}</ref> McKinley defeated Bryan and returned the presidency to Republican control until [[1912 United States presidential election|the 1912 presidential election]].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

=== First half of the 20th century ===
====Progressives vs. Standpatters====
[[File:President Theodore Roosevelt, 1904.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Theodore Roosevelt]], the 26th president (1901–1909)]]

[[1896 United States presidential election|The 1896 realignment]] cemented the Republicans as the party of big businesses while president [[Theodore Roosevelt]] added more small business support by his embrace of [[trust busting]]. He handpicked his successor [[William Howard Taft]] in [[1908 United States presidential election|the 1908 election]], but they became enemies as the party split down the middle. Taft defeated Roosevelt for [[1912 Republican Party presidential primaries|the 1912 nomination]] so Roosevelt stormed out of the convention and started a new party. Roosevelt ran on the ticket of [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912–1920)|his new Progressive Party]]. He called for [[Modern liberalism in the United States|social reforms]], many of which were later championed by [[New Deal Democrats]] in the 1930s. He lost and when most of his supporters returned to the GOP, they found they did not agree with the new [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative economic thinking]], leading to an ideological shift to the right in the Republican Party.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894529_1894528_1894519,00.html |title=The Ol' Switcheroo. Theodore Roosevelt, 1912 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=April 29, 2009 |access-date=February 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005180052/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894529_1894528_1894519,00.html |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

After [[World War I]] ended and continuing through the [[Great Depression]], the Republican and Democratic Parties both largely believed in [[American exceptionalism]] over [[European monarchies]] and [[state socialism]] that existed elsewhere in the world.<ref name=":02" /> Substantial numbers of Republican voters and politicians criticized what they saw as "paternalism" in Europe<ref name=":02" /> and European colonization.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The Republicans returned to the presidency in the 1920s, winning on [[Return to normalcy|platforms of normalcy]], business-oriented efficiency, and high tariffs.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Kenneth C. |title=Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-06-008381-6 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=321, 341 |author-link=Kenneth C. Davis}}</ref> The national party platform avoided mention of prohibition, instead issuing a vague commitment to [[law and order]].<ref>David E. Kyvig, ''Repealing National Prohibition'' (2000) pp. 63–65.</ref> Although the [[Teapot Dome scandal]] threatened to hurt the Republican Party, [[Warren G. Harding]] died and the opposition splintered in 1924.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} The pro-business policies of the decade produced a perceived unprecedented prosperity until the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] heralded the Great Depression.<ref>{{cite book|editor-first=James|editor-last=Ciment|title=Encyclopedia of the Jazz Age: From the End of World War I to the Great Crash|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S2nxBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA446|year=2015|publisher=Routledge|page=446|isbn=978-1317471653}}</ref>

==== Roosevelt and the New Deal era ====
{{Main|Old Right (United States)|Fifth Party System|History of the United States Republican Party#Fighting the New Deal Coalition: 1932–1980}}
The New Deal coalition forged by Democratic president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] controlled American politics for most of the next three decades, excluding the presidency of Republican [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] in the 1950s. After Roosevelt took office in 1933, [[New Deal]] legislation sailed through Congress and the economy moved sharply upward from its nadir in early 1933. However, long-term unemployment remained a drag until 1940. In [[1934 United States elections|the 1934 elections]], 10 Republican senators went down to defeat, leaving the GOP with only 25 senators against 71 Democrats. The House likewise had overwhelming Democratic majorities.<ref>Lewis Gould, ''Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans '' (2003) pp. 271–308.</ref>

The Republican Party factionalized into [[Old Right (United States)|a majority Old Right]], based predominantly in [[Midwestern United States|the Midwest]], and a liberal wing based in [[Northeastern United States|the Northeast]] that supported much of the New Deal. The Old Right sharply attacked the [[Second New Deal]], saying it represented [[class warfare]] and [[Socialism in the United States|socialism]]. Roosevelt was [[1936 United States presidential election|easily re-elected president in 1936]]; however, as his second term began, [[Recession of 1937–1938|the economy declined]], strikes soared, and he [[Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937|failed to take control of the Supreme Court]] and purge [[Conservative Democrat#1932–1948: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal coalition|the Southern conservatives]] from the Democratic Party. Republicans made a major comeback in [[1938 United States House of Representatives elections|the 1938 House elections]] and had new rising stars such as [[Robert A. Taft]] of [[Ohio]] on the right and [[Thomas E. Dewey]] of New York on the left.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uncpress.org/book/9781469618968/the-roots-of-modern-conservatism|title=The Roots of Modern Conservatism {{!}} Michael Bowen|website=University of North Carolina Press|access-date=May 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522220118/https://www.uncpress.org/book/9781469618968/the-roots-of-modern-conservatism/|archive-date=May 22, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Southern conservatives joined with most Republicans to form the [[conservative coalition]], which dominated domestic issues in Congress until 1964. By the time of [[World War II]], both parties split on foreign policy issues, with the anti-war [[isolationists]] dominant in the Republican Party and [[Interventionism (politics)|the interventionists]] who wanted to stop German dictator [[Adolf Hitler]] dominant in the Democratic Party. Roosevelt [[1940 United States presidential election|won a third term in 1940]] and [[1944 United States presidential election|a fourth in 1944]]. Conservatives abolished most of the New Deal during the war, but they did not attempt to do away with [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] or the agencies that regulated business.<ref>Gould, pp. 271–308.</ref>

Historian [[George H. Nash]] argues: <blockquote>Unlike the "moderate", internationalist, largely eastern bloc of Republicans who accepted (or at least acquiesced in) some of the "Roosevelt Revolution" and the essential premises of President [[Harry S. Truman]]'s foreign policy, the Republican Right at heart was counterrevolutionary. Anti-collectivist, [[anti-Communist]], anti-New Deal, passionately committed to [[limited government]], [[free market economics]], and congressional (as opposed to executive) prerogatives, the G.O.P. conservatives were obliged from the start to wage a constant two-front war: against liberal Democrats from without and "me-too" Republicans from within.<ref>Quote on p. 261 {{cite journal |jstor = 2702450|title = The Republican Right from Taft to Reagan|last1 = Nash|first1 = George H.|last2 = Reinhard|first2 = David W.|journal = Reviews in American History|volume = 12|issue = 2|pages = 261–265|year = 1984|doi = 10.2307/2702450}} Nash references David W. Reinhard, ''The Republican Right since 1945'', (University Press of Kentucky, 1983).</ref></blockquote>

After 1945, the internationalist wing of the GOP cooperated with Truman's [[Cold War]] foreign policy, funded the [[Marshall Plan]] and supported [[NATO]], despite the continued isolationism of the Old Right.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://mises-media.s3.amazonaws.com/The%20Betrayal%20of%20the%20American%20Right_2.pdf | title=The Betrayal of the American Right | publisher=Mises Institute | first=Murray | last=Rothbard | year=2007 | page=85}}</ref>

=== Second half of the 20th century ===
==== Post-Roosevelt era (1945–1964) ====
{{Main|Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower}}
[[File:Dwight D. Eisenhower, official photo portrait, May 29, 1959 (cropped)(2).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], the 34th president (1953–1961)]]

Eisenhower had defeated conservative leader senator Robert A. Taft for [[1952 Republican National Convention|the 1952 Republican presidential nomination]], but conservatives dominated the domestic policies of the [[Eisenhower administration]]. Voters liked Eisenhower much more than they liked the GOP and he proved unable to shift the party to a more moderate position.<ref name="Nicol C. Rae 1989">Nicol C. Rae, ''The Decline and Fall of the Liberal Republicans: From 1952 to the Present'' (1989)</ref>

==== From Goldwater to Reagan (1964–1980) ====
{{Main|Presidency of Richard Nixon|Presidency of Gerald Ford}}
{{multiple image
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| image1        = Richard Nixon presidential portrait (1).jpg
| caption1      = [[Richard Nixon]], the 37th president (1969–1974)
| image2        = Gerald Ford presidential portrait (cropped 3).jpg
| caption2      = [[Gerald Ford]], the 38th president (1974–1977)
}}

Historians cite [[1964 United States presidential election|the 1964 presidential election]] and [[1964 Republican National Convention|its respective National Convention]] as a significant shift, which saw the conservative wing, helmed by [[Arizona]] senator [[Barry Goldwater]], battle liberal New York governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] and his eponymous [[Rockefeller Republican]] faction for the nomination. With Goldwater poised to win, Rockefeller, urged to mobilize his liberal faction, retorted, "You're looking at it, buddy. I'm all that's left."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/1964-republican-convention-revolution-from-the-right-915921/|title=How the 1964 Republican Convention Sparked a Revolution From the Right|first=Rick|last=Perlstein|work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian Magazine]]|date=August 2008|access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-recalling-rockefeller/2014/11/21/1a615a04-711a-11e4-8808-afaa1e3a33ef_story.html|title=George F. Will: Recalling Rockefeller|first=George|last=F. Will|author-link=George Will|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 21, 2014|access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref> Following the passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], the southern states became more reliably Republican in presidential politics, while northeastern states became more reliably Democratic. Though Goldwater lost the election in a landslide, [[Ronald Reagan]] would make himself known as a prominent supporter of his throughout the campaign, delivering his famous "[[A Time for Choosing]]" speech for Goldwater. Reagan would go on to [[1966 California gubernatorial election|win the California governorship two years later]] and [[1980 United States presidential election|the presidency in 1980]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-ronald-reagans-a-time-for-choosing-endures-after-all-this-time/2014/10/23/d833c49e-587a-11e4-bd61-346aee66ba29_story.html|title=Why Ronald Reagan's 'A Time for Choosing' endures after all this time|first=Steven F.|last=Hayward|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 23, 2014|access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref>

==== Reagan era (1980–1994) ====
{{Main|Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Presidency of George H. W. Bush}}
{{multiple image
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| image1        = Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg
| caption1      = [[Ronald Reagan]], the 40th president (1981–1989)
| image2        = George H. W. Bush presidential portrait (cropped).jpg
| caption2      = [[George H. W. Bush]], the 41st president (1989–1993)
}}

The [[Reagan presidency]], lasting from 1981 to 1989, constituted what is known as "[[Reagan era|the Reagan Revolution]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Troy |first=Gil |title=The Reagan Revolution: A Very Short Introduction |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780195317107 |edition=1st}}</ref> It was seen as a fundamental shift from the [[stagflation]] of the 1970s preceding it, with the introduction of [[Reagan's economic policies]] intended to cut taxes, prioritize government [[deregulation]] and shift funding from the domestic sphere into the military to check the [[Soviet Union]] by utilizing [[deterrence theory]]. During a visit to then-[[West Berlin]] in June 1987, he addressed Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] during a speech at the [[Berlin Wall]], demanding that he "[[Tear down this wall!]]". The remark was later seen as influential in the [[fall of the wall]] in November 1989, and was retroactively seen as a soaring achievement over the years.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Marc |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/06/12/tear-down-this-wall-how-reagans-forgotten-line-became-a-defining-presidential-moment/ |title='Tear down this wall': How Reagan's forgotten line became a defining moment |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=June 2017 |access-date=November 7, 2022}}</ref> The Soviet Union was [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolved in 1991]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/12/24/ussr-breakup-gorbachev-history|title=Looking back at the breakup of the Soviet Union 30 years ago|website=www.wbur.org|date=December 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/soviet-union-collapse-timeline/31487661.html|title=The Undoing Of The U.S.S.R.: How It Happened|first=Kristyna|last=Foltynova|website=rferl.org|date=October 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/24/it-s-30-years-since-the-collapse-of-the-soviet-union|title=It's 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union|website=euronews|date=December 24, 2021}}</ref>

After leaving the presidency in 1989, Reagan became a prominent conservative. Republican presidential candidates frequently claimed to share Reagan's views and aimed to portray themselves and their policies as heirs to his legacy.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbU2mBCgfXkC&pg=PA133|title=American Culture Transformed: Dialing 9/11|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1137033499|year= 2012|access-date=June 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406235334/http://books.google.com/books?id=jbU2mBCgfXkC&pg=PA133|archive-date=April 6, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reagan's vice president, [[George H. W. Bush]], won the presidency in a landslide in [[1988 United States presidential election|the 1988 presidential election]]. However, his term was characterized by division within the Republican Party. Bush's vision of [[economic liberalization]] and international cooperation with foreign nations saw the negotiation and, during the presidency of Democrat [[Bill Clinton]] in the 1990s, the signing of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) and the conceptual beginnings of the [[World Trade Organization]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/12/02/how-george-hw-bush-pushed-united-states-embrace-free-trade/|title=How George H.W. Bush pushed the United States to embrace free trade|first=Amanda|last=Erickson|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 2, 2018|access-date=May 30, 2021}}</ref> [[Independent politician]] and businessman [[Ross Perot]] decried NAFTA and predicted that it would lead to the [[outsourcing]] of American jobs to [[Mexico]]; however, Clinton agreed with Bush's trade policies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta-timeline/opposed-from-the-start-the-rocky-history-of-nafta-idUSKCN1AW09M|title=Opposed from the start, the rocky history of NAFTA|work=[[Reuters]]|date=August 16, 2017|access-date=May 30, 2021}}</ref>

Bush [[1992 United States presidential election|lost his re-election bid in 1992]], receiving 37 percent of the [[popular vote (United States presidential election)|popular vote]]; Clinton garnered a plurality of 43 percent, and Perot took third place with 19 percent. While there is debate about whether Perot's candidacy cost Bush re-election, [[Charlie Cook]] asserted that Perot's messaging carried weight with Republican and conservative voters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/did-perot-spoil-1992-election-for-bush-its-complicated-11562714375|title=Did Perot Spoil 1992 Election for Bush? It's Complicated.|first=Eliza|last=Collins|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=July 10, 2019|access-date=May 30, 2021}}</ref> Perot subsequently formed [[Reform Party of the United States of America|the Reform Party]]; future Republican president [[Donald Trump]] was a member.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/05/donald-trump-reform-party-2000-president|title=How Trump's political playbook evolved since he first ran for president in 2000|first=Edward|last=Helmore|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=February 5, 2017|access-date=May 30, 2021}}</ref>

==== Gingrich Revolution (1994–2000) ====
{{See also|Republican Revolution}}
[[File:NewtGingrich.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Official portrait of [[Newt Gingrich]], the 50th [[speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives]] (1995–1998)]]

In [[1994 United States elections|the 1994 elections]], the Republican Party, led by House minority whip [[Newt Gingrich]], who campaigned on the "[[Contract with America]]", [[Republican Revolution|won majorities in both chambers of Congress, gained 12 governorships, and regained control of 20 state legislatures]]. However, most voters had not heard of the Contract and the Republican victory was attributed to traditional mid-term anti-incumbent voting and Republicans becoming the majority party in [[Dixie]] for the first time since Reconstruction.<ref name="NPR-gop-pledge" /> It was the first time the Republican Party had achieved a majority in the House [[1952 United States House of Representatives elections|since 1952]].<ref name="Kennedy">{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/midterm-elections-1994-republican-revolution-gingrich-contract-with-america|title=The 1994 Midterms: When Newt Gingrich Helped Republicans Win Big|first=Lesley|last=Kennedy|work=[[History (American TV network)|History]]|date=October 9, 2018|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> Gingrich was made speaker, and within the first 100 days of the Republican majority, every proposition featured in the Contract was passed, with the exception of term limits for members of Congress, which did not pass in the Senate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2007/11/congress-runs-into-republican-revolution-nov-8-1994-006757|title=Congress runs into 'Republican Revolution' Nov. 8, 1994|first=Andrew|last=Glass|work=[[Politico]]|date=November 8, 2007|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref><ref name="NPR-gop-pledge">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2010/09/23/130068500/watching-washington-gop-pledge|title=GOP's 'Pledge' Echoes 'Contract'; But Much Myth Surrounds '94 Plan|first=Ron|last=Elving|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=September 23, 2010|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> One key to Gingrich's success in 1994 was nationalizing the election,<ref name="Kennedy" /> which in turn led to his becoming a national figure during [[1996 United States House of Representatives elections|the 1996 House elections]], with many Democratic leaders proclaiming Gingrich was a zealous radical.<ref name="Baer">{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1996-11-07-1996312030-story.html|title=Revolutionary Gingrich suddenly is a centrist offering to help Clinton Election showed speaker to be 'slightly more popular than Unabomber'; ELECTION 1996|first=Susan|last=Baer|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=November 7, 1996|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hoover.org/research/1996-house-elections-reaffirming-conservative-trend|title=The 1996 House Elections: Reaffirming the Conservative Trend|first1=John F.|last1=Cogan|first2=David|last2=Brady|publisher=[[Hoover Institute]]|date=March 1, 1997|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> The Republicans maintained their majority for the first time [[1928 United States House of Representatives elections|since 1928]] despite [[Bob Dole]] losing handily to Clinton in [[1996 United States presidential election|the presidential election]]. However, Gingrich's national profile proved a detriment to the Republican Congress, which enjoyed majority approval among voters in spite of Gingrich's relative unpopularity.<ref name="Baer" />

After Gingrich and the Republicans struck a deal with Clinton on the [[Balanced Budget Act of 1997]], which included tax cuts, the Republican House majority had difficulty convening on a new agenda ahead of [[1998 United States House of Representatives elections|the 1998 elections]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/07/us/the-speaker-steps-down-the-career-the-fall-of-gingrich-an-irony-in-an-odd-year.html |title = The Speaker Steps Down: The Career; the Fall of Gingrich, an Irony in an Odd Year|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]|date = November 7, 1998|last1 = Mitchell|first1 = Alison}}</ref> During the ongoing [[impeachment of Bill Clinton]] in 1998, Gingrich decided to make Clinton's misconduct the party message heading into the elections, believing it would add to their majority. The strategy proved mistaken and the Republicans lost five seats, though whether it was due to poor messaging or Clinton's popularity providing a [[coattail effect]] is debated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/did-talk-of-impeaching-clinton-damage-republicans-in-1998.html|title=Did Impeachment Plans Damage Republicans in 1998?|first=Ed|last=Kilgore|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=June 6, 2019|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> Gingrich was ousted from party power due to the performance, ultimately deciding to resign from Congress altogether. For a short time afterward, it appeared [[Louisiana]] representative [[Bob Livingston]] would become his successor; Livingston, however, stepped down from consideration and resigned from Congress after damaging reports of affairs threatened the Republican House's legislative agenda if he were to serve as speaker.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/clinton-impeachment/573940/|title=The Clinton Impeachment, As Told By The People Who Lived It|first1=David A.|last1=Graham|first2=Cullen|last2=Murphy|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=December 2018|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> Illinois representative [[Dennis Hastert]] was promoted to speaker in Livingston's place, serving in that position until 2007.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3900854/dennis-hastert-livingston-scandal/|title=How a Scandal Made Dennis Hastert the Speaker of the House|first=Lily|last=Rothman|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=May 28, 2015|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
==== George W. Bush (2001–2009) ====
{{Main|Presidency of George W. Bush}}
[[File:George-W-Bush.jpeg|thumb|upright|[[George W. Bush]], the 43rd president (2001–2009) and son of George H. W. Bush]]
Republican [[George W. Bush]] won [[2000 United States presidential election|the 2000]] and [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prospect.org/api/content/6eed4c7a-00cb-50b3-b624-80f59403addb/|title=Movement Interruptus|first=John|last=Judis|date=December 20, 2004|website=The American Prospect}}</ref> He campaigned as a "[[compassionate conservative]]" in 2000, wanting to better appeal to immigrants and minority voters.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/147694/compassionate-conservatism-wont-back-anytime-soon|title='Compassionate Conservatism' Won't Be Back Anytime Soon|first=Graham|last=Vyse|magazine=New Republic|date=March 30, 2018|access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref> The goal was to prioritize drug rehabilitation programs and aid for prisoner reentry into society, a move intended to capitalize on President Clinton's tougher crime initiatives such as his administration's [[Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act|1994 crime bill]]. The platform failed to gain much traction among members of the party during his presidency.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/08/last-stand-law-and-order-republicans-306333|title=Is This the Last Stand of the 'Law and Order' Republicans?|first=Tim|last=Alberta|website=[[Politico]]|date=June 8, 2020|access-date=June 13, 2020}}</ref>

The Republican Party remained fairly cohesive for much of the 2000s, as both strong [[economic libertarians]] and [[social conservatives]] opposed the Democrats, whom they saw as the party of bloated, secular, and liberal government.<ref name="Wooldridge">Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''The Right Nation'' (2004).</ref> This period saw the rise of "pro-government conservatives"—a core part of the Bush's base—a considerable group of the Republicans who advocated for increased government spending and greater regulations covering both the economy and people's personal lives, as well as for an activist and interventionist foreign policy.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/how-bush-destroyed-the-republican-party-162234/|title=How Bush Destroyed the Republican Party|first=Sean|last=Wilentz|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=September 4, 2008|access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref> Survey groups such as the [[Pew Research Center]] found that social conservatives and free market advocates remained the other two main groups within the party's coalition of support, with all three being roughly equal in number.<ref>{{cite book|title=In Search of Progressive America|page=97|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|year=2013|isbn=978-0812209099|editor-first=Michael|editor-last=Kazin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people-press.org/2005/05/10/profiles-of-the-typology-groups/|title=Profiles of the Typology Groups &#124; Pew Research|website=People-press.org|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111215859/http://www.people-press.org/2005/05/10/profiles-of-the-typology-groups/|archive-date=January 11, 2017|url-status=live|date=May 10, 2005}}</ref> However, [[Libertarian Republican|libertarians]] and [[Libertarian conservatism|libertarian-leaning conservatives]] increasingly found fault with what they saw as Republicans' restricting of vital [[Civil liberties in the United States|civil liberties]] while [[corporate welfare]] and [[National debt of the United States|the national debt]] hiked considerably under Bush's tenure.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/righteous-anger-conservative-case-against-george-w-bush|title=Righteous Anger: The Conservative Case Against George W. Bush|publisher=[[The American Conservative]] ([[Cato Institute]] Re-printing)|date=December 11, 2003|access-date=May 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705025111/http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/righteous-anger-conservative-case-against-george-w-bush|archive-date=July 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast, some social conservatives expressed dissatisfaction with the party's support for economic policies that conflicted with their moral values.<ref name="scare">[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/huckabees_rebellion.html "How Huckabee Scares the GOP"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918153203/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/huckabees_rebellion.html |date=September 18, 2008 }}. By [[E. J. Dionne]]. [[Real Clear Politics]]. Published December 21, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2008.</ref>

The Republican Party lost its Senate majority in 2001 when the Senate became split evenly; nevertheless, the Republicans maintained control of the Senate due to the tie-breaking vote of Bush's vice president, [[Dick Cheney]]. Democrats gained control of the Senate on June 6, 2001, when [[Vermont]] Republican senator [[Jim Jeffords]] switched his party affiliation to Democrat. The Republicans regained the Senate majority in [[2002 United States Senate elections|the 2002 elections]], helped by Bush's surge in popularity following the [[September 11 attacks]], and Republican majorities in the House and Senate were held until the Democrats regained control of both chambers in [[2006 United States elections|the 2006 elections]], largely due to increasing opposition to the [[Iraq War]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollcall.com/news/policy/senate-majorities-change-faster-than-the-rules|title=Today's Senate Roadblock Is Tomorrow's Safeguard|first1=Jason|last1=Dick|date=January 19, 2016|newspaper=Roll Call|access-date=December 8, 2019|archive-date=December 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210090543/https://www.rollcall.com/news/policy/senate-majorities-change-faster-than-the-rules|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollcall.com/news/opinion/house-republicans-came-back-from-being-written-off-before-they-can-again|title=House Republicans came back from being written off before. They can again|first1=David|last1=Winston|date=January 4, 2019|newspaper=Roll Call}}</ref>

In [[2008 United States presidential election|the 2008 presidential election]], Arizona Republican senator [[John McCain]] was defeated by Illinois Democratic senator [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny-ent-sarah-palin-john-mccain-funeral-20180829-story.html|title=Sarah Palin was not invited to John McCain's funeral|first=Brian|last=Niemietz|website=[[New York Daily News]]|date=August 29, 2018 }}</ref>

==== Tea Party movement (2010–2015) ====
{{Main|Tea Party movement}}
[[File:John Boehner official portrait.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[John Boehner]], the 53rd speaker (2011–2015); in 2021, Boehner blamed the [[Tea Party movement]] for orchestrating his ouster and forcing him into retirement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/547423-boehner-finally-calls-it-as-he-sees-it|title=Boehner finally calls it as he sees it|last=Wong|first=Scott|website=The Hill|date=April 11, 2021|access-date=April 11, 2021}}</ref>]]

The Republicans experienced electoral success in [[2010 United States elections|the 2010 elections]], which coincided with the ascendancy of the [[Tea Party movement]],<ref>{{Cite magazine | url=https://newrepublic.com/article/78903/how-the-republicans-did-it |title = How the Republicans Did It|magazine = The New Republic|date = November 3, 2010|last1 = Kilgore|first1 = Ed}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/03/us-midterm-election-results-tea-party |title = US midterm election results herald new political era as Republicans take House|newspaper = The Guardian|date = November 3, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11317202 |title = What exactly is the Tea Party?|work = BBC News|date = September 16, 2010|last1 = Connolly|first1 = Katie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/146780150/strong-in-2010-where-is-the-tea-party-now |title = Strong in 2010, Where is the Tea Party Now?|newspaper = NPR.org}}</ref> an [[anti-Obama protest]] movement of [[fiscal conservatives]].<ref name="Blum-2020">{{Cite book|last=Blum|first=Rachel M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-r5DwAAQBAJ|title=How the Tea Party Captured the GOP: Insurgent Factions in American Politics|date=2020|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0226687520}}</ref> Members of the movement called for lower [[Taxation in the United States|taxes]], and for a reduction of the national debt and [[federal budget deficit]] through decreased [[United States federal budget|government spending]].<ref name="Gallup">[http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/107193-gallup-tea-partys-top-concerns-are-debt-size-of-government Gallup: Tea Party's top concerns are debt, size of government] ''The Hill'', July 5, 2010</ref><ref name="thefiscaltimes.com">Somashekhar, Sandhya (September 12, 2010). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091201425.html Tea Party DC March: "Tea party activists march on Capitol Hill"]. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved November 5, 2011.</ref>

The Tea Party movement was also described as a popular constitutional movement<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Somin|first=Ilya|date=May 26, 2011|title=The Tea Party Movement and Popular Constitutionalism|location=Rochester, NY|ssrn=1853645|journal=Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy}}</ref> composed of a mixture of [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarian]],<ref name="libertarian2">{{cite news |last=Ekins |first=Emily |date=September 26, 2011 |title=Is Half the Tea Party Libertarian? |newspaper=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |url=http://reason.com/poll/2011/09/26/is-half-the-tea-part-libertart |url-status=live |access-date=July 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511064727/http://reason.com/poll/2011/09/26/is-half-the-tea-part-libertart |archive-date=May 11, 2012}}{{Cite journal |last1=Kirby |first1=David |last2=Ekins |first2=Emily McClintock |date=August 6, 2012 |title=Libertarian Roots of the Tea Party |url=http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/libertarian-roots-tea-party?mc_cid=6b9d637298&mc_eid=a1708a475b |url-status=live |journal=Policy Analysis|publisher=[[Cato Institute]]|issue=705 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005725/https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/libertarian-roots-tea-party?mc_cid=6b9d637298&mc_eid=a1708a475b |archive-date=December 4, 2018 |access-date=June 9, 2019}}</ref> [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]],<ref name="populist2">{{cite news |last=Halloran |first=Liz |date=February 5, 2010 |title=What's Behind The New Populism? |publisher=[[NPR]]|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123137382 |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230703/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123137382 |archive-date=July 29, 2018}}{{cite news |last=Barstow |first=David |date=February 16, 2010 |title=Tea Party Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/us/politics/16teaparty.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302180744/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/us/politics/16teaparty.html |archive-date=March 2, 2017}}{{cite news |last=Fineman |first=Howard |date=April 6, 2010 |title=Party Time |work=[[Newsweek]]|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/05/party-time.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713102631/http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/05/party-time.html |archive-date=July 13, 2011}}</ref> and conservative activism.<ref name="Conservatism">{{cite news |first=Pauline |last=Arrillaga |date=April 14, 2014 |title=Tea Party 2012: A Look At The Conservative Movement's Last Three Years |newspaper=[[HuffPost]] |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/14/tea-party-2012_n_1425957.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417025313/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/14/tea-party-2012_n_1425957.html |archive-date=April 17, 2012}}{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Boorstein |date=October 5, 2010 |title=Tea party, religious right often overlap, poll shows |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/05/AR2010100501491.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407201008/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/05/AR2010100501491.html |archive-date=April 7, 2019}}{{cite news |first1=Peter |last1=Wallsten |first2=Danny |last2=Yadron |date=September 29, 2010 |title=Tea-Party Movement Gathers Strength |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703882404575520252928390046 |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913085143/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703882404575520252928390046 |archive-date=September 13, 2018}}</ref>

The Tea Party movement's electoral success began with [[Scott Brown (politician)|Scott Brown]]'s upset win in the [[2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts|January Senate special election in Massachusetts]]; the seat had been held for decades by Democrat [[Ted Kennedy]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0119/Scott-Brown-the-tea-party-s-first-electoral-victory|title=Scott Brown: the tea party's first electoral victory|date=January 19, 2010|journal=Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> In November, Republicans [[2010 United States House of Representatives elections|recaptured control of the House]], [[2010 United States Senate elections|increased their number of seats in the Senate]], and [[2010 United States gubernatorial elections|gained a majority of governorships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-historic-win-state-legislatures-vote-2010-election/story?id=12049040#.T4eD_NnhdeM|title=Will Redistricting Be a Bloodbath for Democrats?|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=April 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412053633/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-historic-win-state-legislatures-vote-2010-election/story?id=12049040#.T4eD_NnhdeM|archive-date=April 12, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The Tea Party would go on to strongly influence the Republican Party, in part due to the replacement of establishment Republicans with Tea Party-style Republicans.<ref name="Blum-2020" />

When Obama [[2012 United States presidential election|was re-elected president in 2012]], defeating Republican [[Mitt Romney]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2013-jan-04-la-pn-obama-biden-officially-win-second-term-20130104-story.html|title=It's official: Obama, Biden win second term|date=January 4, 2013|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> the Republican Party [[2012 United States House of Representatives elections|lost seven seats in the House]], but still retained control of that chamber.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.quorum.us/data-driven-insights/under-obama-democrats-suffer-largest-loss-in-power-since-eisenhower/291/|title=Under Obama, Democrats suffer largest loss in power since Eisenhower|website=Quorum}}</ref> However, Republicans were [[2012 United States Senate elections|unable to gain control of the Senate]], continuing their minority status with a net loss of two seats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/senate-results-2012_n_2039118.html|title=Democrats Retain Senate Control On Election Night|date=November 7, 2012|website=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref> In the aftermath of the loss, some prominent Republicans spoke out against their own party.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/olympia-snowe-bob-dole-91930.html "Olympia Snowe: Bob Dole is right about GOP" – Kevin Robillard] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605115245/http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/olympia-snowe-bob-dole-91930.html |date=June 5, 2013 }}. Politico.Com (May 29, 2013). Retrieved on August 17, 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/2013/01/powell-gop-has-a-dark-vein-of-intolerance-154019.html Powell: GOP has 'a dark vein of intolerance'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520213100/http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/2013/01/powell-gop-has-a-dark-vein-of-intolerance-154019.html |date=May 20, 2013 }}. Politico.Com. Retrieved on August 17, 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.skem1.com/client_id_32089/Grand_Old_Party_for_a_Brand_New_Generation.pdf|title=Grand Old Party for a Brand New Generation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610132357/http://images.skem1.com/client_id_32089/Grand_Old_Party_for_a_Brand_New_Generation.pdf|archive-date=June 10, 2013|date=June 10, 2013}}</ref> A 2012 election post-mortem by the Republican Party concluded that the party needed to do more on the national level to attract votes from minorities and young voters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/03/what-you-need-to-read-in-the-rnc-election-autopsy-report/274112/|title=What You Need to Read in the RNC Election-Autopsy Report|last=Franke-Ruta|first=Garance|date=March 18, 2013|website=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707101956/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/03/what-you-need-to-read-in-the-rnc-election-autopsy-report/274112/|archive-date=July 7, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2013, Republican National Committee chairman [[Reince Priebus]] issued a report on the party's electoral failures in 2012, calling on Republicans to reinvent themselves and officially endorse immigration reform. He said: "There's no one reason we lost. Our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren't inclusive; we were behind in both data and digital, and our primary and debate process needed improvement." He proposed 219 reforms, including a $10&nbsp;million marketing campaign to reach women, minority demographics, and gay people, the setting of a shorter, more controlled primary season, and creating better data collection facilities.<ref>Rachel Weiner, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/18/reince-priebus-gives-gop-prescription-for-future/ "Reince Priebus gives GOP prescription for future", ''The Washington Post'' March 18, 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723051117/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/18/reince-priebus-gives-gop-prescription-for-future/ |date=July 23, 2015 }}</ref>

Following [[2014 United States elections|the 2014 elections]], the Republican Party [[2014 United States Senate elections|took control of the Senate]] by gaining nine seats.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-keep-edge-in-latest-senate-midterm-estimate/|title=Republicans keep edge in latest Senate midterm estimate|work=[[CBS News]]|access-date=September 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907234121/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-keep-edge-in-latest-senate-midterm-estimate/|archive-date=September 7, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> With 247 seats in the House and 54 seats in the Senate, the Republicans ultimately achieved their largest majority in the Congress since [[71st United States Congress|the 71st Congress]] in 1929.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/11/05/its-all-but-official-this-will-be-the-most-dominant-republican-congress-since-1929/|title=It's all but official: This will be the most dominant Republican Congress since 1929|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=December 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213082316/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/11/05/its-all-but-official-this-will-be-the-most-dominant-republican-congress-since-1929/|archive-date=December 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Trump era (2016–2021) ====
{{Main|Presidency of Donald Trump}}
[[File:Donald Trump official portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Donald Trump]], the 45th president (2017–2021)]]

[[2016 United States presidential election|The 2016 presidential election]] saw [[Donald Trump]]'s defeat of Democratic nominee [[Hillary Clinton]]. It was unexpected; polls leading up to the election showed Clinton leading the race.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/12-days-stunned-nation-how-hillary-clinton-lost-n794131|title=12 days that stunned a nation: How Hillary Clinton lost|website=[[NBC News]]|date=August 23, 2017 }}</ref> Trump's victory was fueled by narrow victories in three states that were part of the [[Blue wall (U.S. politics)|Democratic blue wall]] for decades: [[Michigan]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Wisconsin]]. Various analysts surmised Trump won on the strength of a "[[silent majority]]" of working-class white voters who felt mocked and ignored by what was viewed as a power-broking "elite" class - namely the Washington establishment, the mainstream news media, and [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] celebrities. Within that base, he became popular by abandoning Republican establishment orthodoxy in favor of a nationalist message.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/donald-trump-republican-party/presidency|title=How Trump won and proved everyone wrong with his populist message|website=[[NBC News]] Specials|date=December 14, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/upshot/why-trump-won-working-class-whites.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109094913/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/upshot/why-trump-won-working-class-whites.html |archive-date=November 9, 2016 |url-access=limited|url-status=live|title=Why Trump Won: Working-Class Whites|first=Nate|last=Cohn|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 9, 2016|access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 11, 2022 |title=Christian Nationalism's Influence On American Politics : 1A |language=en |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/07/11/1110949385/christian-nationalisms-influence-on-american-politics |access-date=August 18, 2022}}</ref> After [[2016 United States elections|the 2016 elections]], Republicans [[2016 United States Senate elections|maintained their majority in the Senate]], [[2016 United States House of Representatives elections|the House]], and [[2016 United States gubernatorial elections|governorships]], and wielded newly acquired executive power with Trump's election. The Republican Party controlled 69 of 99 state legislative chambers in 2017, the most it had held in history;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/republicans-expand-control-in-a-deeply-divided-nation.html?_r=0|title=Republicans Expand Control in a Deeply Divided Nation|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 11, 2016 |access-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119193906/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/republicans-expand-control-in-a-deeply-divided-nation.html?_r=0|archive-date=November 19, 2016|url-status=live|last1=Bosman |first1=Julie |last2=Davey |first2=Monica }}</ref> and at least 33 governorships, the most it had held since 1922.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-11-09/republicans-expand-control-of-governorships-legislatures|title=Republicans Governorships Rise to Highest Mark Since 1922|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915132840/https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-11-09/republicans-expand-control-of-governorships-legislatures|archive-date=September 15, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The party had total control of government in 25 states,<ref>{{cite news|title=Republican governorships rise to highest mark since 1922|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-11-09/republicans-expand-control-of-governorships-legislature|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=November 6, 2016|first=David A.|last=Lieb|agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Phillips|first=Amber|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/12/these-3-maps-show-just-how-dominant-republicans-are-in-america-after-tuesday/|title=These 3 maps show just how dominant Republicans are in America after Tuesday|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 12, 2016|access-date=November 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113061740/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/12/these-3-maps-show-just-how-dominant-republicans-are-in-america-after-tuesday/|archive-date=November 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> the most since 1952;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lieb|first1=David A.|title=GOP-Controlled States Aim to Reshape Laws|url=https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20161229/281822873464433|date=December 29, 2016|agency=Associated Press|access-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231075054/https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20161229/281822873464433|archive-date=December 31, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> the opposing Democratic Party had full control in only five states.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Greenblatt|first1=Alan|title=Republicans Add to Their Dominance of State Legislatures|url=http://www.governing.com/topics/elections/gov-republicans-add-dominance-state-legislatures.html|date=November 9, 2016|work=[[Governing (magazine)|Governing]]|access-date=November 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116125852/http://www.governing.com/topics/elections/gov-republicans-add-dominance-state-legislatures.html|archive-date=November 16, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[2018 United States elections|the 2018 elections]], Republicans lost control of the House, but strengthened their hold of the Senate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/11/2018-election-results-democrats-regain-control-house/575122/|title=The Democrats Are Back, and Ready to Take On Trump|first=David A.|last=Graham|work=[[The Atlantic]]|date=November 7, 2018|access-date=November 17, 2020}}</ref>

Over the course of his presidency, Trump appointed three justices to [[Supreme Court of the United States|the Supreme Court]]: [[Neil Gorsuch]], [[Brett Kavanaugh]], and [[Amy Coney Barrett]], the most Supreme Court appointments of any president in a single term since [[Richard Nixon]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kumar |first=Anita |date=September 26, 2020 |title=Trump's legacy is now the Supreme Court |work=[[Politico]] |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/26/trump-legacy-supreme-court-422058 |access-date=November 17, 2020}}</ref> He [[List of federal judges appointed by Donald Trump|appointed 260 judges]], creating [[Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts|overall Republican-appointed majorities on every branch of the federal judiciary]] except for the [[Court of International Trade]] by the time he left office, shifting the judiciary to the [[Right-wing politics|right]]. Notable achievements during his presidency included the passing of the [[Tax Cuts and Jobs Act]] in 2017, the creation of the [[U.S. Space Force]], the first new independent military service since 1947, and the brokering of the [[Abraham Accords]], a series of normalization agreements between [[Israel]] and various [[Arab states]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 22, 2017 |title=Trump signs tax cut bill, first big legislative win |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-signs-tax-cut-bill-first-big-legislative-win-n832141 |website=[[NBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=December 2019 |first=Leonard David 21 |date=December 21, 2019 |title=Trump Officially Establishes US Space Force with 2020 Defense Bill Signing |url=https://www.space.com/trump-creates-space-force-2020-defense-bill.html |website=Space.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Forgey |first=Quint |date=September 15, 2020 |title='The dawn of a new Middle East': Trump celebrates Abraham Accords with White House signing ceremony |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/15/trump-abraham-accords-palestinians-peace-deal-415083 |website=[[Politico]]}}</ref> Trump lost [[2020 United States presidential election|the 2020 presidential election]] to Democrat [[Joe Biden]], but refused to concede, claiming widespread electoral fraud and [[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|attempting to overturn the results]], to which many attributed the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|U.S. Capitol being attacked by his supporters on January 6, 2021]]. Following the attack, the House [[Second impeachment of Donald Trump|impeached Trump for a second time]] on the charge of [[Sedition|incitement of insurrection]], making him the only federal officeholder to be impeached twice.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/trump-impeachment-effort-live-updates/2021/01/13/956449072/house-impeaches-trump-a-2nd-time-citing-insurrection-at-u-s-capitol|title=House Impeaches Trump A 2nd Time, Citing Insurrection At U.S. Capitol|first=Bill|last=Chappell|work=[[NPR]]|date=January 13, 2021|access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/politics/trump-impeached.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/politics/trump-impeached.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|title=Trump Impeached for Inciting Insurrection|first=Nicholas|last=Fandos|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 13, 2021|access-date=February 14, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He left office on January 20, 2021, but the impeachment trial continued into the early weeks of the [[Biden presidency]], with Trump ultimately being [[Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump|acquitted a second time by Republicans in the Senate on February 13, 2021]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-acquitted-impeachment-trial-7-gop-senators-vote-democrats-convict-n1257876|title=Trump acquitted in impeachment trial; 7 GOP Senators vote with Democrats to convict|first=Dareh|last=Gregorian|work=[[NBC News]]|date=February 13, 2021|access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> In 2022 and 2023, Supreme Court justices appointed by Trump proved decisive in landmark decisions on [[New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen|gun rights]], [[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization|abortion]], and [[Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard|affirmative action]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-guns-decision-second-amendment-new-york-2022-6 | title=Supreme Court strikes down century-old New York law, dramatically expanding Second Amendment rights to carry guns outside the home | website=[[Business Insider]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/24/roe-v-wade-overturned-by-supreme-court-ending-federal-abortion-rights.html | title=Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights | website=[[CNBC]] | date=June 24, 2022 }}</ref>

==== Present ====
Republicans went into [[2022 United States elections|the 2022 elections]] confident, and with most election analysts predicting a [[Wave elections in the United States|red wave]]. However, the party underperformed expectations, with voters in [[swing state]]s and competitive districts joining Democrats in rejecting candidates who had been endorsed by Trump or who had denied the results of the 2020 election.<ref name="FiveThirtyEight 2022">{{cite web |date=November 8, 2022 |title=<!--2022 Election: Live Analysis and Results-->How Election Week 2022 Went Down|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/2022-midterm-election/ |access-date=November 17, 2022|website=[[FiveThirtyEight]]}}</ref><ref name="Hounshell 2022">{{cite news |last=Hounshell |first=Blake |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Five Takeaways From a Red Wave That Didn't Reach the Shore |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/us/politics/midterm-elections-takeaways.html |access-date=November 9, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Tumulty 2022">{{cite news |last=Tumulty |first=Karen |date=November 9, 2022 |title=The expected red wave looks more like a puddle |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/09/no-red-wave-midterm-outcome-analysis/ |access-date=November 10, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The party won control of the House with a narrow majority,<ref name="Cowan 2022">{{cite news |last=Cowan |first=Richard |date=November 17, 2022 |title=Republicans win U.S. House majority, setting stage for divided government |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republicans-one-seat-away-winning-house-us-midterm-vote-2022-11-16/ |access-date=November 17, 2022}}</ref> while losing the Senate and several state legislative majorities and governorships.<ref name="composition_2023_05_23_ncsl_org">[https://www.ncsl.org/about-state-legislatures/state-partisan-composition "State Partisan Composition,"] May 23, 2023, [[National Conference of State Legislatures]], retrieved July 4, 2023</ref><ref name="states_2023_07_01_gazette">[[Thomas Cronin|Cronin, Tom]] and Bob Loevy: [https://gazette.com/news/american-federalism-states-veer-far-left-or-far-right-cronin-and-loevy/article_47b241d8-1604-11ee-a860-3383285a990d.html "American federalism: States veer far left or far right,"], July 1, 2023, updated July 2, 2023, ''[[Colorado Springs Gazette]],'' retrieved July 4, 2023</ref><ref name="trifectas_2023_01_18_nytimes">[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/us/politics/state-legislatures-democrats-trifectas.html "In the States, Democrats All but Ran the Table,"] November 11, 2022, ''[[The New York Times]],'' retrieved July 4, 2023</ref> The results led many Republicans and conservative thought leaders questioning whether Trump should continue as the party's main figurehead and leader.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Bender |first1=Michael C. |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |date=November 10, 2022 |title=Trump Under Fire From Within G.O.P. After Midterms |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/us/politics/trump-republicans-midterms.html |access-date=November 23, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gomez |first=Henry |title=Battleground Republicans unload on Trump ahead of expected 2024 announcement |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/battleground-republicans-unload-trump-ahead-expected-2024-announcement-rcna57153 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123151640/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/battleground-republicans-unload-trump-ahead-expected-2024-announcement-rcna57153 |archive-date=November 23, 2022 |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=[[NBC News]] |date=November 15, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> [[Ron DeSantis]], who was [[2022 Florida gubernatorial election|re-elected governor of Florida in a historic landslide]] and was considered by many analysts as the biggest winner of the 2022 elections,<ref>{{Cite news |title=One likely 2024 GOP contender triumphed on election night. It wasn't Donald Trump. |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/09/desantis-trump-2024-presidential-election/ |access-date=November 23, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> was a frequently discussed name as the future party leader.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |first4= |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Ron DeSantis shows he's future of the GOP |url=https://nypost.com/2022/11/09/ron-desantis-shows-hes-future-of-the-gop/ |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=[[New York Post]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peek |first=Liz |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Ron DeSantis is the new Republican Party leader |url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/ron-desantis-new-republican-party-leader |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=[[Fox News]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Throughout 2023, DeSantis remained significantly behind Trump in polls of 2024 Republican presidential candidates.<ref name="Lange 2023 s179">{{cite web | last=Lange | first=Jason | title=No DeSantis bounce from Republican debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll | website=Reuters | date=August 25, 2023 | url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/no-desantis-debate-bounce-some-republicans-more-open-him-reutersipsos-2023-08-25/ | access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Los Angeles Times 2023 u665">{{cite web | title=Why GOP voters continue to favor Trump, despite his legal troubles | website=Los Angeles Times | date=August 2, 2023 | url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsletter/2023-08-02/why-trump-is-still-the-gop-2024-pick-in-the-face-of-legal-troubles-essential-politics | access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref> As of {{CURRENTYEAR}}, the GOP holds a majority in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], 26 [[List of United States governors|state governorships]], 28 [[List of United States state legislatures|state legislatures]], and 22 state [[government trifecta]]s. Six of the nine current [[U.S. Supreme Court]] justices were appointed by Republican presidents. Its most recent presidential nominee was [[Donald Trump]], who [[Presidency of Donald Trump|was the 45th U.S. president]] from 2017 to 2021. There have been 19 Republican presidents, the most from any one political party. The Republican Party has won 24 presidential elections, one more than its main political rival, the Democratic Party.

== Name and symbols ==
The Republican Party's founding members chose its name as homage to the values of [[Republicanism in the United States|republicanism]] promoted by Democratic-Republican Party, which its founder, Thomas Jefferson, called the "Republican Party".<ref name="Rutland">{{cite book|last=Rutland|first=RA|title=The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush|year=1996|page=[https://archive.org/details/republicansfroml00rutl_0/page/2 2]|publisher=University of Missouri Press |isbn=0826210902|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/republicansfroml00rutl_0/page/2}}</ref> The idea for the name came from an editorial by the party's leading publicist, Horace Greeley, who called for "some simple name like 'Republican' [that] would more fitly designate those who had united to restore the Union to its true mission of champion and promulgator of Liberty rather than propagandist of slavery".<ref name="ushistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.ushistory.org/gop/origins.htm|title=The Origins of the Republican Party|publisher=UShistory.org|date=July 4, 1995|access-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930194002/http://www.ushistory.org/gop/origins.htm|archive-date=September 30, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The name reflects the 1776 republican values of civic virtue and opposition to aristocracy and corruption.<ref name="Gould2003p14">Gould, pp. 14–15</ref> "Republican" has a variety of meanings around the world, and the Republican Party has evolved such that the meanings no longer always align.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/10/the-changing-definition-of-conservative/246652/?single_page=true|title=The Changing Definition of 'Conservative'|last=Joyner|first=James|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=May 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525034711/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/10/the-changing-definition-of-conservative/246652/?single_page=true|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Republican-Party|title=Republican Party {{!}} political party, United States [1854–present]|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=May 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505234240/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Republican-Party|archive-date=May 5, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The term "Grand Old Party" is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the abbreviation "GOP" is a commonly used designation. The term originated in 1875 in the ''[[Congressional Record]]'', referring to the party associated with the successful military defense of the Union as "this gallant old party". The following year in an article in the ''[[Cincinnati Commercial]]'', the term was modified to "grand old party". The first use of the abbreviation is dated 1884.<ref>"Grand Old Party", ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''.</ref>

The traditional mascot of the party is the elephant. A political cartoon by [[Thomas Nast]], published in ''[[Harper's Magazine|Harper's Weekly]]'' on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol.<ref name="harpweek20031107">{{cite web|url=http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7|title=Cartoon of the Day|website=HarpWeek.com|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921045800/http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7|archive-date=September 21, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> An alternate symbol of the Republican Party in states such as Indiana, New York and Ohio is the bald eagle as opposed to the Democratic rooster or the Democratic five-pointed star.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unc.edu/~asreynol/ballot_pages/us_ballot_pages/indiana.html|title=Ballots of United States: Indiana|publisher=University of North Carolina|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525034148/http://www.unc.edu/~asreynol/ballot_pages/us_ballot_pages/indiana.html|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Poor Ballot Design Hurts New York's Minor Parties&nbsp;... Again|publisher=[[Brennan Center for Justice]]|first=Tomas|last=Lopez|date=October 23, 2014|url=https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/poor-ballot-design-hurts-new-yorks-minor-parties-again|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207031521/https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/poor-ballot-design-hurts-new-yorks-minor-parties-again|archive-date=February 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In [[Kentucky]], the [[log cabin]] is a symbol of the Republican Party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://westkentuckystar.com/News/Local-Regional/Western-Kentucky/See-Sample-Ballots-for-Today-s-Primary-Elections.aspx|title=See Sample Ballots for Today's Primary Elections|publisher=West Kentucky Star|date=May 19, 2015|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207032021/http://westkentuckystar.com/News/Local-Regional/Western-Kentucky/See-Sample-Ballots-for-Today-s-Primary-Elections.aspx|archive-date=February 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Traditionally the party had no consistent color identity.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/08/red-vs-blue-a-brief-history-of-how-we-use-political-colors/|title=Red vs. Blue: A history of how we use political colors|last=Bump|first=Philip|date=November 8, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=October 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107022519/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/08/red-vs-blue-a-brief-history-of-how-we-use-political-colors/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://washingtonmonthly.com/2004/11/13/red-state-blue-state-2/|title=Red State, Blue State|last=Drum|first=Kevin|date=November 13, 2004|website=Washington Monthly|access-date=October 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013719/https://washingtonmonthly.com/2004/11/13/red-state-blue-state-2/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://washingtonmonthly.com/2004/11/14/red-states-and-blue-states-explained/|title=Red States and Blue States&nbsp;... Explained!|last=Drum|first=Kevin|date=November 14, 2004|website=Washington Monthly|access-date=October 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013032/https://washingtonmonthly.com/2004/11/14/red-states-and-blue-states-explained/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> After the 2000 presidential election, the color [[Political colour|red became associated]] with Republicans. During and after the election, the major broadcast networks used the same color scheme for the electoral map: states won by Republican nominee George W. Bush were colored red and states won by Democratic nominee [[Al Gore]] were colored blue. Due to the weeks-long [[2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida|dispute over the election results]], these color associations became firmly ingrained, persisting in subsequent years. Although the assignment of colors to political parties is unofficial and informal, the media has come to represent the respective political parties using these colors. The party and its candidates have also come to embrace the color red.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Philip |last1=Bump |title=Red vs. Blue: A history of how we use political colors |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/08/red-vs-blue-a-brief-history-of-how-we-use-political-colors/?noredirect=on |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:NastRepublicanElephant.jpg|An 1874 cartoon by [[Thomas Nast]], featuring the first notable appearance of the Republican elephant<ref name=harpweek>{{cite web|title=The Third-Term Panic|work=Cartoon of the Day|date=November 7, 2003|url=http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7|access-date=September 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921045800/http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7|archive-date=September 21, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
File:Republicanlogo.svg|The red, white and blue elephant
File:GOP logo.svg|A GOP banner logo, {{circa|2017}}
</gallery>

== Factions ==
{{main|Factions in the Republican Party (United States)}}

=== Civil War and Reconstruction era (1861–1876) ===
{{main|Radical Republicans}}
[[File:Thaddeus Stevens - Brady-Handy-crop.jpg|thumb|upright|U.S. representative [[Thaddeus Stevens]], considered a leader of the Radical Republicans, was a fierce opponent of slavery and discrimination against [[African Americans]].]]

During the 19th century, Republican factions included the [[Radical Republicans]]. They were a major factor of the party from its inception in 1854 until the end of the [[Reconstruction Era]] in 1877. They strongly opposed [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]], were hard-line [[Abolitionism|abolitionists]], and later advocated equal rights for the [[freedmen]] and women. They were heavily influenced by religious ideals and [[Evangelicalism|evangelical Christianity]]; many were [[Christians|Christian]] reformers who saw [[Slavery as a positive good in the United States|slavery as evil]] and the Civil War as God's punishment for it.<ref name="Howard2015">{{cite book |first=Victor B. |last=Howard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bIfBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 |title=Religion and the Radical Republican Movement, 1860–1870 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-8131-6144-0}}</ref> Radical Republicans pressed for abolition as a major war aim and they opposed the moderate Reconstruction plans of Abraham Lincoln as both too lenient on the [[Confederate States of America|Confederates]] and not going far enough to help former slaves who had been freed during or after the Civil War by the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] and the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Thirteenth Amendment]]. After the war's end and Lincoln's assassination, the Radicals clashed with [[Andrew Johnson]] over Reconstruction policy. Radicals led efforts after the war to establish civil rights for former slaves and fully implement emancipation. After unsuccessful measures in 1866 resulted in violence against former slaves in the rebel states, Radicals pushed the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]] for statutory protections through [[United States Congress|Congress]]. They opposed allowing ex-[[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] officers to retake political power in the [[Southern U.S.]], and emphasized liberty, equality, and the [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifteenth Amendment]] which provided [[voting rights]] for the [[Freedman#United States|freedmen]]. Many later became [[Stalwarts]], who supported machine politics.

[[Moderate Republicans (Reconstruction era)|Moderate Republicans]] were known for their loyal support of President [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s war policies and expressed antipathy towards the more militant stances advocated by the Radical Republicans. According to historian [[Eric Foner]], congressional leaders of the faction were [[James G. Blaine]], [[John A. Bingham]], [[William P. Fessenden]], [[Lyman Trumbull]], and [[John Sherman]]. In contrast to Radicals, Moderate Republicans were less enthusiastic on the issue of Black suffrage even while embracing civil equality and the expansive federal authority observed throughout the [[American Civil War]]. They were also skeptical of the lenient, conciliatory Reconstruction policies of President Andrew Johnson. Members of the Moderate Republicans comprised in part of previous Radical Republicans who became disenchanted with the alleged corruption of the latter faction. [[Charles Sumner]], a [[Massachusetts]] senator who led Radical Republicans in the 1860s, later joined reform-minded moderates as he later opposed the corruption associated with the [[Grant administration]]. They generally opposed efforts by [[Radical Republicans]] to rebuild the Southern U.S. under an economically mobile, [[Free market|free-market]] system.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Foner |first=Eric |title=Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863–1877 |year=1988 |edition=1st |pages=236–37 |author-link=Eric Foner}}</ref>

=== 20th century ===
In the 20th century, Republican factions included the Progressive Republicans, the [[Reagan coalition]], and the liberal [[Rockefeller Republicans]].

=== 21st century ===
[[File:Goldwater-Reagan in 1964.jpg|thumb|[[Ronald Reagan]] speaks in support of Republican presidential candidate [[Barry Goldwater]] during [[1964 United States presidential election|the 1964 presidential election]]]]
In the 21st century, Republican factions include conservatives, centrists, right-libertarians, and populists. There are significant divisions within the party on the issues of [[abortion]], [[same-sex marriage]], and [[free trade]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Cohn |first=Nate |date=August 17, 2023 |title=The 6 Kinds of Republican Voters |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/17/upshot/six-kinds-of-republican-voters.html |access-date=October 9, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Doherty-2023" />

==== Conservatives ====
{{Main|Conservatism in the United States}}
Since Ronald Reagan's presidential election in 1980, American conservatism has been the dominant faction of the Republican Party.<ref name="Smith-2021"/> Most modern conservatives combine support for free-market economic policies with social conservatism and a hawkish approach to foreign policy.<ref name="Devine-2014" /> They generally support policies that favor [[limited government]], [[individualism]], [[tradition]]alism, [[Republicanism in the United States|republicanism]], and limited [[Federal government of the United States|federal governmental]] power [[States' rights|in relation]] to [[U.S. state|the states]].<ref name="political-ideology-today">{{cite book |last=Adams |first=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=apstK1qIvvMC&pg=PA32 |title=Political Ideology Today |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780719060205 |edition=reprinted, revised |location=Manchester |pages=32–33 |quote=Ideologically, all US parties are liberal and always have been. Essentially they espouse classical liberalism, that is a form of democratised Whig constitutionalism plus the free market. The point of difference comes with the influence of social liberalism" and the proper role of government... ...the American right has nothing to do with maintaining the traditional social order, as in Europe. What it believes in is... individualism... The American right has tended towards... classical liberalism...}}</ref>

==== Right-libertarians ====
{{Main|Right-libertarianism}}
The Republican Party has a significant [[right-libertarian]] faction.<ref>Gilbert, Andrew (2018). ''British Conservatism and the Legal Regulation of Intimate Relationships''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 40. {{ISBN|9781509915897}}. "Political parties which are usually considered to be conservative parties (such as the US Republican Party or the British Conservative Party) are also known for having a significant libertarian grouping within their ranks (especially in America)...</ref> This faction of the party tends to prevail in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] and [[Western United States]].<ref name=":1" />

[[Barry Goldwater]] had a substantial impact on the conservative-libertarian movement of the 1960s.<ref>{{Citation |last=Poole |first=Robert |title=In memoriam: Barry Goldwater |date=August–September 1998 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_n4_v30/ai_20954419 |newspaper=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |type=Obituary |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090628123204/http%3A//findarticles%2Ecom/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_n4_v30/ai_20954419/ |archive-date=June 28, 2009}}</ref> Compared to other Republicans, they are more likely to favor the [[Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|legalization of marijuana]], [[LGBT rights in the United States|LGBT rights]] such as [[same-sex marriage]], [[gun rights]], oppose [[surveillance|mass surveillance]], and support reforms to current laws surrounding [[Civil forfeiture in the United States|civil asset forfeiture]]. Right-wing libertarians are [[Libertarian perspectives on abortion|strongly divided on the subject of abortion]].<ref name="Libertarians for Life">{{cite web |author=Doris Gordon (1995, 1999) |title=Abortion and Rights: Applying Libertarian Principles Correctly |url=http://www.l4l.org/library/abor-rts.html |publisher=[[Libertarians for Life]]}} Also see: {{cite book |last1=McElroy |first1=Wendy |title=Liberty for Women |date=2002 |publisher=Ivan R. Dee |isbn=978-1566634359 |location=Chicago |page=156 |oclc=260069067 |quote=Libertarians for Life declare that abortion is not a right but a 'wrong under justice.' |author-link1=Wendy McElroy}}</ref>

Prominent libertarian conservatives within the Republican Party include [[Rand Paul]], a U.S. senator from [[Kentucky]],<ref name="courier-journal.com">{{Cite web |title=Who are Mike Lee and Rand Paul, the senators slamming the White House's Iran briefing? |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2020/01/09/who-mike-lee-and-rand-paul-senators-slamming-white-houses-iran-briefing/4420109002/ |access-date=May 26, 2023 |website=The Courier-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="hannitycpac">{{cite news |date=March 18, 2013 |title=Sen. Rand Paul talks CPAC straw poll victory, looks ahead to 2016 |publisher=Hannity with Sean Hannity (Fox News Network) |url=http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/2013/03/19/sen-rand-paul-talks-cpac-straw-poll-victory-looks-ahead-2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401150703/http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/2013/03/19/sen-rand-paul-talks-cpac-straw-poll-victory-looks-ahead-2016 |archive-date=April 1, 2013}}</ref> [[Kentucky's 4th congressional district]] congressman [[Thomas Massie]],<ref name="tea party">{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Joshua |date=December 22, 2012 |title=Scientist, Farmer Brings Tea Party Sensibility to House |work=[[Roll Call]] |url=https://www.rollcall.com/2012/12/22/scientist-farmer-brings-tea-party-sensibility-to-house/ |access-date=September 1, 2020}}</ref> Utah senator [[Mike Lee]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glueck |first=Katie |date=July 31, 2013 |title=Paul, Cruz and Lee in rare form |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/rand-paul-ted-cruz-mike-lee-095033 |access-date=May 26, 2023 |website=[[Politico]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name="courier-journal.com"/> and Wyoming senator [[Cynthia Lummis]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where the Republican Party stands after Trump, according to Wyoming's junior senator |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/26/cynthia-lummis-new-117th-congress-freshman-members-diversity-2021-484440 |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=[[Politico]]|date=April 26, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Religious right ====
{{Main|Christian right}}
[[File:Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Liberty University.jpg|right|thumb|[[Jerry Falwell Jr.]] with President Trump in 2017. Falwell has been identified by commentators a figure of the Christian right.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Severns |first=Maggie |date=June 1, 2021 |title=An Evangelical Battle of the Generations: To Embrace Trump or Not? |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/06/01/liberty-university-evangelical-jerry-falwell-donald-trump-491319 |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=[[Politico]]|language=en}}</ref>]]

Members of the religious right dominate much of the party within the [[Southern United States]].<ref name=":1" /> Since the rise of the Christian right in the 1970s, the Republican Party has drawn significant support from [[Traditionalist Catholicism|traditionalists]] in the [[Catholic Church]] and [[evangelicals]] partly due to [[opposition to abortion]] after ''[[Roe v. Wade]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Banwart |first=Doug |title=Jerry Falwell, the Rise of the Moral Majority, and the 1980 Election |journal=Western Illinois Historical Review |volume=5 |pages=133–57 |date=2013 |url=http://www.wiu.edu/cas/history/wihr/pdfs/Banwart-MoralMajorityVol5.pdf |access-date=December 10, 2019 |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430112900/http://www.wiu.edu/cas/history/wihr/pdfs/Banwart-MoralMajorityVol5.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Williams-2022">{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Daniel K. |date=May 9, 2022 |title=This Really Is a Different Pro-Life Movement |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/south-abortion-pro-life-protestants-catholics/629779/ |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en |quote=This was not merely a geographic shift, trading one region for another, but a more fundamental transformation of the anti-abortion movement’s political ideology. In 1973 many of the most vocal opponents of abortion were northern Democrats who believed in an expanded social-welfare state and who wanted to reduce abortion rates through prenatal insurance and federally funded day care. In 2022, most anti-abortion politicians are conservative Republicans who are skeptical of such measures. What happened was a seismic religious and political shift in opposition to abortion that has not occurred in any other Western country.}}</ref> Compared to other Republicans, the [[Religious right in the United States|religious right]] faction of the party is more likely to oppose [[LGBT rights in the United States|LGBT rights]] and [[Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|marijuana legalization]].

==== Right-wing populists ====
{{see also|Right-wing populism|Trumpism}}

Since the election of Trump, factions of the Republican Party can be characterized as right-wing populist. Based predominately in the [[Northern United States]], a majority are in favor of abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and protectionism, while also holding strongly conservative views on [[political correctness]], immigration, and race.<ref name=":1" /> "[[Barstool conservatism]]" has sometimes been described as a form of right-wing populism.<ref name="Walther-rise-2021">{{cite news |last1=Walther |first1=Matthew |date=February 1, 2021 |title=Rise of the Barstool conservatives |work=[[The Week]] |url=https://theweek.com/articles/964006/rise-barstool-conservatives |access-date=August 10, 2023}}</ref>

The role of the Tea Party in paving the way for the faction is a subject of debate.<ref name="DiSalvo2022">{{cite magazine |last1=DiSalvo |first1=Daniel |author-link=Daniel DiSalvo |date=Fall 2022 |title=Party Factions and American Politics |url=https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/party-factions-and-american-politics |journal=National Affairs}}</ref>  Compared to other Republicans, the right-wing populist faction is more likely to oppose [[immigration|legal immigration]],<ref name="auto3">{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Paula |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=547UDwAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Handbook of American Political History |last2=Critchlow |first2=Donald T. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0190628697 |page=387 |quote="Contemporary debate is fueled on one side by immigration restrictionists, led by President Donald Trump and other elected republicans, whose rhetorical and policy assaults on undocumented Latin American immigrants, Muslim refugees, and family-based immigration energized their conservative base." |via=Google Books}}</ref> [[free trade]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Kent |title=Populism and Trade: The Challenge to the Global Trading System |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2021 |isbn=9780190086350 |chapter=Populism, Trade, and Trump’s Path to Victory}}</ref>  [[neoconservatism]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Smith |first1=Jordan Michael |last2=Logis |first2=Rich |last3=Logis |first3=Rich |last4=Shephard |first4=Alex |last5=Shephard |first5=Alex |last6=Kipnis |first6=Laura |last7=Kipnis |first7=Laura |last8=Haas |first8=Lidija |last9=Haas |first9=Lidija |date=October 17, 2022 |title=The Neocons Are Losing. Why Aren't We Happy? |magazine=The New Republic |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/168045/neoconservative-isolationism-republican-party |access-date=May 5, 2023 |issn=0028-6583}}</ref> and [[Environmentalism|environmental protection laws]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Arias-Maldonado |first=Manuel |date=January 2020 |title=Sustainability in the Anthropocene: Between Extinction and Populism |journal=Sustainability |language=en |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=2538 |doi=10.3390/su12062538 |issn=2071-1050 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Prominent examples include Donald Trump,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Norris |first=Pippa |date=November 2020 |title=Measuring populism worldwide |journal=Party Politics |language=en |volume=26 |issue=6 |pages=697–717 |doi=10.1177/1354068820927686 |s2cid=216298689 |issn=1354-0688|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Lauren Boebert]], and [[Marjorie Taylor Greene]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ali |first=Wajahat |date=December 1, 2021 |title=The GOP Has Its Own Squad—of Stupid Sycophants and Sickos |language=en |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/lauren-boebert-marjorie-taylor-greene-madison-cawthorn-matt-gaetz-and-paul-gosar-are-a-sick-stupid-gop-squad |access-date=March 8, 2023}}</ref>

==== Moderate Republicans ====
Moderate Republicans predominantly come from the [[Northeastern United States]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/19/moderate-republican-governor-trump-00107248|title=Sununu’s exit spells the end of a whole breed of Republican governor|date=July 19, 2023|website=POLITICO|last=Kashinsky |first=Lisa}}</ref>

Notable moderate Republicans include Nevada governor [[Joe Lombardo]], Vermont governor [[Phil Scott]], former Massachusetts governor [[Charlie Baker]], and former Maryland governor [[Larry Hogan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-a-massachusetts-republican-became-one-of-americas-most-popular-politicians/|title=How A Massachusetts Republican Became One Of America's Most Popular Politicians|first=Perry |last=Bacon|date=March 30, 2018|website=fivethirtyeight.com|publisher=[[FiveThirtyEight]]|access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/gov-larry-hogan-positions-himself-as-moderate-on-the-national-stage-at-second-inauguration/65-ccd71689-8f8a-4663-af27-07014cb3c929|title=Gov. Larry Hogan positions himself as moderate on the national stage at second inauguration|website=WUSA|date=January 16, 2019 |access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/11/republican-governors-new-england-defy-blue-wave/574726/|title=The Last Liberal Republicans Hang On|first=Parker|last=Richards|date=November 3, 2018|website=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref>

== Political positions ==
{{conservatism US|parties}}
{{Main|Political positions of the Republican Party}}

=== Economic policies ===
Republicans believe that [[free market]]s and individual achievement are the primary factors behind economic prosperity. Republicans frequently advocate in favor of [[fiscal conservatism]] during Democratic administrations; however, they have shown themselves willing to increase federal debt when they are in charge of the government (the implementation of the Bush tax cuts, Medicare Part D and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are examples of this willingness).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/us/politics/tax-cuts-deficit-debt.html|title=Debt Concerns, Once a Core Republican Tenet, Take a Back Seat to Tax Cuts|last=Appelbaum|first=Binyamin|date=December 1, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 2, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202005246/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/us/politics/tax-cuts-deficit-debt.html|archive-date=December 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/republicans-fought-budget-debt-now-embrace-51528700|title=Why Republicans who once fought budget debt now embrace it|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=December 2, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202203156/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/republicans-fought-budget-debt-now-embrace-51528700|archive-date=December 2, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/is-there-a-fiscal-crisis-in-the-united-states/|title=Is There a Fiscal Crisis in the United States?|last=Johnson|first=Simon|work=Economix Blog|date=April 5, 2012 |access-date=December 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621221245/https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/is-there-a-fiscal-crisis-in-the-united-states/|archive-date=June 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite pledges to roll back government spending, Republican administrations have, since the late 1960s, sustained or increased previous levels of government spending.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Milkis|first1=Sidney M.|last2=King|first2=Desmond|last3=Jacobs|first3=Nicholas F.|date=2019|title=Building a Conservative State: Partisan Polarization and the Redeployment of Administrative Power|journal=Perspectives on Politics|volume=17|issue=2|pages=453–469|doi=10.1017/S1537592718003511|issn=1537-5927|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=November 12, 2014|title=The Rise in Per Capita Federal Spending|url=https://www.mercatus.org/publications/government-spending/rise-capita-federal-spending|access-date=August 30, 2020|website=Mercatus Center}}</ref>

====Taxes====
The modern Republican Party's economic policy positions, as measured by votes in Congress, tend to align with business interests and the affluent.<!--This sentence was added per the RfC at [[Talk:Republican Party (United States)#RfC: Affluent interests and business interests]]. Do not remove without consensus.--><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Grossmann|first1=Matt|last2=Mahmood|first2=Zuhaib|last3=Isaac|first3=William|date=2021|title=Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Unequal Class Influence in American Policy|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/711900|journal=The Journal of Politics|volume=83|issue=4|pages=1706–1720|doi=10.1086/711900|s2cid=224851520|issn=0022-3816}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bartels|first=Larry M.|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/64558|title=Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age – Second Edition|date=2016|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1400883363}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Rhodes|first1=Jesse H.|last2=Schaffner|first2=Brian F.|date=2017|title=Testing Models of Unequal Representation: Democratic Populists and Republican Oligarchs?|url=http://www.nowpublishers.com/article/Details/QJPS-16077|journal=Quarterly Journal of Political Science|volume=12|issue=2|pages=185–204|doi=10.1561/100.00016077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lax|first1=Jeffrey R.|last2=Phillips|first2=Justin H.|last3=Zelizer|first3=Adam|date=2019|title=The Party or the Purse? Unequal Representation in the US Senate|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/party-or-the-purse-unequal-representation-in-the-us-senate/286BFEAA039374759DE14D782A0BB8DD|journal=American Political Science Review|language=en|volume=113|issue=4|pages=917–940|doi=10.1017/S0003055419000315|s2cid=21669533|issn=0003-0554}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hacker|first1=Jacob S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kqu6DwAAQBAJ|title=Let them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality|last2=Pierson|first2=Paul|date=2020|publisher=Liveright Publishing|isbn=978-1631496851|language=en}}</ref> Modern Republicans advocate the theory of [[supply side economics|supply-side economics]], which holds that lower tax rates increase economic growth.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/node/21530093|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|title=Diving into the rich pool|date=September 24, 2011|access-date=January 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112210317/http://www.economist.com/node/21530093|archive-date=January 12, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Many Republicans oppose [[progressive taxation|higher tax rates for higher earners]], which they believe are unfairly targeted at those who create jobs and wealth. They believe private spending is more efficient than government spending. Republican lawmakers have also sought to limit funding for tax enforcement and [[Revenue service|tax collection]].<ref name="How the IRS Was Gutted">{{cite web|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-irs-was-gutted|title=How the IRS Was Gutted|last=Paul Kiel|first=Jesse Eisinger|date=December 11, 2018|website=ProPublica|access-date=December 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211132205/https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-irs-was-gutted|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> At the national level and state level, Republicans tend to pursue policies of tax cuts and deregulation.<ref name="Grumbach-2021"/>

Republicans believe individuals should take responsibility for their own circumstances. They also believe the private sector is more effective in helping the poor through [[Charity (practice)|charity]] than the government is through welfare programs and that social assistance programs often cause government dependency.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Konczal|first=Mike|date=March 24, 2014|title=The Conservative Myth of a Social Safety Net Built on Charity|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/the-conservative-myth-of-a-social-safety-net-built-on-charity/284552/|url-status=live|access-date=December 30, 2021|website=[[The Atlantic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503030317/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/the-conservative-myth-of-a-social-safety-net-built-on-charity/284552/|archive-date=May 3, 2022}}</ref> As of November 2022, all eleven States that have not expanded Medicaid have Republican-controlled [[State legislature (United States)|state legislatures]].<ref name=KaiserMedicaid>{{cite web|title=Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map|url=https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/status-of-state-medicaid-expansion-decisions-interactive-map |publisher=[[Kaiser Family Foundation]] |date=November 9, 2022}} Scroll down for state by state info.</ref>

====Labor unions and the minimum wage====
Republicans believe corporations should be able to establish their own employment practices, including benefits and wages, with the free market deciding the price of work. Since the 1920s, Republicans have generally been opposed by [[Trade union|labor union]] organizations and members. At the national level, Republicans supported the [[Taft–Hartley Act]] of 1947, which gives workers the right not to participate in unions. Modern Republicans at the state level generally support various [[right-to-work laws]], which prohibit [[union security agreement]]s requiring all workers in a unionized workplace to pay dues or a fair-share fee, regardless of whether they are members of the union or not.<ref>{{cite web|title=Employer/Union Rights and Obligations|url=https://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employerunion-rights-and-obligations|publisher=National Labor Relations Board|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711175358/https://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employerunion-rights-and-obligations|archive-date=July 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Most Republicans also oppose increases in the [[minimum wage]], believing that such increases hurt businesses by forcing them to cut and outsource jobs while passing on costs to consumers.<ref>{{cite news |title=House Passes Bill to Raise Minimum Wage to $15, a Victory for Liberals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/us/politics/minimum-wage.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718143024/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/us/politics/minimum-wage.html |archive-date=July 18, 2019 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 18, 2019 |access-date=March 12, 2020|last1=Stolberg |first1=Sheryl Gay |last2=Smialek |first2=Jeanna }}</ref>

====Trade====
The Republican Party has taken widely varying views on [[international trade]] throughout its history. At its inception, the Republican Party supported [[Tariffs in United States history|protective tariffs]].<ref name="Platform">[http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Ephemera/Republican_Platform_1860.html ''Republican Party National Platform, 1860''] Reported from the Platform Committee by Judge Jessup of Pennsylvania and adopted unanimously by the Republican National Convention held at Chicago on May 17, 1860. [[Broadside (printing)|Broadside]] printing by [[Chicago Tribune|''The Chicago Press & Tribune'']], May 1860</ref> In the [[1896 United States presidential election|1896 presidential election]], Republican presidential [[William McKinley]] campaigned heavily on high tariffs, having been the creator and namesake for the [[McKinley Tariff]] of 1890.<ref name="Phillips 2003 53"/>

In the early 20th century the Republican Party began splitting on tariffs, with the great battle over the high [[Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act]] in 1910 splitting the party and causing a realignment.<ref>Stanley D. Solvick, "William Howard Taft and the Payne-Aldrich Tariff." ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' 50.3 (1963): 424–442 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1902605 online]</ref> Democratic president [[Woodrow Wilson]] cut rates with the 1913 [[Underwood Tariff]] and the coming of World War I in 1914 radically revised trade patterns due to reduced trade.  Also, the new revenues generated by the [[federal income tax]] due to the [[Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|16th amendment]] made tariffs less important in terms of economic impact and political rhetoric.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Broz|first=J.L.|year=1999|title=Origins of the Federal Reserve System: International Incentives and the Domestic Free-rider Problem|journal=International Organization|volume=5353|issue=1|pages=39–46|doi=10.1162/002081899550805|s2cid=155001158 }}</ref> When the Republicans returned to power [[Emergency Tariff of 1921|in 1921 they again imposed a protective tariff.]] They raised it again with the [[Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act]] of 1930 to meet the [[Great Depression in the United States]], but the depression only worsened and Democrat [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] became president from 1932 to 1945.<ref>Anthony O’Brien, "Smoot-Hawley Tariff." ''EH. Net Encyclopedia'' (2001) [https://www.eh.net/page/4/?s=crash online].</ref>

The [[Reciprocal Tariff Act]] of 1934 marked a sharp departure from the era of [[protectionism]] in the United States. American duties on foreign products declined from an average of 46% in 1934 to 12% by 1962, which included the presidency of Republican president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]].<ref name="Bailey">{{cite journal|last=Bailey|first=Michael A.|author2=Goldstein, Weingast |title=The Institutional Roots of American Trade Policy|journal=World Politics|date=April 1997|volume=49|issue=3|pages=309–38|doi=10.1353/wp.1997.0007|s2cid=154711958 }}</ref> After World War II, the U.S. promoted the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]] (GATT) established in 1947, to minimize tariffs and other restrictions, and to liberalize trade among all capitalist countries.<ref name=barton>John H. Barton, [[Judith L. Goldstein]], Timothy E. Josling, and Richard H. Steinberg, ''The Evolution of the Trade Regime: Politics, Law, and Economics of the GATT and the WTO'' (2008)</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=McClenahan |first1=William |title=The Growth of Voluntary Export Restraints and American Foreign Economic Policy, 1956–1969 |journal=Business and Economic History |date=1991 |volume=20 |pages=180–190 |jstor=23702815 }}</ref>

During the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] and [[George H. W. Bush]] administrations Republicans abandoned protectionist policies,<ref name="Karagiannis">{{cite book |editor1-first=Nikolaos |editor1-last=Karagiannis |editor2-first=Zagros |editor2-last=Madjd-Sadjadi |editor3-first=Swapan |editor3-last=Sen |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-US-Economy-and-Neoliberalism-Alternative-Strategies-and-Policies/Karagiannis-Madjd-Sadjadi-Sen/p/book/9780415645058 |title=The US Economy and Neoliberalism: Alternative Strategies and Policies |publisher=[[Routledge]] |date=2013 |isbn=978-1138904910 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=aYKfai1RlPYC&pg=PA58 58]}}</ref> and came out against quotas and in favor of the GATT and the [[World Trade Organization]] policy of minimal economic barriers to global trade. Free trade with Canada came about as a result of the [[Canada–U.S. Free Trade Agreement]] of 1987, which led in 1994 to the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) based on Reagan's plan to enlarge the scope of the market for American firms to include Canada and Mexico. President [[Bill Clinton]], with strong Republican support in 1993, pushed NAFTA through Congress over the vehement objection of labor unions.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zP4wDcT3PeQC&pg=PA358|title=Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior|first=Kenneth F.|last=Warren|publisher=Sage Publications|year=2008|page=358|isbn=978-1412954891}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DxJZxwyMHHYC&pg=PT151|title=Unions in America|first=Gary|last=Chaison|publisher=Sage|year=2005|page=151|isbn=978-1452239477}}</ref>

In the 21st century, opinions on trade and protectionism have fluctuated, more recently splitting roughly on partisan lines. In 2017, only 36% of Republicans agreed that free trade agreements are good for the [[United States]], compared to 67% of Democrats. When asked if free trade has helped respondents specifically, the approval numbers for Democrats drop to 54%, however approval ratings among Republicans remain relatively unchanged at 34%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/25/support-for-free-trade-agreements-rebounds-modestly-but-wide-partisan-differences-remain/|title=Support for free trade agreements rebounds modestly, but wide partisan differences remain|website=Pew Research}}</ref> The 2016 election marked the beginning of the trend  of returning to protectionism, an ideology incorporated into Republican president [[Donald Trump]]'s platform.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Swedberg |first=Richard|date=2018|title=Folk economics and its role in Trump's presidential campaign: an exploratory study|journal=Theory and Society|volume=47|pages=1–36|doi=10.1007/s11186-018-9308-8|s2cid=149378537}}</ref>

==== Environmental policies ====
{{Main|Political positions of the Republican Party#Environmental policies}}

Historically, [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] leaders in the Republican Party supported [[environmental protection]]. Republican President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was a prominent [[Conservation (ethic)|conservationist]] whose policies eventually led to the creation of the [[National Park Service]].<ref name=Filler>{{cite web|author=Filler, Daniel|title=Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation as the Guardian of Democracy|url=http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~thomast/essays/filler/filler.html|access-date=November 9, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030802175908/http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~thomast/essays/filler/filler.html|archive-date=August 2, 2003}}</ref> While Republican President [[Richard Nixon]] was not an environmentalist, he signed legislation to create the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] in 1970 and had a comprehensive environmental program.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ewert|first=Sara Dant|date=July 3, 2003|title=Environmental Politics in the Nixon Era|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/44406|journal=Journal of Policy History|volume=15|issue=3|pages=345–348|issn=1528-4190|doi=10.1353/jph.2003.0019|s2cid=153711962|access-date=June 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809131601/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/44406|archive-date=August 9, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, this position has changed since the 1980s and the administration of President [[Ronald Reagan]], who labeled environmental regulations a burden on the economy.<ref name="Dunlap 2010">{{cite journal|last1=Dunlap|first1=Riley E.|last2=McCright|first2=Araon M.|title=A Widening Gap: Republican and Democratic Views on Climate Change|journal=Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development|date=August 7, 2010|volume=50|issue=5|pages=26–35|doi=10.3200/ENVT.50.5.26-35|s2cid=154964336|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/72f468d949e1dbfc377d420e919aad08b57e8dbf}}</ref> Since then, Republicans have increasingly taken positions against environmental regulation,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bergquist|first1=Parrish|last2=Warshaw|first2=Christopher|date=2020|title=Elections and parties in environmental politics|url=https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781788972833/9781788972833.00017.xml|journal=Handbook of U.S. Environmental Policy|pages=126–141|language=en-US|doi=10.4337/9781788972840.00017|isbn=9781788972840|s2cid=219077951}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fredrickson|first1=Leif|last2=Sellers|first2=Christopher|last3=Dillon|first3=Lindsey|last4=Ohayon|first4=Jennifer Liss|last5=Shapiro|first5=Nicholas|last6=Sullivan|first6=Marianne|last7=Bocking|first7=Stephen|last8=Brown|first8=Phil|last9=de la Rosa|first9=Vanessa|last10=Harrison|first10=Jill|last11=Johns|first11=Sara|date=April 1, 2018|title=History of US Presidential Assaults on Modern Environmental Health Protection|journal=American Journal of Public Health|volume=108|issue=S2|pages=S95–S103|doi=10.2105/AJPH.2018.304396|issn=0090-0036|pmc=5922215|pmid=29698097}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Coley|first1=Jonathan S.|last2=Hess|first2=David J.|date=2012|title=Green energy laws and Republican legislators in the United States|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421512004752|journal=Energy Policy|language=en|volume=48|pages=576–583|doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2012.05.062|issn=0301-4215}}</ref> with many Republicans rejecting the [[scientific consensus on climate change]].<ref name="Dunlap 2010" /><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979970|title=The Republican Reversal: Conservatives and the Environment from Nixon to Trump|last1=Turner|first1=James Morton|last2=Isenberg|first2=Andrew C.|date=2018|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=9780674979970 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108151027/http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979970|archive-date=January 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Ringquist>{{cite journal|last1=Ringquist|first1=Evan J.|last2=Neshkova|first2=Milena I.|last3=Aamidor|first3=Joseph|title=Campaign Promises, Democratic Governance, and Environmental Policy in the U.S. Congress|journal=The Policy Studies Journal|date=2013|volume=41|issue=2|pages=365–387|doi=10.1111/psj.12021|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Shipan Environmental Policy">{{cite journal|last1=Shipan|first1=Charles R.|last2=Lowry|first2=William R.|title=Environmental Policy and Party Divergence in Congress|journal=Political Research Quarterly|date=June 2001|volume=54|issue=2|pages=245–263|jstor=449156|doi=10.1177/106591290105400201|s2cid=153575261}}</ref>

In 2006, then-[[Governor of California|California Governor]] [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] broke from Republican orthodoxy to sign several bills imposing caps on [[carbon emissions]] in California. Then-President [[George W. Bush]] opposed mandatory caps at a national level. Bush's decision not to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant was [[Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency|challenged in the Supreme Court by 12 states]],<ref name="Landmark Law">{{cite news|title=Schwarzenegger takes center stage on warming|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15029070/ns/us_news-environment/t/schwarzenegger-takes-center-stage-warming/#.U7U0QbFEJJw|access-date=July 3, 2014|agency=MSNBC News|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=September 27, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714173432/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15029070/ns/us_news-environment/t/schwarzenegger-takes-center-stage-warming/#.U7U0QbFEJJw|archive-date=July 14, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> with the court ruling against the Bush administration in 2007.<ref>[{{SCOTUS URL Slip|06|05-1120}} Text of Opinion]</ref> Bush also publicly opposed ratification of the [[Kyoto Protocol]]s<ref name="Dunlap 2010" /><ref name=BushGW>{{cite web|author=Bush, George W.|title=Text of a Letter from the President|date=March 13, 2001|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010314.html|access-date=November 9, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722073329/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010314.html|archive-date=July 22, 2009 }}</ref> which sought to limit greenhouse gas emissions and thereby [[climate change mitigation|combat climate change]]; his position was heavily criticized by climate scientists.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Schrope|first1=Mark|title=Criticism mounts as Bush backs out of Kyoto accord|journal=Nature|date=April 5, 2001|volume=410|issue=6829|page=616|doi=10.1038/35070738|pmid=11287908|bibcode=2001Natur.410..616S|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The Republican Party rejects [[Emissions trading|cap-and-trade]] policy to limit carbon emissions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our GOP: The Party of Opportunity|url=http://www.gop.com/our-party/|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821152805/http://www.gop.com/our-party/|archive-date=August 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2000s, Senator [[John McCain]] proposed bills (such as the [[McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act]]) that would have regulated carbon emissions, but his position on climate change was unusual among high-ranking party members.<ref name="Dunlap 2010" /> Some Republican candidates have supported the development of [[alternative fuel]]s in order to achieve [[U.S. energy independence|energy independence for the United States]]. Some Republicans support increased [[oil well|oil drilling]] in protected areas such as the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]], a position that has drawn criticism from activists.<ref>{{cite news|title=On Our Radar: Republicans Urge Opening of Arctic Refuge to Drilling|author=John Collins Rudolf|date=December 6, 2010|url=http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/on-our-radar-republicans-urge-opening-of-arctic-refuge-to-drilling/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714181831/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/on-our-radar-republicans-urge-opening-of-arctic-refuge-to-drilling/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0|archive-date=July 14, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Many Republicans during the [[presidency of Barack Obama]] opposed his administration's new environmental regulations, such as those on carbon emissions from coal. In particular, many Republicans supported building the [[Keystone Pipeline]]; this position was supported by businesses, but opposed by indigenous peoples' groups and environmental activists.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Davenport|first1=Coral|title=Republicans Vow to Fight E.P.A. and Approve Keystone Pipeline|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/us/politics/republicans-vow-to-fight-epa-and-approve-keystone-pipeline.html|access-date=January 25, 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113013421/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/us/politics/republicans-vow-to-fight-epa-and-approve-keystone-pipeline.html|archive-date=January 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Levy|first1=Gabrielle|title=Obama Vetoes Keystone XL, Republicans Vow to Continue Fight|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/02/24/obama-vetoes-keystone-xl-republicans-vow-to-continue-fight|access-date=January 25, 2016|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=February 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201202834/http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/02/24/obama-vetoes-keystone-xl-republicans-vow-to-continue-fight|archive-date=February 1, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Keystone XL pipeline: Why is it so disputed?|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30103078|access-date=January 25, 2016|work=[[BBC News]]|date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209145216/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30103078|archive-date=February 9, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the [[Center for American Progress]], a non-profit liberal advocacy group, more than 55% of congressional Republicans were [[climate change denial|climate change deniers]] in 2014.<ref name=msnbc20140512>{{cite news|work=[[Hardball With Chris Matthews]]|date=May 12, 2014|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|last=Matthews|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Matthews|quote=According to a survey by the Center for American Progress' Action Fund, more than 55 percent of congressional Republicans are climate change deniers. And it gets worse from there. They found that 77 percent of Republicans on the House Science Committee say they don't believe it in either. And that number balloons to an astounding 90 percent for all the party's leadership in Congress.|title=Hardball With Chris Matthews for May 12, 2014|agency=NBC news}}</ref><ref name=charlestongazette20141222>{{cite news|title=Earth Talk: Still in denial about climate change|newspaper=[[Charleston Gazette-Mail|The Charleston Gazette]]|location=[[Charleston, West Virginia]]|date=December 22, 2014|page=10|quote=... a recent survey by the non-profit Center for American Progress found that some 58 percent of Republicans in the U.S. Congress still "refuse to accept climate change. Meanwhile, still others acknowledge the existence of global warming but cling to the scientifically debunked notion that the cause is natural forces, not greenhouse gas pollution by humans.}}</ref> [[PolitiFact]] in May 2014 found "relatively few Republican members of Congress&nbsp;... accept the prevailing scientific conclusion that [[global warming]] is both real and man-made." The group found eight members who acknowledged it, although the group acknowledged there could be more and that not all members of Congress have taken a stance on the issue.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jerry Brown says 'virtually no Republican' in Washington accepts climate change science|first=Julie|last=Kliegman|date=May 18, 2014|access-date=September 18, 2017|publisher=[[PolitiFact]]|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/may/18/jerry-brown/jerry-brown-says-virtually-no-republican-believes-/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813152353/http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/may/18/jerry-brown/jerry-brown-says-virtually-no-republican-believes-/|archive-date=August 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Meet the Republicans in Congress who don't believe climate change is real|first=Tom|last=McCarthy|date=November 17, 2014|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/17/climate-change-denial-scepticism-republicans-congress|access-date=September 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919234320/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/17/climate-change-denial-scepticism-republicans-congress|archive-date=September 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 2008 to 2017, the Republican Party went from "debating how to combat human-caused climate change to arguing that it does not exist", according to ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/us/politics/republican-leaders-climate-change.html|title=How G.O.P. Leaders Came to View Climate Change as Fake Science|last1=Davenport|first1=Coral|date=June 3, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 22, 2017|last2=Lipton|first2=Eric|issn=0362-4331|quote=The Republican Party's fast journey from debating how to combat human-caused climate change to arguing that it does not exist is a story of big political money, Democratic hubris in the Obama years and a partisan chasm that grew over nine years like a crack in the Antarctic shelf, favoring extreme positions and uncompromising rhetoric over cooperation and conciliation.|author-link2=Eric Lipton|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914183020/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/us/politics/republican-leaders-climate-change.html|archive-date=September 14, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2015, the Republican-led U.S. Senate voted 98–1 to pass a resolution acknowledging that "climate change is real and is not a hoax"; however, an amendment stating that "human activity significantly contributes to climate change" was supported by only five Republican senators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/230316-senate-votes-98-1-that-climate-change-is-real|title=Senate votes that climate change is real|first=Dustin|last=Weaver|date=January 21, 2015|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|access-date=March 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090248/https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/230316-senate-votes-98-1-that-climate-change-is-real|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Health care ====
The party opposes a [[single-payer health care]] system, describing it as [[socialized medicine]]. The Republican Party has a mixed record of supporting the historically popular [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]], Medicare and Medicaid programs,<ref>Krugman, Paul. ''The Conscience of a Liberal''. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. Print.</ref> and opposing the [[Affordable Care Act]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Oberlander|first=Jonathan|date=March 1, 2020|title=The Ten Years' War: Politics, Partisanship, And The ACA|url=https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01444|journal=Health Affairs|volume=39|issue=3|pages=471–478|doi=10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01444|pmid=32119603|s2cid=211834684|issn=0278-2715}}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and expansions of Medicaid.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hertel-Fernandez|first1=Alexander|last2=Skocpol|first2=Theda|last3=Lynch|first3=Daniel|date=April 2016|title=Business Associations, Conservative Networks, and the Ongoing Republican War over Medicaid Expansion|url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/jhppl/article/41/2/239-286/13814|journal=Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law|volume=41|issue=2|pages=239–286|doi=10.1215/03616878-3476141|pmid=26732316|issn=0361-6878}}</ref> Historically, there have been diverse and overlapping views within both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party on the role of government in health care, but the two parties became highly polarized on the topic during 2008–2009 and onwards.<ref name="Hacker-2010">{{Cite journal|last=Hacker|first=Jacob S.|date=2010|title=The Road to Somewhere: Why Health Reform Happened: Or Why Political Scientists Who Write about Public Policy Shouldn't Assume They Know How to Shape It|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/abs/road-to-somewhere-why-health-reform-happened/15E0D0CAC2B73C52439A6EBDF3E8C973|journal=Perspectives on Politics|language=en|volume=8|issue=3|pages=861–876|doi=10.1017/S1537592710002021|s2cid=144440604|issn=1541-0986}}</ref>

Both Republicans and Democrats made various proposals to establish federally funded aged health insurance prior to the bipartisan effort to establish [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid]] in 1965.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Politics of Medicare, 1957–1965|date=2015|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/ensuring-americas-health/politics-of-medicare-19571965/CE40908D6F8A4EF7EFD741E5D9113513|work=Ensuring America's Health: The Public Creation of the Corporate Health Care System|pages=194–232|editor-last=Chapin|editor-first=Christy Ford|publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/CBO9781107045347.008|isbn=978-1107044883}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= Peter DeFazio says "Medicare passed with virtually no Republican support"|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2011/apr/15/peter-defazio/peter-defazio-says-medicare-passed-virtually-no-re/|url-status=live|access-date=November 10, 2021|website=[[Politifact]]|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419164555/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2011/apr/15/peter-defazio/peter-defazio-says-medicare-passed-virtually-no-re/|archive-date=April 19, 2022|date=April 15, 2011|last1=Jacobson|first1=Louis|last2=Kennedy|first2=Patrick}}</ref><ref name="Zeitz-2017">{{Cite web|last=Zeitz|first=Joshua|title=How the GOP Turned Against Medicaid|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/27/medicaid-obamacare-repeal-gop-215314|access-date=November 10, 2021|website=[[Politico]]|date=June 27, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> The Republican Party opposes the [[Affordable Care Act]], with no Republican member of Congress voting for it in 2009 and frequent subsequent attempts by Republicans to repeal the legislation.<ref name="Hacker-2010" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Cohn|first=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ddLtDwAAQBAJ|title=The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage|year=2021|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group|isbn=978-1250270948|language=en}}</ref> At the state level, the party has tended to adopt a position against [[Medicaid expansion]].<ref name="Grumbach-2021" /><ref name="Zeitz-2017" />

According to a 2023 ''[[YouGov]]'' poll, Republicans are slightly more likely to oppose [[Intersex medical interventions|intersex medical alterations]] than Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orth |first=Taylor |date=February 14, 2023 |title=Which childhood body modification procedures do Americans think are unacceptable? |url=https://today.yougov.com/topics/health/articles-reports/2023/02/14/childhood-body-modification-procedures-transgender |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=[[YouGov]] |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/7hxynzngn8/results_Childhood_Medical_Procedures.pdf|title=YouGov Survey: Childhood Medical Procedures}}</ref>

=== Foreign policy ===
{{See also|History of foreign policy and national defense in the Republican Party}}

The Republican Party has a persistent history of skepticism and opposition to [[multilateralism]] in American foreign policy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fordham |first1=Benjamin O. |last2=Flynn |first2=Michael |date=2022 |title=Everything Old Is New Again: The Persistence of Republican Opposition to Multilateralism in American Foreign Policy |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-american-political-development/article/abs/everything-old-is-new-again-the-persistence-of-republican-opposition-to-multilateralism-in-american-foreign-policy/F44B69F178BD7CC9CA71A4B16866DEE8 |journal=Studies in American Political Development |volume=37 |pages=56–73 |language=en |doi=10.1017/S0898588X22000165 |s2cid=252292479 |issn=0898-588X}}</ref> [[Neoconservatism]], which supports [[unilateralism]] and emphasizes the use of force and hawkishness in American foreign policy, has been a prominent strand of foreign policy thinking in all Republican presidential administration since Ronald Reagan's presidency.<ref>{{Cite web |title=neoconservatism |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100228203 |access-date=September 15, 2022 |website=Oxford Reference |language=en }}</ref> Some, including [[Paleoconservatism|paleoconservatives]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Matthews |first=Dylan |date=May 6, 2016 |title=Paleoconservatism, the movement that explains Donald Trump, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/5/6/11592604/donald-trump-paleoconservative-buchanan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623235749/https://www.vox.com/2016/5/6/11592604/donald-trump-paleoconservative-buchanan |archive-date=June 23, 2022 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref> call for [[non-interventionism]] and an [[America First (policy)|America First foreign policy]]. This faction gained strength starting in 2016 with the rise of Donald Trump, demanding that the United States reset its previous [[Interventionism (politics)|interventionist]] foreign policy and encourage allies and partners to take greater responsibility.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 22, 2023 |title=The Case for a Restrained Republican Foreign Policy |language=en-US |work=Foreign Affairs |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/foreign-policy-republican-american-power |access-date=March 25, 2023}}</ref>

==== Israel ====
Historically, Republicans (particularly conservatives within the party) have generally supported the Arabic cause in the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict|Israeli-Palestinian conflict]] and opposed the [[Zionism|Zionist movement]].<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Cavari |first=Amnon |title=American Public Opinion Toward Israel: From Consensus to Divide |last2=Freedman |first2=Guy |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |year=2020 |pages=145}}</ref> During the 1940s, Republicans predominately opposed the cause of an independent Jewish state advocated by Democrats, led by the influence of [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]] of the [[Old Right (United States)|Old Right]].<ref name=":32" /> In 1948, Democratic President [[Harry S. Truman|Harry Truman]] became the first world leader to recognize an independent state of Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tenorio |first=Rich |date=November 3, 2020 |title=How a nascent Israel was a key issue in Truman’s stunning 1948 election upset |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-a-nascent-israel-was-a-key-issue-in-trumans-stunning-1948-election-upset/ |access-date=November 1, 2023 |website=[[Times of Israel]]}}</ref> Due to the influence of [[neoconservatism]], the party became strongly pro-Israel by the 1990s and 2000s,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |date=2015-11-11 |title=How Republicans fell in love with Israel |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/11/11/9708018/republicans-israel |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref> although notable anti-Israel sentiment persisted through figures such as [[Pat Buchanan]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ponnuru |first=Ramesh |date=2018-05-15 |title=The GOP and the Israeli Exception |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/pat-buchanan-republican-infuence-israel-exception/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=National Review |language=en-US}}</ref> The presidency of Donald Trump saw this situation significantly reverse, with declining support for Israel among Republican voters, with many criticizing President Joe Biden's support for American military aid to Israel.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Huynh |first=Anjali |date=2023-10-11 |title=Israel Violence Underscores the G.O.P. Divide on Foreign Policy |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/us/politics/israel-gaza-palestine-republicans.html |access-date=2023-11-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Trump has been seen as generally supportive of Israel, but has become more critical of their policies, particularly the actions of Israeli Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collinson |first=Stephen |date=October 13, 2023 |title=Trump’s turn against Israel |url=https://www.cnn.com/cnn/2023/10/13/politics/donald-trump-israel-netanyahu-diplomacy/index.html |access-date=November 9, 2023 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

Trump has criticized the [[Israeli settlement]]s in the [[West Bank]] and stated "I don’t think Bibi ever wanted to make peace [with the Palestinians]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Choi |first=Joseph |date=2021-12-13 |title=Trump: Netanyahu ‘never wanted peace’ with Palestinians |url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/585520-trump-netanyahu-never-wanted-peace-with-palestinians-report/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref>

====War on terror====
{{Main|War on Terror}}
{{Further|September 11 attacks}}

Since the [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001]], many{{who|date=June 2016}} in the party have supported [[Neoconservatism|neoconservative]] policies with regard to the War on Terror, including the  [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]] and the [[Iraq War]]. The [[Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush administration]] took the position that the [[Geneva Conventions]] do not apply to [[unlawful combatant]]s, while other prominent Republicans, such as [[Ted Cruz]], strongly oppose the use of [[enhanced interrogation techniques]], which they view as torture.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/cruz-america-does-not-need-torture-to-protect-ourselves/article/2000049|title=Cruz: 'America Does Not Need Torture to Protect Ourselves'|date=December 3, 2015|access-date=December 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101195440/http://www.weeklystandard.com/cruz-america-does-not-need-torture-to-protect-ourselves/article/2000049|archive-date=January 1, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Foreign aid====
Republicans have frequently advocated for restricting [[United States foreign aid|foreign aid]] as a means of asserting the national security and immigration interests of the United States.<ref>{{cite news|first=Erik|last=Wasson|date=July 18, 2013|url=http://thehill.com/policy/finance/311939-house-gop-unveils-huge-cuts-to-state-foreign-aid|title=House GOP unveils spending bill with $5.8B cut to foreign aid|newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215001056/http://thehill.com/policy/finance/311939-house-gop-unveils-huge-cuts-to-state-foreign-aid|archive-date=December 15, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Rogers|date=February 1, 2011|title=GOP seeks to slash foreign aid|newspaper=[[Politico]]|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48551.html|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222120346/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48551.html|archive-date=February 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Mario|last=Trujillo|date=July 1, 2014|title=Republicans propose halting foreign aid until border surge stops|newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/211058-gop-rep-cut-off-central-american-aid-until-border-is-fixed|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215001041/http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/211058-gop-rep-cut-off-central-american-aid-until-border-is-fixed|archive-date=December 15, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Foreign relations====
In a 2014 poll, 59% of Republicans favored doing less abroad and focusing on the country's own problems instead.<ref>See "July 3, 2014 – Iraq – Getting In Was Wrong; Getting Out Was Right, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll" [http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2057 Quinnipiac University Poll] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402190652/http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2057 |date=April 2, 2016 }} item #51</ref>

===== Taiwan =====
In the party's 2016 platform,<ref name="amazonaws1">{{cite web|url=https://prod-static-ngop-pbl.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/DRAFT_12_FINAL[1]-ben_1468872234.pdf|title=Republican Platform 2016|access-date=July 20, 2016}}</ref> its stance on [[Taiwan]] is: "We oppose any unilateral steps by either side to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Straits on the principle that all issues regarding the island's future must be resolved peacefully, through dialogue, and be agreeable to the people of Taiwan." In addition, if "China were to violate those principles, the United States, in accord with the Taiwan Relations Act, will help Taiwan defend itself".

=== Social issues ===
The Republican Party is generally associated with [[social conservative]] policies, although it does have dissenting centrist and [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarian]] factions. The social conservatives support laws that uphold their [[traditional values]], such as [[opposition to same-sex marriage in the United States|opposition to same-sex marriage]], abortion, and marijuana.<ref name="Zelizer 2004 704–5">{{cite book|last=Zelizer|first=Julian E.|title=The American Congress: The Building of Democracy|url=https://archive.org/details/americancongress00juli|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americancongress00juli/page/704 704]–705|isbn=978-0547345505|access-date=June 17, 2015}}</ref> The Republican Party's positions on social and cultural issues are in part a reflection of the influential role that the [[Christian right]] has had in the party since the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=Daniel K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lqf3KBaqgI8C|title=God's Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right|date=2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199929061|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schnabel|first=Landon Paul|date=2013|title=When Fringe Goes Mainstream: A Sociohistorical Content Analysis of the Christian Coalition's Contract With The American Family and the Republican Party Platform|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/21567689.2012.752361|journal=Politics, Religion & Ideology|volume=14|issue=1|pages=94–113|doi=10.1080/21567689.2012.752361|s2cid=144532011|issn=2156-7689}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=R. Lewis|first=Andrew|date=2019|title=The Inclusion-Moderation Thesis: The U.S. Republican Party and the Christian Right|url=https://oxfordre.com/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-665|website=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics|language=en|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.665|isbn=978-0190228637}}</ref> Most conservative Republicans also oppose [[gun control]], [[affirmative action]], and [[illegal immigration]].<ref name="Zelizer 2004 704–5" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Chapman|first=Roger|title=Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRY27FkGJAUC|year=2010|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|page=passim|isbn=978-0765622501|access-date=June 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407060657/http://books.google.com/books?id=vRY27FkGJAUC|archive-date=April 7, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Abortion and embryonic stem cell research ====
The Republican position on [[Abortion in the United States|abortion]] has changed significantly over time.<ref name="Williams-2022" /><ref name="Williams-2015">{{Cite journal |last=Williams |first=Daniel K. |date=June 2015 |title=The Partisan Trajectory of the American Pro-Life Movement: How a Liberal Catholic Campaign Became a Conservative Evangelical Cause |journal=Religions |language=en |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=451–475 |doi=10.3390/rel6020451 |issn=2077-1444|doi-access=free }}</ref>  During the 1960s and early 1970s, opposition to abortion was concentrated among members of the political left and the Democratic Party; most liberal Catholics — which tended to vote for the Democratic Party — opposed expanding abortion access while most conservative evangelical Protestants supported it.<ref name="Williams-2015" />

During this period, Republicans generally favored legalized abortion more than Democrats,<ref name="Halpern-2018">{{Cite news |last=Halpern |first=Sue |date=November 8, 2018 |title=How Republicans Became Anti-Choice |language=en |work=[[The New York Review of Books]] |url=https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/11/08/how-republicans-became-anti-choice/ |access-date=February 4, 2023 |issn=0028-7504}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Williams |first=Daniel K. |date=2011 |title=The GOP's Abortion Strategy: Why Pro-Choice Republicans Became Pro-Life in the 1970s |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-policy-history/article/abs/gops-abortion-strategy-why-prochoice-republicans-became-prolife-in-the-1970s/C7EC0E0C0F5FF1F4488AA47C787DEC01 |journal=Journal of Policy History |language=en |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=513–539 |doi=10.1017/S0898030611000285 |s2cid=154353515 |issn=1528-4190}}</ref> although significant heterogeneity could be found within both parties.<ref name="Taylor-2018">{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Justin |date=May 9, 2018 |title=How the Christian Right Became Prolife on Abortion and Transformed the Culture Wars |url=https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/christian-right-discovered-abortion-rights-transformed-culture-wars/ |access-date=February 4, 2023 |website=[[The Gospel Coalition]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Leading Republican political figures. including [[Richard Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Ronald Reagan]], and [[George H. W. Bush]], took pro-choice positions until the early 1980s.<ref name="Halpern-2018" /> However, starting at this point, both George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan described themselves as pro-life during their presidencies.

In the 21st century, both [[George W. Bush]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bruni |first=Frank |date=January 23, 2000 |title=Bush Says He Supports the Party's Strong Anti-Abortion Stand |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/012300wh-gop-bush-platform.html |access-date=February 4, 2023 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and [[Donald Trump]] described themselves as "[[Anti-abortion movements|pro-life]]" during their terms. However, Trump stated that he supported the legality and ethics of abortion before his candidacy in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=David |date=May 5, 2022 |title=Trump the hero for anti-abortion movement after bending supreme court his way |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/05/trump-abortion-supreme-court |access-date=February 4, 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Summarizing the rapid shift in the Republican and Democratic positions on abortion, Sue Halpern writes:<ref name="Williams-2022" /><blockquote>...in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many Republicans were behind efforts to liberalize and even decriminalize abortion; theirs was the party of reproductive choice, while Democrats, with their large Catholic constituency, were the opposition. Republican governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Therapeutic Abortion Act, one of the most liberal abortion laws in the country, in 1967, legalizing abortion for women whose mental or physical health would be impaired by pregnancy, or whose pregnancies were the result of rape or incest. The same year, the Republican strongholds of North Carolina and Colorado made it easier for women to obtain abortions. New York, under Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]], a Republican, eliminated all restrictions on women seeking to terminate pregnancies up to twenty-four weeks gestation.... Richard Nixon, Barry Goldwater, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush were all pro-choice, and they were not party outliers. In 1972, a Gallup poll found that 68 percent of Republicans believed abortion to be a private matter between a woman and her doctor. The government, they said, should not be involved...  </blockquote>Since the 1980s, opposition to abortion has become strongest in the party among [[Traditionalist Catholicism|traditionalist Catholics]] and conservative Protestant evangelicals.<ref name="Williams-2022" /><ref name="Taylor-2018" /><ref name="Abdelfatah-2022">{{Cite web |last=Abdelfatah |first=Rund |date=June 22, 2022 |title=Evangelicals didn't always play such a big role in the fight to limit abortion access |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/22/1106863232/evangelicals-didnt-always-play-such-a-big-role-in-the-fight-to-limit-abortion-ac |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=[[National Public Radio]]}}</ref> With the possible exception of the [[ordeal of the bitter water]] in Numbers 5:11–31,<ref name="Bergant1992">{{cite book |last=Bergant |first=Dianne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nj-AkOJ9wRQC&pg=PA156 |title=The Collegeville Bible Commentary: Based on the New American Bible: Old Testament |publisher=Liturgical Press |year=1992 |isbn=0814622100 |page=156}}</ref> [[Bible|the Bible]] does not mention the topic of abortion or explicitly take a position on the practice, although several verses [[Christianity and abortion|have been interpreted]] as supporting or opposing the ethics of abortion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Donnell |first=Paul |date=October 16, 2020 |title=What does the Bible really say about abortion? |url=https://religionnews.com/2020/10/16/what-does-the-bible-really-say-about-abortion/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=Religion News Service |language=en-US}}</ref> Initially, evangelicals were relatively indifferent to the cause of abortion and overwhelmingly viewed it as a concern that was [[Sectarianism|sectarian]] and [[Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref name="Abdelfatah-2022" /> Historian [[Randall Balmer]] notes that [[Billy Graham]]'s ''[[Christianity Today]]'' published in 1968 a statement by theologian [[Bruce Waltke]] that:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waltke |first=Bruce K. |author-link=Bruce Waltke |date=November 8, 1968 |title=The Old Testament and Birth Control |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1968/november-8/old-testament-and-birth-control.html |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=[[Christianity Today]] |language=en}}</ref> "God does not regard the fetus as a soul, no matter how far gestation has progressed. The Law plainly exacts: "If a man kills any human life he will be put to death" (Lev. 24:17). But according to Exodus 21:22-24, the destruction of the fetus is not a capital offense. ... Clearly, then, in contrast to the mother, the fetus is not reckoned as a soul." Typical of the time, ''Christianity Today'' "refused to characterize abortion as sinful" and cited "individual health, family welfare, and social responsibility" as "justifications for ending a pregnancy."<ref name="Balmer-2022">{{Cite web |last=Balmer |first=Randall |author-link=Randall Balmer |date=May 10, 2022 |title=The Religious Right and the Abortion Myth |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/10/abortion-history-right-white-evangelical-1970s-00031480 |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=[[Politico]]|language=en}}</ref> Similar beliefs were held among conservative figures in the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], including [[W. A. Criswell]], who is partially credited with starting the "[[Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence|conservative resurgence]]" within the organization, who stated: "I have always felt that it was only after a child was born and had a life separate from its mother that it became an individual person and it has always, therefore, seemed to me that what is best for the mother and for the future should be allowed." Balmer argues that evangelical American Christianity being inherently tied to opposition to abortion is a relatively new occurrence.<ref name="Balmer-2022" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Bob |date=November 6, 2012 |title=Evangelicals and abortion: chicken or egg? |url=https://baptistnews.com/article/evangelicals-and-abortion-chicken-or-egg/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=Baptist News Global |language=en-US}}</ref> After the late 1970s, he writes, opinion against abortion among evangelicals rapidly shifted in favor of its prohibition.<ref name="Abdelfatah-2022" />

Today, opinion polls show that Republican voters are heavily divided on the legality of abortion,<ref name="Doherty-2023">{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Carroll |title=How Republicans view their party and key issues facing the country as the 118th Congress begins |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/01/19/how-republicans-view-their-party-and-key-issues-facing-the-country-as-the-118th-congress-begins/ |access-date=January 21, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US |quote=There are fissures in the GOP coalition. The same typology study found fissures in the GOP coalition, including over economic fairness, tax policy, and in views of abortion and same-sex marriage.}}</ref> although vast majority of the party's national and state candidates are [[anti-abortion]] and oppose elective [[abortion]] on religious or moral grounds. While many advocate exceptions in the case of [[incest]], rape or the mother's life being at risk, in 2012 the party approved a platform advocating banning abortions without exception.<ref name="platform">{{cite web|first1=Alan|last1=Fram|first2=Philip|last2=Elliot|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gop-oks-platform-barring-abortions-gay-marriage-204947742.html|title=GOP OKs platform barring abortions, gay marriage|website=Finance.yahoo.com|date=August 29, 2012|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226133220/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gop-oks-platform-barring-abortions-gay-marriage-204947742.html|archive-date=February 26, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> There were not highly polarized differences between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party prior to the ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' 1973 Supreme Court ruling (which made prohibitions on abortion rights unconstitutional), but after the Supreme Court ruling, opposition to abortion became an increasingly key national platform for the Republican Party.<ref name="The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics2">{{Cite book|url=https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-great-divide/9780231120593|title=The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics|last=Layman|first=Geoffrey|author1-link=Geoffrey Layman|date=2001|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0231120586|pages=115, 119–120|access-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625083214/http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-great-divide/9780231120593|archive-date=June 25, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="How race and religion have polarized American voters">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/01/20/how-race-and-religion-have-polarized-american-voters/|title=How race and religion have polarized American voters|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716002726/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/01/20/how-race-and-religion-have-polarized-american-voters/|archive-date=July 16, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Party hacks and true believers: The effect of party affiliation on political preferences|date=2019|journal=Journal of Comparative Economics|volume=47|issue=3|pages=504–524|doi=10.1016/j.jce.2019.03.004|last1=Gould|first1=Eric D.|last2=Klor|first2=Esteban F.|s2cid=241140587}}</ref> As a result, Evangelicals gravitated towards the Republican Party.<ref name="The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics2" /><ref name="How race and religion have polarized American voters" /> Most Republicans oppose government funding for abortion providers, notably [[Planned Parenthood]].<ref name="ontheissues">{{cite web|title=Bobby Jindal on the Issues|publisher=Ontheissues.org|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Bobby_Jindal.htm|access-date=May 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613001947/http://ontheissues.org/House/Bobby_Jindal.htm|archive-date=June 13, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> This includes support for the [[Hyde Amendment]].

Until its dissolution in 2018, [[Republican Majority for Choice]], an abortion rights PAC, advocated for amending the GOP platform to include pro-abortion rights members.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/pro-choice-republicans-in-congress-are-nearly-extinct.html|title=The Near-Extinction of Pro-Choice Republicans in Congress|last=Kilgore|first=Ed|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York Intelligencer]]|access-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920132858/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/pro-choice-republicans-in-congress-are-nearly-extinct.html|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Republican Party has pursued policies at the national and state-level to restrict [[embryonic stem cell]] research beyond the original lines because it involves the destruction of human [[embryo]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Levine|first1=A. D.|last2=Lacy|first2=T. A.|last3=Hearn|first3=J. C.|date=February 18, 2013|title=The origins of human embryonic stem cell research policies in the US states|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/sct005|journal=Science and Public Policy|volume=40|issue=4|pages=544–558|doi=10.1093/scipol/sct005|issn=0302-3427}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Blendon|first1=Robert J.|last2=Kim|first2=Minah Kang|last3=Benson|first3=John M.|date=November 17, 2011|title=The Public, Political Parties, and Stem-Cell Research|url=https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1110340|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=365|issue=20|pages=1853–1856|doi=10.1056/NEJMp1110340|issn=0028-4793|pmid=22087677}}</ref>

After [[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization|the overturning]] of ''Roe v. Wade'' in 2022, a majority of Republican-controlled states [[Abortion law in the United States by state|passed near-total bans]] on [[abortion]], rendering it largely illegal throughout much of the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leonhardt |first=David |date=April 6, 2023 |title=The Power and Limits of Abortion Politics |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/world/wisconsin-chicago-elections-abortion.html |access-date=April 7, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=After the Supreme Court overturned Roe last June and allowed states to ban abortion, more than a dozen quickly imposed tight restrictions. Today, abortion is largely illegal in most of red America, even though polls suggest many voters in these states support at least some access.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Siders |first=David |date=April 6, 2023 |title=No Wisconsin wake-up call: Republicans go full steam ahead on abortion restrictions |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/06/wisconsin-gop-abortion-restrictions-00090888 |access-date=April 7, 2023 |website=[[Politico]]|language=en}}</ref>

==== Affirmative action ====
Republicans are generally against [[affirmative action]] for women and some minorities, often describing it as a "[[racial quota|quota system]]" and believing that it is not [[meritocratic]] and is counter-productive socially by only further promoting [[discrimination]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shapiro|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Shapiro|date=June 10, 2020|title=Ben Shapiro: "The only aspects of American life that are legally racist are legally racist on behalf of minority groups"|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/ben-shapiro/ben-shapiro-only-aspects-american-life-are-legally-racist-are-legally-racist-behalf|url-status=live|website=[[Media Matters]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502163903/https://www.mediamatters.org/ben-shapiro/ben-shapiro-only-aspects-american-life-are-legally-racist-are-legally-racist-behalf|archive-date=May 2, 2022}}</ref> The GOP's official stance supports race-neutral admissions policies in universities, but supports taking into account the socioeconomic status of the student. The 2012 [[Republican National Committee]] platform stated, "We support efforts to help low-income individuals get a fair chance based on their potential and individual merit; but we reject preferences, quotas, and set-asides, as the best or sole methods through which fairness can be achieved, whether in government, education or corporate boardrooms…Merit, ability, aptitude, and results should be the factors that determine advancement in our society."<ref name=affirmativeaction>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/15/bush.affirmativeaction/|work=[[CNN]]|title=Bush criticizes university 'quota system'|date=January 15, 2003|access-date=May 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604190524/http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/15/bush.affirmativeaction/|archive-date=June 4, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name= Eilperin>{{cite news|last=Eilperin|first=Juliet|title=Watts Walks a Tightrope on Affirmative Action|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 12, 1998|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/stories/aa051298.htm|access-date=January 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524122643/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/stories/aa051298.htm|archive-date=May 24, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Republican National Committee|author-link=Republican National Committee|date=July 30, 2015|title=Republican Views On Affirmative Action|url=https://www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-affirmative-action/|url-status=live|website=republicanviews.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419164555/https://www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-affirmative-action/|archive-date=April 19, 2022}}</ref>

==== Gun ownership ====
[[File:20210420 Gun control survey by political party - Pew Research.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|A 2021 survey of U.S. opinion on gun control issues, revealing deep divides along political lines.<ref name=Pew_20210420>{{cite web |title=Amid a Series of Mass Shootings in the U.S., Gun Policy Remains Deeply Divisive |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/04/20/amid-a-series-of-mass-shootings-in-the-u-s-gun-policy-remains-deeply-divisive/ |website=PewResearch.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530202009/https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/04/20/amid-a-series-of-mass-shootings-in-the-u-s-gun-policy-remains-deeply-divisive/ |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |date=April 20, 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

Republicans generally support [[Gun politics in the United States|gun ownership rights]] and oppose [[Gun law in the United States|laws regulating guns]]. Party members and Republican-leaning independents are twice as likely to own a gun as Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/the-demographics-of-gun-ownership/ |date=June 22, 2017 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |title=America's Complex Relationship With Guns |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622193232/https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/the-demographics-of-gun-ownership |archive-date=June 22, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[National Rifle Association of America]], a [[advocacy group|special interest group]] in support of gun ownership, has consistently aligned itself with the Republican Party.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Daniel |last1=Nass |title=A Democrat with an 'A' Grade from the NRA? There's One Left. |url=https://www.thetrace.org/2020/09/nra-grades-2020-election/ |website=The Trace |access-date=September 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909235156/https://www.thetrace.org/2020/09/nra-grades-2020-election/ |archive-date=September 9, 2020 |language=en-US |date=September 9, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following gun control measures under the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Clinton administration]], such as the [[Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994]], the Republicans allied with the NRA during the [[Republican Revolution]] in [[1994 United States elections|1994]].<ref>Siegel, Reva B. "Dead or Alive: Originalism as Popular Constitutionalism in Heller." ''The Second Amendment on Trial: Critical Essays on District of Columbia v. Heller'', edited by Saul Cornell and Nathan Kozuskanich, University of Massachusetts Press, 2013, p. 104.</ref> Since then, the NRA has consistently backed Republican candidates and contributed financial support,<ref>{{cite news |first1=Maggie |last1=Astor |title=For First Time in at Least 25 Years, No Democrat Has Top Grade From N.R.A. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/us/politics/nra-ratings-grades-democrats.html |access-date=September 11, 2023 |work=New York Times |date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922165110/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/us/politics/nra-ratings-grades-democrats.html |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |language=en-US |quote=The Democratic break from the National Rifle Association is complete: For the first time in at least 25 years, not a single Democrat running for Congress anywhere in the country received an A in the group’s candidate ratings, which were once a powerful influence in U.S. elections.}}</ref> such as in the [[2013 Colorado recall election]] which resulted in the ousting of two pro-gun control Democrats for two anti-gun control Republicans.<ref>{{cite news |last=Siddiqui |first=Sabrina |date=September 10, 2013 |title=Colorado Recall Results: Democratic State Senators Defeated In Major Victory For NRA |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/colorado-recall-results_n_3903209.html |website=[[HuffPost]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911225548/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/colorado-recall-results_n_3903209.html |archive-date=September 11, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In contrast, [[George H. W. Bush]], formerly a lifelong NRA member, was highly critical of the organization following their response to the [[Oklahoma City bombing]] authored by CEO [[Wayne LaPierre]], and publicly resigned in protest.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/11/us/letter-of-resignation-sent-by-bush-to-rifle-association.html |date=May 11, 1995 |work=[[The New York Times]] |title=Letter of Resignation Sent By Bush to Rifle Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222213941/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/11/us/letter-of-resignation-sent-by-bush-to-rifle-association.html |archive-date=December 22, 2012 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}</ref>

==== Drug legalization ====
{{See also|Illegal drug trade in the United States}}
Republican elected officials have historically supported the [[War on Drugs]]. They oppose [[legalization of drugs|legalization]] or decriminalization of drugs such as [[Cannabis in the United States|marijuana]].<ref name="Tesler-2022">{{Cite web |last=Tesler |first=Michael |date=April 20, 2022 |title=Why Do GOP Lawmakers Still Oppose Legalizing Weed? |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-do-gop-lawmakers-still-oppose-legalizing-weed/ |access-date=August 13, 2022 |website=[[FiveThirtyEight]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-drugs/|title=Republican Views on Drugs {{!}} Republican Views|website=www.republicanviews.org|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502010122/http://www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-drugs/|archive-date=May 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2020|title=House votes to decriminalize marijuana as GOP resists national shift|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-marijuana-republicans-election/2020/12/04/db2b00a8-35b0-11eb-8d38-6aea1adb3839_story.html}}</ref>

Opposition to the legalization of marijuana has softened significantly over time among Republican voters.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kneeland|first=Timothy W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8vlUDAAAQBAJ&q=republican+party+opposition+drug+legalization&pg=PA206|title=Today's Social Issues: Democrats and Republicans: Democrats and Republicans|year=2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1610698368|page=206}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Greg|last=Newburn|title=Top GOP Presidential Contenders Support Mandatory Minimum Reform|date=July 18, 2014|url=http://famm.org/top-gop-presidential-contenders-support-mandatory-minimum-reform/|publisher=[[Families Against Mandatory Minimums]]|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020752/http://famm.org/top-gop-presidential-contenders-support-mandatory-minimum-reform/|archive-date=November 29, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 2021 [[Quinnipiac University|''Quinnipiac'']] poll found that 62% of Republicans supported the legalization of recreational marijuana use and that net support for the position was +30 points.<ref name="Tesler-2022" />

==== Immigration ====
{{See also|Immigration to the United States|Illegal immigration to the United States}}
The Republican Party has taken widely varying views on immigration throughout its history, including in modern times.<ref name="Smith-2021"/> In the period 1850–1870, the Republican Party was more opposed to immigration than Democrats, in part because the Republican Party relied on the support of anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant parties, such as the [[Know Nothing|Know-Nothings]], at the time. In the decades following the Civil War, the Republican Party grew more supportive of immigration, as it represented manufacturers in the northeast (who wanted additional labor) whereas the Democratic Party came to be seen as the party of labor (which wanted fewer laborers to compete with). Starting in the 1970s, the parties switched places again, as the Democrats grew more supportive of immigration than Republicans.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://press.princeton.edu/titles/11040.html|title=Trading Barriers|last=Peters|first=Margaret|date=2017|pages=154–155|publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0691174471|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303043905/https://press.princeton.edu/titles/11040.html|archive-date=March 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Republicans are divided on how to confront [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigration]]. In 2006, the White House supported and Republican-led Senate passed [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006|comprehensive immigration reform]] that would eventually allow millions of illegal immigrants to become citizens, but the House (also led by Republicans) did not advance the bill.<ref name="Blanton">{{cite news|last=Blanton|first=Dana|title=National Exit Poll: Midterms Come Down to Iraq, Bush|publisher=[[Fox News]]|date=November 8, 2006|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228104,00.html|access-date=January 6, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306050851/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228104,00.html|archive-date=March 6, 2007}}</ref> After being defeated in the 2012 presidential election, particularly due to a lack of support among Latinos, several Republicans advocated a friendlier approach to immigrants that allowed for more migrant workers and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The [[Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013]] passed the Senate 68–32, but was not brought up to a vote in the House and died in the [[113th Congress]].<ref name="auto10">{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f|website=[[Associated Press|AP News]]|title=Immigration reform stalled decade after Gang of 8′s big push|date=April 3, 2023 |access-date=April 3, 2023}}</ref> In a 2013 poll, 60% of Republicans supported the pathway concept.<ref name="long-past">{{cite news|last=Frumin|first=Aliyah|title=Obama: 'Long past time' for immigration reform|date=November 25, 2013|url=https://www.msnbc.com/hardball/obama-long-past-time-reform|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|access-date=January 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121145422/http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/obama-long-past-time-reform|archive-date=January 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2016, Republican presidential nominee [[Donald Trump]] proposing building [[Trump wall|a wall]] along the southern border. Trump enacted [[Immigration policy of Donald Trump|several hardline immigration policies during his administration]], including a [[Executive Order 13769|travel ban]] from multiple Muslim-majority countries, a [[Remain in Mexico]] policy for asylum-seekers, [[Trump administration family separation policy|a controversial family separation policy]], and attempting to end [[Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals|DACA]].<ref name="auto3"/><ref name="auto6">{{cite journal |last1=Hajnal |first1=Zoltan |date=January 4, 2021 |title=Immigration & the Origins of White Backlash |journal=Daedalus |volume=150 |issue=2 |pages=23–39 |doi=10.1162/daed_a_01844 |issn=0011-5266 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Since the end of Trump's presidency, the Republican Party has continued to take a hardline stance against illegal immigration, though there are widely differing views on immigration within the party.<ref name="auto10"/>

==== LGBT issues ====
Similar to the Democratic Party, the Republican position on [[LGBT rights in the United States|LGBT rights]] has changed significantly over time, with continuously increasing support among both parties on the issue.<ref name="Lindberg-2022" /><ref name="Igielnik-2022">{{cite web|last1=Igielnik|first1=Ruth |date=November 16, 2022 |title=Backdrop for Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Rights: A Big Shift in Public Opinion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/us/politics/same-sex-marriage-public-opinion.html |access-date=November 17, 2022 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The [[Log Cabin Republicans]] is a group within the Republican Party that represents [[LGBT conservatism|LGBT conservatives]] and allies and advocates for LGBT rights and equality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=http://logcabin.org/about-us/ |access-date=November 29, 2020 |website=Log Cabin Republicans}}</ref> As of 2023, a large majority of Republican voters support [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriage]].<ref name="Lindberg-2022">{{Cite web |last=Lindberg |first=Tim |date=August 2, 2022 |title=Congress is considering making same-sex marriage federal law – a political scientist explains how this issue became less polarized over time |url=https://theconversation.com/congress-is-considering-making-same-sex-marriage-federal-law-a-political-scientist-explains-how-this-issue-became-less-polarized-over-time-187509 |access-date=August 14, 2022 |website=Kansas Reflector |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=September 28, 2022 |title=Majority of Americans Believe Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage Should be Guaranteed Rights {{!}} Grinnell College |url=https://www.grinnell.edu/poll/guaranteed-rights |access-date=November 17, 2022 |website=[[Grinnell College]] |quote=Solid majorities across both parties agree that... marrying someone of the same sex...are rights that should be guaranteed to all citizens...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cohn |first=Nate |author-link=Nate Cohn |date=August 10, 2023 |title=It's Not Reagan's Party Anymore |language=en |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/upshot/reagan-trump-gop-stool.html |access-date=August 23, 2023 |quote=It’s not Mr. Reagan’s party anymore. Today, a majority of Republicans oppose many of the positions that defined the party as recently as a decade ago, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released last week. Only around one-third of Republican voters... [oppose]... same-sex marriage...}}</ref>

According to ''[[FiveThirtyEight]]'', as of 2022 this growth in support for same-sex marriage has occurred faster among Republican voters than among party elites and elected politicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/whats-behind-senate-republicans-hesitancy-toward-same-sex-marriage/|first1=Monica|last1=Potts|title=What's Behind Senate Republicans' Hesitancy Toward Same-Sex Marriage?|website=[[FiveThirtyEight]]|date=August 3, 2022|access-date=August 24, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-07-28/same-sex-marriage-divides-elected-republicans-from-their-supporters|date=July 28, 2022|access-date=August 24, 2022|title=The GOP's Same-Sex Marriage Divide|first1=Lauren|last1=Camera|website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]}}</ref> Both Republican and Democratic politicians predominately took hostile positions on LGBT rights before the 2000s.<ref name="Lindberg-2022" /> From the early-2000s to the mid-2010s, Republicans opposed [[same-sex marriage]], while being divided on the issue of [[civil union]]s and [[domestic partnership]]s for same-sex couples.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Anne |date=March 9, 2016 |title='Religious Liberty' Has Replaced 'Gay Marriage' In GOP Talking Points |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/religious-liberty-has-replaced-gay-marriage-in-gop-talking-points/ |access-date=August 13, 2022 |website=[[FiveThirtyEight]]|language=en-US}}</ref> During the 2004 election, [[George W. Bush]] campaigned prominently on a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage; many believe it helped Bush win re-election.<ref name="Lerer-2020">{{Cite news|last1=Lerer|first1=Lisa|last2=Russonello|first2=Giovanni|last3=Paz|first3=Isabella Grullón|date=June 17, 2020|title=On L.G.B.T.Q. Rights, a Gulf Between Trump and Many Republican Voters|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/us/politics/lgbtq-supreme-court-trump-republicans.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617232814/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/us/politics/lgbtq-supreme-court-trump-republicans.html |archive-date=June 17, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=June 8, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/politics/campaign/samesex-marriage-issue-key-to-some-gop-races.html|title=Same-Sex Marriage Issue Key to Some G.O.P. Races|last=Dao|first=James|date=November 4, 2004|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=August 25, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812004009/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/04/politics/campaign/samesex-marriage-issue-key-to-some-gop-races.html|archive-date=August 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In both [[108th United States Congress|2004]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/24/elec04.prez.bush.marriage/|title=Bush calls for ban on same-sex marriages|date=February 25, 2004|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=February 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515103309/http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/24/elec04.prez.bush.marriage/|archive-date=May 15, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[109th United States Congress|2006]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11442710/ns/politics/t/bush-urges-federal-marriage-amendment/|title=Bush urges federal marriage amendment|date=June 6, 2006|publisher=[[NBC News]]|access-date=February 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408104009/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11442710/ns/politics/t/bush-urges-federal-marriage-amendment/|archive-date=April 8, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> President Bush, Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]], and House Majority Leader [[John Boehner]] promoted the [[Federal Marriage Amendment]], a proposed constitutional amendment which would legally restrict the definition of marriage to [[Heterosexuality|heterosexual]] couples.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/24/politics/bush-backs-ban-in-constitution-on-gay-marriage.html|title=Bush Backs Ban in Constitution on Gay Marriage|last=Stout|first=David|date=February 24, 2004|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 17, 2018|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217202413/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/24/politics/bush-backs-ban-in-constitution-on-gay-marriage.html|archive-date=December 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/07/AR2006060700830.html|title=Gay Marriage Amendment Fails in Senate|journal=The Washington Post and Times-Herald|last=Murray|first=Shailagh|date=June 8, 2006|access-date=December 17, 2018|issn=0190-8286|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308131316/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/07/AR2006060700830.html|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/constitutional-amendment-on-marriage-fails|title=Constitutional Amendment on Marriage Fails|date=March 25, 2015|website=[[Fox News]]|access-date=December 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217202230/https://www.foxnews.com/story/constitutional-amendment-on-marriage-fails|archive-date=December 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In both attempts, the amendment failed to secure enough votes to invoke [[cloture]] and thus ultimately was never passed. As more states legalized same-sex marriage in the 2010s, Republicans increasingly supported allowing each state to decide its own marriage policy.<ref name="A Shifting Landscape">{{cite web|url=http://publicreligion.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014.LGBT_REPORT.pdf|title=A Shifting Landscape|date=February 26, 2014 |website=Public Religion Research Institute |first1=Robert P. |last1=Jones |first2=Daniel |last2=Cox |first3=Juhem |last3=Navarro-Rivera |access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417222101/http://publicreligion.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014.LGBT_REPORT.pdf|archive-date=April 17, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2014, most state GOP platforms expressed opposition to same-sex marriage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gop-platform_n_5242421|title=Anti-Gay Stance Still Enshrined In Majority Of State GOP Platforms |first=Amanda |last=Terkel|date=May 5, 2014|website=[[HuffPost]]|access-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824093553/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gop-platform_n_5242421|archive-date=August 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2016 [[2016 Republican National Convention|GOP Platform]] defined marriage as "natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman," and condemned the Supreme Court's [[Obergefell v. Hodges|ruling]] legalizing same-sex marriages.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4411842/republican-platform-same-sex-marriage-abortion-guns-wall-street/|title=Read the Republican Platform on Same-Sex Marriage, Guns and Wall Street |date=July 18, 2016 |first=Will |last=Drabold |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804081049/https://time.com/4411842/republican-platform-same-sex-marriage-abortion-guns-wall-street/|archive-date=August 4, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gop.com/the-2016-republican-party-platform|title=The 2016 Republican Party Platform|date=July 18, 2016|website=GOP|access-date=February 1, 2020|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211220913/https://www.gop.com/the-2016-republican-party-platform/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The 2020 platform retained the 2016 language against same-sex marriage.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Orr|first=Gabby|title=Republicans across the spectrum slam RNC's decision to keep 2016 platform|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/11/republicans-rnc-decision-314172|access-date=June 12, 2020|website=[[Politico]]|date=June 11, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kilgore|first=Ed|date=June 11, 2020|title=Republicans Will Just Recycle Their 2016 Party Platform|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/republicans-will-just-recycle-their-2016-party-platform.html|access-date=June 12, 2020|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York Intelligencer]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Epstein|first1=Reid J.|last2=Karni|first2=Annie|date=June 11, 2020|title=G.O.P. Platform, Rolled Over From 2016, Condemns the 'Current President'|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/us/politics/republican-platform.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611181235/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/us/politics/republican-platform.html |archive-date=June 11, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=June 12, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Following his election as president in 2016, Donald Trump stated that he had no objection to same-sex marriage or to the Supreme Court decision in ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', but had previously promised to consider appointing a Supreme Court justice to roll back the constitutional right.<ref name="Lerer-2020" /><ref name="auto7">{{cite web|last=de Vogue|first=Ariane|title=Trump: Same-sex marriage is 'settled,' but Roe v Wade can be changed|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/politics/trump-gay-marriage-abortion-supreme-court/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511223804/https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/politics/trump-gay-marriage-abortion-supreme-court/index.html|archive-date=May 11, 2019|access-date=May 11, 2019|website=[[CNN]]|date=November 14, 2016}}</ref> In office, Trump was the first sitting Republican president to recognize [[Gay pride|LGBT Pride Month]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/trump-recognizes-lgbtq-pride-month-first-time-n1012611|title=Trump recognizes LGBTQ pride month in tweets|website=[[NBC News]]|date=May 31, 2019 |access-date=August 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803192111/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/trump-recognizes-lgbtq-pride-month-first-time-n1012611|archive-date=August 3, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Conversely, the Trump administration banned transgender individuals from service in the United States military and rolled back other protections for transgender people which had been enacted during the previous Democratic presidency.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/us/politics/trump-transgender-rights.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206103013/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/us/politics/trump-transgender-rights.html |archive-date=December 6, 2019 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Trump's Rollback of Transgender Rights Extends Through Entire Government|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 6, 2019|access-date=June 9, 2020|last1=Fadulu|first1=Lola|last2=Flanagan|first2=Annie}}</ref>

The Republican Party platform previously opposed the [[Sexual orientation and the United States military|inclusion of gay people in the military]] and opposed adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes since 1992.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/20/news/delicate-balance-gay-vote-gay-rights-aids-emerging-divisive-issues-campaign.html|title=A Delicate Balance: The Gay Vote; Gay Rights and AIDS Emerging As Divisive Issues in Campaign|last=Schmalz|first=Jeffrey|date=August 20, 1992|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=August 24, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824093556/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/20/news/delicate-balance-gay-vote-gay-rights-aids-emerging-divisive-issues-campaign.html|archive-date=August 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-platform-through-the-years-shows-partys-shift-from-moderate-to-conservative/2012/08/28/09094512-ed70-11e1-b09d-07d971dee30a_story.html|title=GOP platform through the years shows party's shift from moderate to conservative|last=Fisher|first=Marc|date=August 28, 2012|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824093557/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-platform-through-the-years-shows-partys-shift-from-moderate-to-conservative/2012/08/28/09094512-ed70-11e1-b09d-07d971dee30a_story.html|archive-date=August 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/conventions/party-platform-evolution/|title=What Republicans and Democrats have disagreed on, from 1856 to today|last1=Mellnik|first1=Ted|last2=Alcantara|first2=Chris|date=July 15, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114164556/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/conventions/party-platform-evolution/|archive-date=November 14, 2017|url-status=live|last3=Uhrmacher|first3=Kevin}}</ref> The Republican Party opposed the inclusion of [[sexual preference]] in anti-discrimination statutes from 1992 to 2004.<ref name="1992 Republican Party platform">{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25847|title=Republican Party Platforms: Republican Party Platform of 1992|website=Presidency.ucsb.edu|date=August 17, 1992|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204134646/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25847|archive-date=February 4, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2008 and 2012 Republican Party platform supported anti-discrimination statutes based on sex, race, age, religion, creed, disability, or national origin, but both platforms were silent on [[sexual orientation]] and [[gender identity]].<ref name="2012 Republican Party platform">{{cite web|url=http://www.gop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2012GOPPlatform.pdf|title=Layout 1|website=Gop.com|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730001737/http://www.gop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2012GOPPlatform.pdf|archive-date=July 30, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2008 Republican Party platform">{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=78545|title=Republican Party Platforms: 2008 Republican Party Platform|website=Presidency.ucsb.edu|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128014700/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=78545|archive-date=January 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2016 platform was opposed to sex discrimination statutes that included the phrase "sexual orientation".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gop.com/|title=Republican Party Platform|website=GOP|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/static/home/data/platform.pdf|title=Republican Platform 2016|date=2016|website=GOP.com}}</ref>

On November 6, 2021, RNC Chair [[Ronna McDaniel]] announced the creation of the "RNC Pride Coalition", in partnership with the [[Log Cabin Republicans]], to promote outreach to LGBTQ voters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Singman|first=Brooke|date=November 8, 2021|title=RNC announces 'Pride Coalition,' partnership with Log Cabin Republicans ahead of midterms|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rnc-announces-pride-coalition-partnership-with-log-cabin-republicans-ahead-of-midterms|access-date=November 18, 2021|website=[[Fox News]]|language=en-US}}</ref> However, after the announcement, McDaniel apologized for not having communicated the announcement in advance and emphasized that the new outreach program does not alter the GOP Platform, last adopted in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 17, 2021|title=GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel apologizes for poor communication regarding gay outreach|url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2021/11/republican-chairwoman-ronna-mcdaniel-apologizes-for-poor-communication-regarding-gay-outreach-initiative/|access-date=November 18, 2021|website=Metro Weekly|language=en-US}}</ref>

In the early 2020s, numerous Republican-led states [[2020s anti-LGBT movement in the United States|proposed or passed laws]] limiting or banning [[Transgender health care|transgender care]] for minors, [[Drag panic|public performances of drag shows]], and teaching schoolchildren about LGBT topics.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Astor |first1=Maggie |title=G.O.P. State Lawmakers Push a Growing Wave of Anti-Transgender Bills |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 25, 2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/us/politics/transgender-laws-republicans.html |access-date=June 12, 2023}}</ref>

==== Voting rights ====
{{See also|Voter identification laws in the United States}}

Virtually all restrictions on voting have in recent years been implemented by Republicans. Republicans, mainly at the state level, argue that the restrictions (such as the purging of [[Electoral roll|voter rolls]], limiting voting locations, and limiting [[early voting|early]] and [[Postal voting|mail-in]] voting) are vital to prevent [[voter fraud]], saying that voter fraud is an underestimated issue in elections. Polling has found majority support for early voting, automatic voter registration and [[Voter identification laws in the United States|voter ID laws]] among the general population.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 22, 2016|title=Four in Five Americans Support Voter ID Laws, Early Voting|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/194741/four-five-americans-support-voter-laws-early-voting.aspx|access-date=April 7, 2021|website=Gallup.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rakich|first=Nathaniel|date=April 2, 2021|title=Americans Oppose Many Voting Restrictions — But Not Voter ID Laws|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-oppose-many-voting-restrictions-but-not-voter-id-laws/|access-date=April 7, 2021|website=[[FiveThirtyEight]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/02/05/republicans-target-ballot-access-after-record-turnout|publisher=Pew Trusts|work=Stateline|first=Matt|last=Vasilogambros|title=Republicans Target Ballot Access After Record Turnout|date=February 5, 2021}}</ref>

In defending their restrictions to voting rights, Republicans have made false and exaggerated claims about the extent of voter fraud in the United States; all existing research indicates that it is extremely rare,<ref name="WaPo_voter_fraud_2014">{{cite web |author=Bump, Philip |date=October 13, 2014 |title=The disconnect between voter ID laws and voter fraud |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/10/13/the-disconnect-between-voter-id-laws-and-voter-fraud/ |access-date=July 26, 2016 |work=The Fix |publisher=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Levitt |first=Justin |date=August 6, 2014 |title=A comprehensive investigation of voter impersonation finds 31 credible incidents out of one billion ballots cast |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/?arc404=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028232347/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/?arc404=true |archive-date=October 28, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Hakim-2018" /><ref name="Linker-2018" /> and civil and voting rights organizations often accuse Republicans of enacting restrictions to influence elections in the party's favor. Many laws or regulations restricting voting enacted by Republicans have been successfully challenged in court, with court rulings striking down such regulations and accusing Republicans of establishing them with partisan purpose.<ref name="Hakim-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/us/politics/voting-suppression-elections.html|title='They Don't Really Want Us to Vote': How Republicans Made it Harder|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 3, 2018 |access-date=November 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104152125/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/us/politics/voting-suppression-elections.html|archive-date=November 4, 2018|url-status=live|last1=Hakim |first1=Danny |last2=Wines |first2=Michael }}</ref><ref name="Linker-2018">{{cite magazine|url=https://theweek.com/articles/803156/big-conservative-lie-voter-fraud|title=The big conservative lie on 'voter fraud'|date=October 23, 2018|magazine=The Week|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228130912/https://theweek.com/articles/803156/big-conservative-lie-voter-fraud|archive-date=December 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the Supreme Court decision in ''[[Shelby County v. Holder]]'' rolled back aspects of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], Republicans introduced cuts to early voting, purges of voter rolls and imposition of strict voter ID laws.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Hakim|first1=Danny|last2=Wines|first2=Michael|date=November 3, 2018|title='They Don't Really Want Us to Vote': How Republicans Made It Harder|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/us/politics/voting-suppression-elections.html|access-date=April 7, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The 2016 Republican platform advocated proof of citizenship as a prerequisite for registering to vote and photo ID as a prerequisite when voting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mali |first=Meghashyam |date=July 19, 2016 |title=GOP platform calls for tough voter ID laws |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/288302-gop-platform-calls-for-tough-voter-id-laws |access-date=April 7, 2021 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref>

After Donald Trump and his [[Republican reactions to Donald Trump's claims of 2020 election fraud|Republican allies made false claims of fraud]] during the 2020 presidential election, Republicans launched a nationwide effort to [[Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election|impose tighter election laws at the state level]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wines|first=Michael|date=February 27, 2021|title=In Statehouses, Stolen-Election Myth Fuels a G.O.P. Drive to Rewrite Rules|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/us/republican-voter-suppression.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/us/republican-voter-suppression.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Kelly|last=Mena|title=More than 100 bills that would restrict voting are moving through state legislatures|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/02/politics/voting-rights-state-legislation/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203013507/https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/02/politics/voting-rights-state-legislation/index.html|archive-date=February 3, 2021|access-date=February 3, 2021|website=[[CNN]]|date=February 2, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gardner|first1=Amy|date=March 26, 2021|title=After Trump tried to intervene in the 2020 vote, state Republicans are moving to take more control of elections|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-election-control/2021/03/26/064fffcc-8cb4-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html}}</ref> Such bills are centered around limiting mail-in voting, strengthening voter ID laws, shortening early voting, eliminating [[Voter registration in the United States#Automatic|automatic]] and [[Voter registration in the United States#Election Day / same-day|same-day voter registration]], curbing the use of [[ballot drop box]]es, and allowing for increased purging of voter rolls.<ref name="Bill-Tracker">{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2021 |title=State Voting Bills Tracker 2021 |url=https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-voting-bills-tracker-2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611232034/https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-voting-bills-tracker-2021 |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |website=[[Brennan Center for Justice]]}}</ref><ref name="NYT-practices">{{Cite web |last1=Corisaniti |first1=Nick |last2=Epstein |first2=Reid J. |date=March 23, 2021 |title=G.O.P. and Allies Draft 'Best Practices' for Restricting Voting |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/23/us/politics/republican-voter-laws.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611081640/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/23/us/politics/republican-voter-laws.html |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Republicans in at least eight states have also introduced bills that would give lawmakers greater power over election administration, after they were unsuccessful in their attempts to overturn election results in [[swing state]]s won by Biden.<ref name="Corasaniti-2021">{{Cite news |last=Corasaniti |first=Nick |date=March 24, 2021 |title=Republicans Aim to Seize More Power Over How Elections Are Run |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/us/politics/republicans-election-laws.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611230735/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/us/politics/republicans-election-laws.html |archive-date=June 11, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Amy |date=March 26, 2021 |title=After Trump tried to intervene in the 2020 vote, state Republicans are moving to take more control of elections |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-election-control/2021/03/26/064fffcc-8cb4-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614185326/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-election-control/2021/03/26/064fffcc-8cb4-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html |archive-date=June 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kalmbacher |first=Colin |date=May 26, 2021 |title=Arizona GOP Bill Would Allow GOP-Controlled State Legislature to Strip Key Election Powers from Democratic Secretary of State |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/arizona-gop-bill-would-allow-gop-controlled-state-legislature-to-strip-key-election-powers-from-democratic-secretary-of-state/ |work=Law & Crime}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Amy |date=May 29, 2021 |title=Texas Republicans finalize bill that would enact stiff new voting restrictions and make it easier to overturn election results |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/texas-voting-restrictions/2021/05/29/86923248-be25-11eb-9c90-731aff7d9a0d_story.html}}</ref>

Supporters of the bills argue they would improve election security and reverse temporary changes enacted during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]; they point to false claims of significant election fraud, as well as the substantial public distrust of the integrity of the 2020 election those claims have fostered,{{Efn|According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, while more than 60% of Americans believe the 2020 election was secure, a large majority of Republican voters say they do not trust the results of the 2020 election.<ref name="NPR-poll">{{Cite web|last=Montanaro|first=Domenico|date=December 9, 2020|title=Poll: Just A Quarter Of Republicans Accept Election Outcome |access-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611233203/https://www.npr.org/2020/12/09/944385798/poll-just-a-quarter-of-republicans-accept-election-outcome |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/09/944385798/poll-just-a-quarter-of-republicans-accept-election-outcome|url-status=live|website=[[NPR]]}}</ref> According to a poll by [[Quinnipiac University|Quinnipiac]], 77% of Republicans believe there was widespread voter fraud.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 10, 2020|title=December 10, 2020 – 60% View Joe Biden's 2020 Presidential Victory As Legitimate, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 77% Of Republicans Believe There Was Widespread Voter Fraud|url=https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=3685|website=[[Quinnipiac University]]}}</ref>}} as justification.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Inskeep |first=Steve |date=February 28, 2021 |title=Why Republicans Are Moving To Fix Elections That Weren't Broken |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/28/970877930/why-republicans-are-moving-to-fix-elections-that-werent-broken |website=[[NPR]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinhauser |first=Paul |date=February 17, 2021 |title=Republican Party launching new election integrity committee |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republican-party-launching-new-election-integrity-committee |website=[[Fox News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Montellaro |first=Zach |date=January 24, 2021 |title=State Republicans push new voting restrictions after Trump's loss |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/24/republicans-voter-id-laws-461707 |website=[[Politico]]}}</ref> Political analysts say that the efforts amount to [[voter suppression]], are intended to advantage Republicans by reducing the number of people who vote, and would disproportionately affect [[Race and ethnicity in the United States|minority]] voters.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Davita|last1=Glasberg|first2=William|last2=Armaline|first3=Bandana|last3=Purkayastha|title=I Exist, Therefore I Should Vote: Political Human Rights, Voter Suppression and Undermining Democracy in the U.S.|url=https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/swb/vol16/iss1/2|journal=Societies Without Borders|date=January 1, 2022|issn=1872-1915|pages=20–47|volume=16|issue=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first1=Lydia|last1=Hardy|title=Voter Suppression Post-Shelby: Impacts and Issues of Voter Purge and Voter ID Laws|url=https://digitalcommons.law.mercer.edu/jour_mlr/vol71/iss3/10|journal=Mercer Law Review|date=May 1, 2020|issn=0025-987X|volume=71|issue=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Brewster |first1=Adam |last2=Huey-Burns |first2=Caitlin |date=February 25, 2021 |title=Proposals to restrict voting gain traction in Republican states |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/voting-restriction-proposals-republican-states/ |website=[[CBS News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Skelley |first=Geoffrey |date=May 17, 2021 |title=How The Republican Push To Restrict Voting Could Affect Our Elections |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-the-republican-push-to-restrict-voting-could-affect-our-elections/ |access-date=November 28, 2022 |website=[[FiveThirtyEight]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Composition ==
[[File:Annual population growth in the U.S. by county - 2010s.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Annual population growth in the U.S. by county during the 2010s]]
[[File:2020 US presidential margins by county.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of the vote in the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]] by county{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Similar to the 2004 map, Republicans dominate in rural areas, making improvements in the [[Appalachia]]n states, namely [[Kentucky]], where the party won all but two counties; and [[West Virginia]], where every county in the state voted Republican. The party also improved in many rural counties in [[Iowa]], [[Wisconsin]], and other [[Midwestern United States|midwestern]] states. Conversely, the party suffered substantial losses in urbanized areas such as [[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas]], [[Harris County, Texas|Harris]], [[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend]], and [[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant]] counties in [[Texas]], and [[Orange County, California|Orange]] and [[San Diego County|San Diego]] counties in [[California]], which it had won in 2004 but lost in 2020}}]]

The Party's 21st-century base consists of groups such as White voters, particularly male, but a majority of White women as well; heterosexual married couples; [[Rural areas in the United States|rural residents]]; and non-union workers without college degrees. Meanwhile, urban residents, union workers, most ethnic minorities, the unmarried, and sexual minorities tend to vote for the Democratic Party. The suburbs have become a major battleground.<ref name=voter>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444506004577613060923763578|title=The Evolution of the Republican Party Voter|author=Barone, Michael|date=August 26, 2012|access-date=April 17, 2013|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|author-link=Michael Barone (pundit)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327003307/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444506004577613060923763578|archive-date=March 27, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/10/democrats-iowa-kansas-rural-votes-scholten-king|title=Can Democrats ever win back white, rural America?|first=Chris|last=McGreal|date=November 11, 2018|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080818/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/10/democrats-iowa-kansas-rural-votes-scholten-king|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Since the 2010s, the party is strongest in the [[Southern United States|South]], most of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] and [[Mountain States]], and [[Alaska]] according to ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/opinion/campaign-stops/the-divided-states-of-america.html|title=Opinion – The Divided States of America|first=Lee|last=Drutman|date=September 22, 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308003039/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/opinion/campaign-stops/the-divided-states-of-america.html|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to a 2015 [[The Gallup Organization|Gallup poll]], 25% of Americans identify as Republican and 16% identify as leaning Republican. In comparison, 30% identify as Democratic and 16% identify as leaning Democratic. The Democratic Party has typically held an overall edge in party identification since Gallup began polling on the issue in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/183887/democrats-regain-edge-party-affiliation.aspx|title=Democrats Regain Edge in Party Affiliation|author=Gallup, Inc.|work=Gallup.com|date=July 2, 2015|access-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704194949/http://www.gallup.com/poll/183887/democrats-regain-edge-party-affiliation.aspx|archive-date=July 4, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In recent years, the party has made significant gains among the [[Working class|White working class]], [[Hispanic]]s, and [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] while losing support among most [[Upper class|upper-class]] and [[Undergraduate education|college-educated]] Whites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/14/republicans-democrats-hispnanic-voters|title=The great realignment|website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]|date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=August 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/13/democrats-biden-white-college-graduates-poll|title=The Democratic electorate's seismic shift|website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]|date=July 13, 2022 |access-date=August 2, 2022}}</ref>

=== Demographics ===
As of the 2020s, the party derives its strongest support from rural voters, evangelical Christians, men, senior citizens, and white voters without college degrees.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/04/new-republican-party-working-class-coalition-00122822 |title=The Emerging Working-Class Republican Majority |first=Patrick |last=Ruffini |date=November 4, 2023|website=POLITICO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rural-voters-continue-evade-democrats-rcna123252 |title=Rural voters continue to evade Democrats |date=November 5, 2023 |publisher=NBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results |title=National Results 2020 President exit polls |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Voting patterns in the 2022 elections |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=July 12, 2023}}</ref>

==== Gender ====
Since 1980, a "gender gap" has seen stronger support for the Republican Party among men than among women. Unmarried and divorced women were far more likely to vote for Democrat [[John Kerry]] than for Republican [[George W. Bush]] in the 2004 presidential election.<ref name=wvwv2004>[http://www.wvwv.org/docs/WVWV_2004_post-election_memo.pdf "Unmarried Women in the 2004 Presidential Election"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101195440/http://www.wvwv.org/docs/WVWV_2004_post-election_memo.pdf|date=January 1, 2016}} ([[PDF]]). Report by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, January 2005. p. 3: "The marriage gap is one of the most important cleavages in electoral politics. Unmarried women voted for Kerry by a 25-point margin (62 to 37 percent), while married women voted for President Bush by an 11-point margin (55 percent to 44 percent). Indeed, the 25-point margin Kerry posted among unmarried women represented one of the high water marks for the Senator among all demographic groups."</ref> In 2006 House races, 43% of women voted Republican while 47% of men did so.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls>{{cite news|title=Exit Polls|work=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|date=November 7, 2006|access-date=November 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629021338/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|archive-date=June 29, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2010 midterms, the "gender gap" was reduced, with women supporting Republican and Democratic candidates equally (49%–49%).<ref name=abcnews3775>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vote-2010-elections-results-midterm-exit-poll-analysis/story?id=12003775|title=Exit Poll Analysis: Vote 2010 Elections Results|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=November 2, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125030423/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vote-2010-elections-results-midterm-exit-poll-analysis/story?id=12003775|archive-date=January 25, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Weeks2010>{{cite news|last=Weeks|first=Linton|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131039717|title=10 Takeaways From The 2010 Midterms|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=November 3, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203055924/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131039717|archive-date=February 3, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Exit polls from the 2012 elections revealed a continued weakness among unmarried women for the GOP, a large and growing portion of the electorate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591624-republicans-should-worry-unmarried-women-shun-them-marriage-gap?fsrc=scn/tw/te/pe/themarriagegap|title=Republicans should worry that unmarried women shun them|date=December 14, 2013|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|access-date=September 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115185951/https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591624-republicans-should-worry-unmarried-women-shun-them-marriage-gap?fsrc=scn%2Ftw%2Fte%2Fpe%2Fthemarriagegap|archive-date=January 15, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Although women supported Obama over [[Mitt Romney]] by a margin of 55–44% in 2012, Romney prevailed amongst married women, 53–46%.<ref>{{cite news|date=December 3, 2012|title=The Marriage Gap in the Women's Vote|first=Meg T.|last=McDonnell|url=http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote|work=Crisis Magazine|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031034237/http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote|archive-date=October 31, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Obama won unmarried women 67–31%.<ref>{{cite news|first=Suzanne|last=Goldenberg|date=November 9, 2012|title=Single women voted overwhelmingly in favour of Obama, researchers find|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231035001/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama|archive-date=December 31, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, according to a December 2019 study, "White women are the only group of female voters who support Republican Party candidates for president. They have done so by a majority in all but 2 of the last 18 elections".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Junn|first1=Jane|author-link1=Jane Junn|last2=Masuoka|first2=Natalie|date=2020|title=The Gender Gap Is a Race Gap: Women Voters in US Presidential Elections|journal=Perspectives on Politics|volume=18|issue=4|pages=1135–1145|doi=10.1017/S1537592719003876|issn=1537-5927|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/white-women-support-gop/507617/|title=White Female Voters Continue to Support the Republican Party|quote=Hard-core partisans don’t switch teams over the personal shortcomings of their champion.|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=November 14, 2016|access-date=January 30, 2021}}</ref>

==== Education ====
[[File:Americans with a bachelor's degree or higher by state.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Americans with a [[bachelor's degree]] or higher by state]]
Until 2016, affluent voters and usually more-educated voters leaned more towards Republicans in presidential elections, but after 2016 the norm reversed. Those without college educations tend to be more socially conservative on a wide array of issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/education-polarization-diploma-divide-democratic-party-working-class.html|title=How the Diploma Divide Is Remaking American Politics|first1=Eric|last1=Levitz|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York Intelligencer]]|date=October 19, 2022|access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/opinion/education-american-politics.html|title=The 'Diploma Divide' Is the New Fault Line in American Politics|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 17, 2023|access-date=April 24, 2023|first1=Doug|last1=Sosnik}}</ref>

In 2012, the [[Pew Research Center]] conducted a study of registered voters with a 35–28 Democrat-to-Republican gap. They found that self-described Democrats had an eight-point advantage over Republicans among college graduates and a fourteen-point advantage among all post-graduates polled. Republicans had an eleven-point advantage among White men with college degrees; Democrats had a ten-point advantage among women with degrees. Democrats accounted for 36% of all respondents with an education of high school or less; Republicans accounted for 28%. When isolating just White registered voters polled, Republicans had a six-point advantage overall and a nine-point advantage among those with a high school education or less.<ref name=Pew2012>{{cite web|url=http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-detailed_tables/Detailed%20tables%20for%20Party%20ID.pdf|title=Detailed Party Identification Tables|publisher=Pew Research Center for the People & the Press|access-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030113849/http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-detailed_tables/Detailed%20tables%20for%20Party%20ID.pdf|archive-date=October 30, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the 2016 presidential election, exit polls indicated that "Donald Trump attracted a large share of the vote from Whites without a college degree, receiving 72 percent of the White non-college male vote and 62 percent of the White non-college female vote." Overall, 52% of voters with college degrees voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, while 52% of voters without college degrees voted for Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2016/11/18/educational-rift-in-2016-election/|title=The educational rift in the 2016 election|first=William A. Galston and Clara|last=Hendrickson|date=November 18, 2016|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080815/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2016/11/18/educational-rift-in-2016-election/|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Ethnicity ====
{{see also|Race and ethnicity in the United States}}

Republicans have been winning under 15% of the African American vote in national elections since 1980. The party abolished chattel slavery under [[Abraham Lincoln]], defeated the [[Slave Power]], and gave Black people the legal right to vote during [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction in the late 1860s]]. Until the [[New Deal]] of the 1930s, Black people supported the Republican Party by large margins.<ref name=South>In the South, they were often not allowed to vote, but still received some Federal patronage appointments from the Republicans</ref> Black delegates were a sizable share of southern delegates to the national Republican convention from Reconstruction until the start of the 20th century when their share began to decline.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Heersink|first1=Boris|last2=Jenkins|first2=Jeffery A.|date=2020|title=Whiteness and the Emergence of the Republican Party in the Early Twentieth-Century South|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-american-political-development/article/whiteness-and-the-emergence-of-the-republican-party-in-the-early-twentiethcentury-south/899B4B98A78353683C3C6050DFA5771B/core-reader|journal=Studies in American Political Development|volume=34|pages=71–90|doi=10.1017/S0898588X19000208|s2cid=213551748|issn=0898-588X}}</ref> Black people shifted in large margins to the Democratic Party in the 1930s, when Black politicians such as Arthur Mitchell and William Dawson supported the New Deal because it would better serve the interest of Black Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Party Realignment – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Essays/Temporary-Farewell/Party-Realignment/ |access-date=June 24, 2020 |website=history.house.gov }}</ref> Black voters would become one of the core components of the [[New Deal coalition]]. In the South, after the [[Voting Rights Act]] to prohibit racial discrimination in elections was passed by a bipartisan coalition in 1965, Black people were able to vote again and ever since have formed a significant portion (20–50%) of the Democratic vote in that region.<ref name=Sitkoff>Harvard Sitkoff, ''A New Deal for Blacks'' (1978).</ref>

In the 2010 elections, two African American Republicans, [[Tim Scott]] and [[Allen West (politician)|Allen West]], were elected to the House of Representatives. As of January 2023, there are four African-American Republicans in the House of Representatives and one African American Republican in the United States Senate.<ref name=Holmes2010>{{cite news|author=L. A. Holmes|url=http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/03/black-republicans-win-first-congress-seats-2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104213733/http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/03/black-republicans-win-first-congress-seats-2003|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2010|title=Black Republicans Win First Congress Seats Since 2003|publisher=[[Fox News]]|date=April 7, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011}}</ref> In recent decades, Republicans have been moderately successful in gaining support from [[Hispanic]] and [[Asian American]] voters. George W. Bush, who campaigned energetically for Hispanic votes, received 35% of their vote in 2000 and 44% in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN.com Election 2004 |url=https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=www.cnn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leal |first=David |date=2004 |title=The Latino Vote in the 2004 Election |url=http://mattbarreto.com/papers/2004vote.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128155620/http://mattbarreto.com/papers/2004vote.pdf |archive-date=January 28, 2017 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=mattbarreto.com/}}</ref><ref name=2004cnnexitpolls>{{cite news|title=Exit Polls|work=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.4.html|date=November 2, 2004|access-date=November 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060421062126/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.4.html|archive-date=April 21, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> The party's strong anti-communist stance has made it popular among some minority groups from current and former Communist states, in particular [[Cuban American]]s, [[Korean American]]s, [[Chinese American]]s and [[Vietnamese American]]s. The 2007 election of [[Bobby Jindal]] as Governor of Louisiana was hailed as pathbreaking.<ref name=BBC7412>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7907412.stm|title=Americas &#124; Profile: Bobby Jindal|work=[[BBC News]]|date=February 25, 2009|access-date=May 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102154911/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7907412.stm|archive-date=November 2, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Jindal became the first elected minority governor in [[Louisiana]] and the first state governor of [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]] descent.<ref name=deccanherald>{{cite news|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/31998/bobby-jindal-may-become-first.html|title=Bobby Jindal may become first Indian-American to be US prez|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=October 23, 2009|access-date=May 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420065245/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/31998/bobby-jindal-may-become-first.html|archive-date=April 20, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

Republicans have gained support among racial and ethnic minorities, particularly among those who are working class, Hispanic or Latino, or Asian American since the 2010s.<ref name="auto9">{{Cite web |title=Vietnamese Americans and Donald Trump – DW – 11/23/2020 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/trump-popular-among-vietnamese-americans/a-55702032 |access-date=January 18, 2023 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Teixeira-2022">{{Cite web |last=Teixeira |first=Ruy |author-link=Ruy Teixeira |date=November 6, 2022 |title=Democrats' Long Goodbye to the Working Class |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/democrats-long-goodbye-to-the-working-class/672016/ |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en |quote=As we move into the endgame of the 2022 election, the Democrats face a familiar problem. America’s historical party of the working class keeps losing working-class support. And not just among White voters. Not only has the emerging Democratic majority I once predicted failed to materialize, but many of the non-White voters who were supposed to deliver it are instead voting for Republicans... From 2012 to 2020, the Democrats not only saw their support among White working-class voters — those without college degrees — crater, they also saw their advantage among non-White working-class voters fall by 18 points. And between 2016 and 2020 alone, the Democratic advantage among Hispanic voters declined by 16 points, overwhelmingly driven by the defection of working-class voters. In contrast, Democrats' advantage among White college-educated voters improved by 16 points from 2012 to 2020, an edge that delivered Joe Biden the White House.}}</ref><ref name="Cohn-2022">{{Cite news |last=Cohn |first=Nate |date=July 13, 2022 |title=Poll Shows Tight Race for Control of Congress as Class Divide Widens |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/upshot/poll-2022-midterms-congress.html |access-date=August 27, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=But the cofluence of economic problems and resurgent cultural issues has helped turn the emerging class divide in the Democratic coalition into a chasm, as Republicans appear to be making new inroads among non-White and working class voters... For the first time in a Times/Siena national survey, Democrats had a larger share of support among White college graduates than among non-White voters – a striking indication of the shifting balance of political energy...}}</ref><ref name="Zitner-2022">{{Cite web |last1=Zitner |first1=Aaron |last2=Mena |first2=Bryan |date=October 2, 2022 |title=Working-Class Latino Voters, Once Solidly Democratic, Are Shifting Toward Republicans |url=https://www.wsj.com/story/working-class-latino-voters-once-solidly-democratic-are-shifting-toward-republicans-a7578ecc |access-date=October 3, 2022 |website=[[Wall Street Journal]] |quote=Latinos across America are splitting among economic lines, with a pronounced shift among working-class voters toward the Republican party.}}</ref><ref name="Kraushaar-2022a">{{Cite web |last=Kraushaar |first=Josh |date=July 14, 2022 |title=The Great American Realignment |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/14/republicans-democrats-hispnanic-voters |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |language=en |quote=Shifts in the demographics of the two parties' supporters — taking place before our eyes — are arguably the biggest political story of our time. Republicans are becoming more working class and a little more multiracial. Democrats are becoming more elite and a little more White...}}</ref><ref name="Kraushaar-2022b">{{Cite web |last=Kraushaar |first=Josh |date=July 13, 2022 |title=The Democratic electorate's seismic shift |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/13/democrats-biden-white-college-graduates-poll |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |language=en |quote=Democrats are becoming the party of upscale voters concerned more about issues like gun control and abortion rights. Republicans are quietly building a multiracial coalition of working-class voters, with inflation as an accelerant... In the Times/Siena poll, Ds hold a 20-point advantage over Rs among White college-educated voters — but are statistically tied among Hispanics.}}</ref> According to [[John Avlon]], in 2013, the Republican party was more ethnically diverse at the statewide elected official level than the Democratic Party was; GOP statewide elected officials included Latino Nevada Governor [[Brian Sandoval]] and African-American U.S. senator [[Tim Scott]] of South Carolina.<ref>{{cite news|title=GOP's surprising edge on diversity|first=John|last=Avlon|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/18/opinion/avlon-gop-diversity/index.html?c=&page=0|work=[[CNN]]|date=January 18, 2013|access-date=January 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131025447/http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/18/opinion/avlon-gop-diversity/index.html?c=&page=0|archive-date=January 31, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], Republican presidential candidate [[John McCain]] won 55% of White votes, 35% of Asian votes, 31% of Hispanic votes and 4% of African American votes.<ref name=pewresearch>[http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1209/racial-ethnic-voters-presidential-election?src=prc-latest&proj=peoplepress "Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618075224/http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1209/racial-ethnic-voters-presidential-election?src=prc-latest&proj=peoplepress|date=June 18, 2012}}. Pew Research Center. April 30, 2009.</ref> In 2012, 88% of Romney voters were White while 56% of Obama voters were White.<ref>Tom Scocca, "Eighty-Eight Percent of Romney Voters Were White", [http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/scocca/2012/11/mitt_romney_white_voters_the_gop_candidate_s_race_based_monochromatic_campaign.html ''Slate'' November 7, 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706035304/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/scocca/2012/11/mitt_romney_white_voters_the_gop_candidate_s_race_based_monochromatic_campaign.html |date=July 6, 2015 }}</ref> In the [[2022 United States House of Representatives elections|2022 U.S. House elections]], Republicans won 58% of White voters, 40% of Asian voters, 39% of Hispanic voters, and 13% of African American voters.<ref>{{cite news|date=November 9, 2022|title=Exit polls for Midterm Election Results 2022|url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/exit-polls/national-results/house/0|access-date=November 17, 2022|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

As of 2020, Republican candidates had lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/2020-republicans-doomed.html |title=The Republican Party is (Probably) Not Doomed |date=September 10, 2019 |access-date=September 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911222213/http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/2020-republicans-doomed.html |archive-date=September 11, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 1992, the only time they won the popular vote in a presidential election is the [[2004 United States presidential election]]. Demographers have pointed to the steady decline of its core base of older, rural White voters (as a percentage of the eligible voters) .<ref>{{cite news|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republicans-_and_-democrats-should-be-worried-about-2020/|title=Republicans And Democrats Should Be Worried About 2020|first=Perry Jr.|last=Bacon|newspaper=[[FiveThirtyEight]]|date=April 20, 2018|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920122752/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republicans-_and_-democrats-should-be-worried-about-2020/|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jul/02/republicans-try-to-save-their-deteriorating-party-with-another-push-for-a-carbon-tax|title=Republicans try to save their deteriorating party with another push for a carbon tax|first=Dana|last=Nuccitelli|date=July 2, 2018|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920161212/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jul/02/republicans-try-to-save-their-deteriorating-party-with-another-push-for-a-carbon-tax|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://theconversation.com/the-democratic-party-is-facing-a-demographic-crisis-72948|title=The Democratic Party is facing a demographic crisis|first=Musa|last=al-Gharbi|website=The Conversation|date=February 28, 2017 |access-date=March 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330070607/http://theconversation.com/the-democratic-party-is-facing-a-demographic-crisis-72948|archive-date=March 30, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/trump-2016-election/528519/|title=Why Voter Demographics in U.S. Elections Matter Now More Than Ever|first=Ronald|last=Brownstein|date=May 31, 2017|website=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920161148/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/trump-2016-election/528519/|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> However, [[Donald Trump]] managed to increase non-White support to 26% of his total votes in the 2020 election — the highest percentage for a GOP presidential candidate since 1960.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2020/11/04/despite-racist-charges-trump-did-better-with-minorities-than-any-gop-candidate-in-60-years/|title=Despite 'racist' charges, Trump did better with minorities than any GOP candidate in 60 years|first=Josh|last=Hammer|date=November 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54972389|title=US election 2020: Why Trump gained support among minorities|date=November 22, 2020|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

==== Religious communities ====
{{main|Religion and politics in the United States|Bible Belt}}
{{see also|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and politics in the United States}}
Religion has always played a major role for both parties, but in the course of a century, the parties' religious compositions have changed. Religion was a major dividing line between the parties before [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]], with Catholics, Jews, and southern Protestants heavily Democratic and northeastern Protestants heavily Republican. Most of the old differences faded away after the realignment of the 1970s and 1980s that undercut the New Deal coalition.<ref>To some extent the [[United States Supreme Court]] decision ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' caused American Christians to blur their historical division along the line between Catholics and Protestants and instead to realign as conservatives or liberals, irrespective of the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation Era]] distinction.</ref> Voters who attended church weekly gave 61% of their votes to Bush in [[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]; those who attended occasionally gave him only 47%; and those who never attended gave him 36%. Fifty-nine percent of Protestants voted for Bush, along with 52% of Catholics (even though [[John Kerry]] was Catholic). Since 1980, a large majority of [[Evangelicalism|evangelicals]] has voted Republican; 70–80% voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004 and 70% for Republican House candidates in [[United States general elections, 2006|2006]].

Members of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], who reside predominantly in [[Utah]] and several neighboring states, voted 75% or more for [[George W. Bush]] in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Grover|last=Norquist|title=Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQu8IGTotBUC&pg=PA146|year=2008|publisher=HarperCollins|pages=146–149|isbn=978-0061133954}} The Democratic Obama administration's support for requiring institutions related to the Catholic Church to cover birth control and abortion in employee health insurance has further moved traditionalist Catholics toward the Republicans.</ref> Members of the Mormon faith had a mixed relationship with Donald Trump during his tenure, despite 67% of them voting for him in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]] and 56% of them supporting his presidency in [[2018 United States elections|2018]], disapproving of his personal behavior such as that shown during the [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape|''Access Hollywood'' controversy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/15/mormons-want-to-save-the-republican-partys-soul-but-is-it-too-late|title=Mormons want to save the Republican party's soul. But is it too late?|first=J. Oliver|last=Conroy|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=February 15, 2018|access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> In the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Trump underperformed in heavily-Mormon [[2020 United States presidential election in Utah|Utah]] by more than ten percentage points compared to Mitt Romney (who is Mormon) in [[2012 United States presidential election in Utah|2012]] and George W. Bush in [[2004 United States presidential election in Utah|2004]]. Their opinion on Trump had not affected their party affiliation, however, as 76% of Mormons in 2018 expressed preference for generic Republican congressional candidates.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/11/29/most-mormons-voted/|title=Most Mormons voted Republican in the midterms—but their Trump approval rating continues to decline, study finds|first1=Hannah|last1=Fingerhut|first2=Brady|last2=McCombs|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=November 29, 2018|access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref>

Jews continue to vote 70–80% Democratic; however, a slim majority of [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] voted for the Republican Party in 2016, following years of growing Orthodox Jewish support for the party due to its social conservatism and increasingly pro-Israel foreign policy stance.<ref name="Sales-Adkins-2020">{{cite news|work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|title='I think it's Israel': How Orthodox Jews became Republicans|date=February 3, 2020|url=https://www.jta.org/2020/02/03/politics/i-think-its-israel-how-orthodox-jews-became-republicans}}</ref> Over 70% of Orthodox Jews identify as Republican or Republican leaning as of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanau |first=Shira |date=May 11, 2021 |title=New Pew study shows 75% of Orthodox Jews identify as Republicans, up from 57% in 2013 |url=https://www.jta.org/2021/05/11/united-states/new-pew-study-shows-75-of-orthodox-jews-identify-as-republicans-up-from-57-in-2013 |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref> An exit poll conducted by the [[Associated Press]] for 2020 found 35% of [[Muslims]] voted for Donald Trump.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/929478378/understanding-the-2020-electorate-ap-votecast-survey|title=Understanding The 2020 Electorate: AP VoteCast Survey|author=NPR Staff|work=[[NPR]]|date=November 3, 2020|access-date=November 17, 2020}}</ref> The mainline traditional Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians and Disciples) have dropped to about 55% Republican (in contrast to 75% before 1968). Democrats have close links with the African American churches, especially the [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptists]], while their historic dominance among Catholic voters has eroded to 54–46 in the 2010 midterms.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|url=http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1791/2010-midterm-elections-exit-poll-religion-vote|title=Religion in the 2010 Elections|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=November 3, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206111210/http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1791/2010-midterm-elections-exit-poll-religion-vote|archive-date=February 6, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although once strongly Democratic, [[Catholic Church in the United States|American Catholic]] voters have been politically divided in the 21st century with 52% of Catholic voters voting for Trump in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]] and 52% voting for Biden in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]. While Catholic Republican leaders try to stay in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church on subjects such as abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research, they tend to differ on the death penalty and same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/18/politics/pope-encyclical-climate-change-catholic-republicans/|title=Pope hands GOP climate change dilemma|work=[[CNN]]|date=June 18, 2015|access-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705234555/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/18/politics/pope-encyclical-climate-change-catholic-republicans/|archive-date=July 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Pope Francis]]' 2015 encyclical ''[[Laudato si']]'' sparked a discussion on the positions of Catholic Republicans in relation to the positions of the Church. 
The Pope's encyclical on behalf of the Catholic Church officially acknowledges a man-made climate change caused by burning fossil fuels.<ref>Thomas Reese, [http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/readers-guide-laudato-si "A readers' guide to 'Laudato Si'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630145312/http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/readers-guide-laudato-si |date=June 30, 2015 }}, ''National Catholic Register'', June 26, 2015.</ref> The Pope says the warming of the planet is rooted in a throwaway culture and the developed world's indifference to the destruction of the planet in pursuit of short-term economic gains. According to ''The New York Times'', ''Laudato si''' put pressure on the Catholic candidates in the 2016 election: [[Jeb Bush]], [[Bobby Jindal]], [[Marco Rubio]] and [[Rick Santorum]].<ref name=davenport>{{cite news|first=Caral|last=Davenport|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/politics/popes-views-press-gop-on-climate-change.html|title=Pope's Views on Climate Change Add Pressure to Catholic Candidates|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519063735/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/politics/popes-views-press-gop-on-climate-change.html|archive-date=May 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

With leading Democrats praising the encyclical, James Bretzke, a professor of moral theology at [[Boston College]], has said that both sides were being disingenuous: "I think it shows that both the Republicans and the Democrats&nbsp;... like to use religious authority and, in this case, the Pope to support positions they have arrived at independently&nbsp;... There is a certain insincerity, hypocrisy I think, on both sides".<ref>{{cite web|first=Brian|last=Fraga|url=http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/political-role-reversal-democrats-praise-encyclical-while-gop-remains-cauti/#ixzz3f7S3YpSv|title=Political Role Reversal: Democrats Praise Encyclical, While GOP Remains Cautious|website=Ncregister.com|date=June 26, 2015|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227043512/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/political-role-reversal-democrats-praise-encyclical-while-gop-remains-cauti#ixzz3f7S3YpSv|archive-date=February 27, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> While a Pew Research poll indicates Catholics are more likely to believe the Earth is warming than non-Catholics, 51% of Catholic Republicans believe in global warming (less than the general population) and only 24% of Catholic Republicans believe global warming is caused by human activity.<ref>{{cite news|title=Catholics Divided Over Global Warming|work=Pew Research|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/16/catholics-divided-over-global-warming/|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=July 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708154543/http://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/16/catholics-divided-over-global-warming/|archive-date=July 8, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Members of the business community ====
The Republican Party has traditionally been a pro-business party. It garners major support from a wide variety of industries from the financial sector to small [[businesses]]. Republicans are 24 percent more likely to be business owners than Democrats.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2016/10/12/study-republicans-are-24-percent-more-likely-than-democrats-to-be-business-owners/|title=Study: Republicans are 24 percent more likely than Democrats to be business owners|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=October 12, 2018}}</ref> Prominent business [[lobbying group]]s such as the [[United States Chamber of Commerce|U.S. Chamber of Commerce]] and [[National Association of Manufacturers]] have traditionally supported Republican candidates and economic policies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-gang-that-couldnt-lob_b_839047|title=The Gang That Couldn't Lobby Straight|newspaper=[[HuffPost]]|first=Bill|last=McKibben|date=March 22, 2011|access-date=February 26, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://waysandmeans.house.gov/chairman-brady-marks-six-months-of-tax-reform-wins/ |title=Chairman Brady Marks Six Months of Tax Reform Wins - Ways and Means |access-date=August 18, 2018 |archive-date=December 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222090755/https://waysandmeans.house.gov/chairman-brady-marks-six-months-of-tax-reform-wins/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although both major parties support [[capitalism]], the Republican Party is more likely to favor [[private property]] rights (including [[intellectual property]] rights) than the Democratic Party over competing interests such as [[environmentalism|protecting the environment]] or lowering [[medication costs]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/551769-house-republicans-urge-opposition-to-vaccine-patent-waiver/|title=House Republicans urge opposition to vaccine patent waiver|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date=May 4, 2021 |access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-republicans-vote-overturn-biden-rule-water-protections-rcna74317|title=House Republicans vote to overturn Biden rule on water protections|website=[[NBC News]] |date=March 10, 2023 |access-date=March 10, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/1/10/2016_Republican_Party_Platform.pdf|title=Republican Party Platform 2016|access-date=October 12, 2018}}</ref>

A survey cited by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in 2012 found that 61 percent of small business owners planned to vote for Republican presidential candidate [[Mitt Romney]] in the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 presidential election]]. Small business became a major theme of the [[2012 Republican National Convention]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-30/business/35493960_1_small-business-business-owners-plan-small-companies|title=Small business a common theme at Republican Convention|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=J. D.|last=Harrison|date=August 30, 2012|access-date=April 17, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328070655/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-30/business/35493960_1_small-business-business-owners-plan-small-companies|archive-date=March 28, 2013}}</ref>

== Republican presidents ==
{{see also|List of presidents of the United States|Democratic Party (United States)#Democratic presidents}}
As of 2021, there have been a total of 19 Republican presidents.
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!style="text-align:center;"|<abbr title="Order of presidency">#</abbr>
!style="text-align:center;"|Name (lifespan)
!style="text-align:center;"|Portrait
!style="text-align:center;"|State
!style="text-align:center;"|Presidency<br />start date
!style="text-align:center;"|Presidency<br />end date
!style="text-align:center;"|Time in office
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|16
|{{sortname|Abraham|Lincoln}} (1809–1865)
|[[File:Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg|65px]]
|[[Illinois]]
|[[First inauguration of Abraham Lincoln|March 4, 1861]]
|[[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|April 15, 1865]]{{efn|name=died|Died in office.}}
|{{ayd|1861|3|4|1865|4|15}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|18
|{{sortname|Ulysses S.|Grant}} (1822–1885)
|[[File:Ulysses S Grant by Brady c1870-restored.jpg|65px]]
|[[Illinois]]
|[[First inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant|March 4, 1869]]
|[[Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes|March 4, 1877]]
|{{ayd|1869|3|4|1877|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|19
|{{sortname|Rutherford B.|Hayes}} (1822–1893)
|[[File:President Rutherford Hayes 1870 - 1880.jpg|65px]]
|[[Ohio]]
|[[Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes|March 4, 1877]]
|[[Inauguration of James A. Garfield|March 4, 1881]]
|{{ayd|1877|3|4|1881|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|20
|{{sortname|James A.|Garfield}} (1831–1881)
|[[File:James Abram Garfield, photo portrait seated.jpg|65px]]
|[[Ohio]]
|[[Inauguration of James A. Garfield|March 4, 1881]]
|[[Assassination of James A. Garfield|September 19, 1881]]{{efn|name=died|Died in office.}}
|{{ayd|1881|3|4|1881|9|19}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|21
|{{sortname|Chester A.|Arthur}} (1829–1886)
|[[File:Chester A. Arthur portrait c1882.jpg|65px]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|[[Inauguration of Chester A. Arthur|September 19, 1881]]
|[[First inauguration of Grover Cleveland|March 4, 1885]]
|{{ayd|1881|9|19|1885|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|23
|{{sortname|Benjamin|Harrison}} (1833–1901)
|[[File:Benjamin Harrison, head and shoulders bw photo, 1896.jpg|65px]]
|[[Indiana]]
|[[Inauguration of Benjamin Harrison|March 4, 1889]]
|[[Second inauguration of Grover Cleveland|March 4, 1893]]
|{{ayd|1889|3|4|1893|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|25
|{{sortname|William|McKinley}} (1843–1901)
|[[File:Mckinley.jpg|65px]]
|[[Ohio]]
|[[First inauguration of William McKinley|March 4, 1897]]
|[[Assassination of William McKinley|September 14, 1901]]{{efn|name=died|Died in office.}}
|{{ayd|1897|3|4|1901|9|14}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|26
|{{sortname|Theodore|Roosevelt}} (1858–1919)
|[[File:President Roosevelt - Pach Bros - black and white.jpg|65px]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|[[First inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt|September 14, 1901]]
|[[Inauguration of William Howard Taft|March 4, 1909]]
|{{ayd|1901|9|14|1909|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|27
|{{sortname|William Howard|Taft}} (1857–1930)
|[[File:William Howard Taft, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front.jpg|65px]]
|[[Ohio]]
|[[Inauguration of William Howard Taft|March 4, 1909]]
|[[First inauguration of Woodrow Wilson|March 4, 1913]]
|{{ayd|1909|3|4|1913|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|29
|{{sortname|Warren G.|Harding}} (1865–1923)
|[[File:Warren G Harding-Harris & Ewing.jpg|65px]]
|[[Ohio]]
|[[Inauguration of Warren G. Harding|March 4, 1921]]
|[[Death of Warren G. Harding|August 2, 1923]]{{efn|name=died|Died in office.}}
|{{ayd|1921|3|4|1923|8|2}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|30
|{{sortname|Calvin|Coolidge}} (1872–1933)
|[[File:Calvin Coolidge cph.3g10777 (cropped).jpg|65px]]
|[[Massachusetts]]
|[[First inauguration of Calvin Coolidge|August 2, 1923]]
|[[Inauguration of Herbert Hoover|March 4, 1929]]
|{{ayd|1923|8|2|1929|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|31
|{{sortname|Herbert|Hoover}} (1874–1964)
|[[File:President Hoover portrait.jpg|65px]]
|[[California]]
|[[Inauguration of Herbert Hoover|March 4, 1929]]
|[[First inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt|March 4, 1933]]
|{{ayd|1929|3|4|1933|3|4}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|34
|{{sortname|Dwight D.|Eisenhower}} (1890–1969)
|[[File:Dwight D. Eisenhower, official photo portrait, May 29, 1959.jpg|65px]]
|[[Kansas]]
|[[First inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower|January 20, 1953]]
|[[Inauguration of John F. Kennedy|January 20, 1961]]
|{{ayd|1953|1|20|1961|1|20}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|37
|{{sortname|Richard|Nixon}} (1913–1994)
|[[File:Richard M. Nixon, ca. 1935 - 1982 - NARA - 530679 (3x4).jpg|65px]]
|[[California]]
|[[First inauguration of Richard Nixon|January 20, 1969]]
|[[Watergate scandal|August 9, 1974]]{{efn|Resigned from office.}}
|{{ayd|1969|1|20|1974|8|9}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|38
|{{sortname|Gerald|Ford}} (1913–2006)
|[[File:Gerald Ford presidential portrait (cropped 2).jpg|65px]]
|[[Michigan]]
|[[Inauguration of Gerald Ford|August 9, 1974]]
|[[Inauguration of Jimmy Carter|January 20, 1977]]
|{{ayd|1974|8|9|1977|1|20}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|40
|{{sortname|Ronald|Reagan}} (1911–2004)
|[[File:Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981-cropped.jpg|65px]]
|[[California]]
|[[First inauguration of Ronald Reagan|January 20, 1981]]
|[[Inauguration of George H. W. Bush|January 20, 1989]]
|{{ayd|1981|1|20|1989|1|20}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|41
|{{sortname|George H. W.|Bush}} (1924–2018)
|[[File:George H. W. Bush presidential portrait (cropped 2).jpg|65px]]
|[[Texas]]
|[[Inauguration of George H. W. Bush|January 20, 1989]]
|[[First inauguration of Bill Clinton|January 20, 1993]]
|{{ayd|1989|1|20|1993|1|20}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|43
|{{sortname|George W.|Bush}} (born 1946)
|[[File:George-W-Bush.jpeg|65px]]
|[[Texas]]
|[[First inauguration of George W. Bush|January 20, 2001]]
|[[First inauguration of Barack Obama|January 20, 2009]]
|{{ayd|2001|1|20|2009|1|20}}
|- style="text-align:left; background:#fff;"
|45
|{{sortname|Donald|Trump}} (born 1946)
|[[File:Donald Trump official portrait (cropped).jpg|65px]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|[[Inauguration of Donald Trump|January 20, 2017]]
|[[Inauguration of Joe Biden|January 20, 2021]]
| {{ayd|2017|1|20|2021|1|20}}
|}

==Recent electoral history==
=== In congressional elections: 1950–present ===
{{See also|Party divisions of United States Congresses}}

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+United States<br />Congressional Elections
|-
!House Election year
!No. of<br />overall House seats won
!+/–
!Presidency
!No. of<br />overall Senate seats won
!+/–{{efn|Comparing seats held immediately preceding and following the general election.}}
!Senate Election year
|-
![[1950 United States House of Representatives elections|1950]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|199|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 28
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Harry S. Truman]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|47|96|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 5
![[1950 United States Senate elections|1950]]
|-
![[1952 United States House of Representatives elections|1952]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|221|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 22
|rowspan="4" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|49|96|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 2
![[1952 United States Senate elections|1952]]
|-
![[1954 United States House of Representatives elections|1954]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|203|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 18
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|47|96|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 2
![[1954 United States Senate elections|1954]]
|-
![[1956 United States House of Representatives elections|1956]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|201|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 2
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|47|96|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{steady}} 0
![[1956 United States Senate elections|1956]]
|-
![[1958 United States House of Representatives elections|1958]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|153|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 48
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|34|98|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 13
![[1958 United States Senate elections|1958]]
|-
![[1960 United States House of Representatives elections|1960]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|175|437|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 22
|rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[John F. Kennedy]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|35|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 1
![[1960 United States Senate elections|1960]]
|-
![[1962 United States House of Representatives elections|1962]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|176|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 1
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|34|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 3
![[1962 United States Senate elections|1962]]
|-
![[1964 United States House of Representatives elections|1964]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|140|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 36
|rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|32|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 2
![[1964 United States Senate elections|1964]]
|-
![[1966 United States House of Representatives elections|1966]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|187|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 47
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|38|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 3
![[1966 United States Senate elections|1966]]
|-
![[1968 United States House of Representatives elections|1968]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|192|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 5
|rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Richard Nixon]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|42|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 5
![[1968 United States Senate elections|1968]]
|-
![[1970 United States House of Representatives elections|1970]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|180|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 12
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|44|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 2
![[1970 United States Senate elections|1970]]
|-
![[1972 United States House of Representatives elections|1972]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|192|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 12
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|41|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 2
![[1972 United States Senate elections|1972]]
|-
![[1974 United States House of Representatives elections|1974]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|144|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 48
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Gerald Ford]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|38|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 3
![[1974 United States Senate elections|1974]]
|-
![[1976 United States House of Representatives elections|1976]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|143|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 1
|rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Jimmy Carter]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|38|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 1
![[1976 United States Senate elections|1976]]
|-
![[1978 United States House of Representatives elections|1978]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|158|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 15
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|41|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 3
![[1978 United States Senate elections|1978]]
|-
![[1980 United States House of Representatives elections|1980]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|192|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 34
|rowspan="4" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Ronald Reagan]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|53|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 12
![[1980 United States Senate elections|1980]]
|-
![[1982 United States House of Representatives elections|1982]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|166|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 26
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|54|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{steady}} 0
![[1982 United States Senate elections|1982]]
|-
![[1984 United States House of Representatives elections|1984]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|182|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 16
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|53|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 2
![[1984 United States Senate elections|1984]]
|-
![[1986 United States House of Representatives elections|1986]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|177|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 5
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|45|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 8
![[1986 United States Senate elections|1986]]
|-
![[1988 United States House of Representatives elections|1988]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|175|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 2
|rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[George H. W. Bush]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|45|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 1
![[1988 United States Senate elections|1988]]
|-
![[1990 United States House of Representatives elections|1990]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|167|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 8
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|44|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 1
![[1990 United States Senate elections|1990]]
|-
![[1992 United States House of Representatives elections|1992]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|176|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 9
|rowspan="4" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Bill Clinton]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|43|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{steady}} 0
![[1992 United States Senate elections|1992]]
|-
![[1994 United States House of Representatives elections|1994]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|230|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 54
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|53|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 8
![[1994 United States Senate elections|1994]]
|-
![[1996 United States House of Representatives elections|1996]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|227|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 3
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|55|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 2
![[1996 United States Senate elections|1996]]
|-
![[1998 United States House of Representatives elections|1998]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|223|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 4
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|55|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{steady}} 0
![[1998 United States Senate elections|1998]]
|-
![[2000 United States House of Representatives elections|2000]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|221|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 2
|rowspan="4" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[George W. Bush]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|50|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 4
![[2000 United States Senate elections|2000]]{{efn|name=tie1|Republican Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] provided a [[List of tie-breaking votes cast by the vice president of the United States|tie-breaking vote]], initially giving Republicans a majority from [[First inauguration of George W. Bush|Inauguration Day]] until [[Jim Jeffords]] left the Republican Party to caucus with the Democrats on June 6, 2001.}}
|-
![[2002 United States House of Representatives elections|2002]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|229|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 8
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|51|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 2
![[2002 United States Senate elections|2002]]
|-
![[2004 United States House of Representatives elections|2004]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|232|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 3
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|55|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 4
![[2004 United States Senate elections|2004]]
|-
![[2006 United States House of Representatives elections|2006]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|202|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 30
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|49|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 6
![[2006 United States Senate elections|2006]]
|-
![[2008 United States House of Representatives elections|2008]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|178|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 21
|rowspan="4" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Barack Obama]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|41|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 8
![[2008 United States Senate elections|2008]]
|-
![[2010 United States House of Representatives elections|2010]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|242|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 63
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|47|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 6
![[2010 United States Senate elections|2010]]
|-
![[2012 United States House of Representatives elections|2012]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|234|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 8
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|45|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 2
![[2012 United States Senate elections|2012]]
|-
![[2014 United States House of Representatives elections|2014]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|247|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 13
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|54|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 9
![[2014 United States Senate elections|2014]]
|-
![[2016 United States House of Representatives elections|2016]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|241|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 6
|rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Donald Trump]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|52|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{decrease}} 2
![[2016 United States Senate elections|2016]]
|-
![[2018 United States House of Representatives elections|2018]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|200|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 41
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|53|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 1
![[2018 United States Senate elections|2018]]
|-
![[2020 United States House of Representatives elections|2020]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|213|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{increase}} 13
|rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Joe Biden]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|50|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}| {{decrease}} 3
![[2020 United States Senate elections|2020]]{{efn|name=tie2|Democratic Vice President [[Kamala Harris]] provided a [[List of tie-breaking votes cast by the vice president of the United States|tie-breaking vote]], giving Democrats a majority from [[Inauguration of Joe Biden|Inauguration Day]] until the end of the [[117th Congress]].}}
|-
![[2022 United States House of Representatives elections|2022]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{Composition bar|222|435|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}}|{{increase}} 9
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{Composition bar|49|100|hex={{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|{{decrease}} 1
![[2022 United States Senate elections|2022]]
|}

=== In presidential elections: 1856–present ===
{{See also|List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets}}

{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Election
!Presidential ticket
!Votes
!Vote %
!Electoral votes
!+/–
!Result
|-
|align=center|[[1856 United States presidential election|1856]]
|[[John C. Frémont]]/[[William L. Dayton]]
|align=center|1,342,345
|align=center|33.1
|align=left|{{Composition bar|114|296|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|''New party''
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1860 United States presidential election|1860]]
|[[Abraham Lincoln]]/[[Hannibal Hamlin]]
|align=center|1,865,908
|align=center|39.8
|align=left|{{Composition bar|180|303|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}66
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1864 United States presidential election|1864]]
|[[Abraham Lincoln]]/[[Andrew Johnson]]
|align=center|2,218,388
|align=center|55.0
|align=left|{{Composition bar|212|233|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}32
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1868 United States presidential election|1868]]
|[[Ulysses S. Grant]]/[[Schuyler Colfax]]
|align=center|3,013,421
|align=center|52.7
|align=left|{{Composition bar|214|294|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}2
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1872 United States presidential election|1872]]
|[[Ulysses S. Grant]]/[[Henry Wilson]]
|align=center|3,598,235
|align=center|55.6
|align=left|{{Composition bar|286|352|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}72
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1876 United States presidential election|1876]]
|[[Rutherford B. Hayes]]/[[William A. Wheeler]]
|align=center|4,034,311
|align=center|47.9
|align=left|{{Composition bar|185|369|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}134
|{{won}}{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Although Hayes won a majority of votes in the Electoral College, Democrat [[Samuel J. Tilden]] won a majority of the popular vote.}}
|-
|align=center|[[1880 United States presidential election|1880]]
|[[James A. Garfield]]/[[Chester A. Arthur]]
|align=center|4,446,158
|align=center|48.3
|align=left|{{Composition bar|214|369|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}29
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1884 United States presidential election|1884]]
|[[James G. Blaine]]/[[John A. Logan]]
|align=center|4,856,905
|align=center|48.3
|align=left|{{Composition bar|182|401|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}32
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1888 United States presidential election|1888]]
|[[Benjamin Harrison]]/[[Levi P. Morton]]
|align=center|5,443,892
|align=center|47.8
|align=left|{{Composition bar|233|401|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}51
|{{won}}{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Although Harrison won a majority of votes in the Electoral College, Democrat [[Grover Cleveland]] won a plurality of the popular vote.}}
|-
|align=center|[[1892 United States presidential election|1892]]
|[[Benjamin Harrison]]/[[Whitelaw Reid]]
|align=center|5,176,108
|align=center|43.0
|align=left|{{Composition bar|145|444|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}88
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1896 United States presidential election|1896]]
|[[William McKinley]]/[[Garret Hobart]]
|align=center|7,111,607
|align=center|51.0
|align=left|{{Composition bar|271|447|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}126
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1900 United States presidential election|1900]]
|[[William McKinley]]/[[Theodore Roosevelt]]
|align=center|7,228,864
|align=center|51.6
|align=left|{{Composition bar|292|447|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}21
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1904 United States presidential election|1904]]
|[[Theodore Roosevelt]]/[[Charles W. Fairbanks]]
|align=center|7,630,457
|align=center|56.4
|align=left|{{Composition bar|336|476|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}44
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1908 United States presidential election|1908]]
|[[William Howard Taft]]/[[James S. Sherman]]
|align=center|7,678,395
|align=center|51.6
|align=left|{{Composition bar|321|483|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}15
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1912 United States presidential election|1912]]
|[[William Howard Taft]]/[[Nicholas M. Butler]]{{efn|Incumbent vice-president [[James S. Sherman]] was re-nominated as Taft's running-mate, but died six days prior to the election. Butler was chosen to receive the Republican vice-presidential votes after the election.}}
|align=center|3,486,242
|align=center|23.2
|align=left|{{Composition bar|8|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}313
|{{lost}}{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Taft finished in third place in both the electoral and popular vote, behind [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]].}}
|-
|align=center|[[1916 United States presidential election|1916]]
|[[Charles Evans Hughes|Charles E. Hughes]]/[[Charles W. Fairbanks]]
|align=center|8,548,728
|align=center|46.1
|align=left|{{Composition bar|254|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}246
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1920 United States presidential election|1920]]
|[[Warren G. Harding]]/[[Calvin Coolidge]]
|align=center|16,144,093
|align=center|60.3
|align=left|{{Composition bar|404|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}150
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1924 United States presidential election|1924]]
|[[Calvin Coolidge]]/[[Charles G. Dawes]]
|align=center|15,723,789
|align=center|54.0
|align=left|{{Composition bar|382|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}22
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1928 United States presidential election|1928]]
|[[Herbert Hoover]]/[[Charles Curtis]]
|align=center|21,427,123
|align=center|58.2
|align=left|{{Composition bar|444|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}62
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1932 United States presidential election|1932]]
|[[Herbert Hoover]]/[[Charles Curtis]]
|align=center|15,761,254
|align=center|39.7
|align=left|{{Composition bar|59|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}385
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1936 United States presidential election|1936]]
|[[Alf Landon]]/[[Frank Knox]]
|align=center|16,679,543
|align=center|36.5
|align=left|{{Composition bar|8|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}51
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1940 United States presidential election|1940]]
|[[Wendell Willkie]]/[[Charles L. McNary]]
|align=center|22,347,744
|align=center|44.8
|align=left|{{Composition bar|82|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}74
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1944 United States presidential election|1944]]
|[[Thomas E. Dewey]]/[[John W. Bricker]]
|align=center|22,017,929
|align=center|45.9
|align=left|{{Composition bar|99|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}17
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1948 United States presidential election|1948]]
|[[Thomas E. Dewey]]/[[Earl Warren]]
|align=center|21,991,292
|align=center|45.1
|align=left|{{Composition bar|189|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}90
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1952 United States presidential election|1952]]
|[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]/[[Richard Nixon]]
|align=center|34,075,529
|align=center|55.2
|align=left|{{Composition bar|442|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}253
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1956 United States presidential election|1956]]
|[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]/[[Richard Nixon]]
|align=center|35,579,180
|align=center|57.4
|align=left|{{Composition bar|457|531|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}15
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1960 United States presidential election|1960]]
|[[Richard Nixon]]/[[Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.]]
|align=center|34,108,157
|align=center|49.6
|align=left|{{Composition bar|219|537|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}238
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1964 United States presidential election|1964]]
|[[Barry Goldwater]]/[[William E. Miller]]
|align=center|27,175,754
|align=center|38.5
|align=left|{{Composition bar|52|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}167
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1968 United States presidential election|1968]]
|[[Richard Nixon]]/[[Spiro Agnew]]
|align=center|31,783,783
|align=center|43.4
|align=left|{{Composition bar|301|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}249
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1972 United States presidential election|1972]]
|[[Richard Nixon]]/[[Spiro Agnew]]
|align=center|47,168,710
|align=center|60.7
|align=left|{{Composition bar|520|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}219
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]
|[[Gerald Ford]]/[[Bob Dole]]
|align=center|38,148,634
|align=center|48.0
|align=left|{{Composition bar|240|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}280
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1980 United States presidential election|1980]]
|[[Ronald Reagan]]/[[George H. W. Bush]]
|align=center|43,903,230
|align=center|50.7
|align=left|{{Composition bar|489|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}249
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1984 United States presidential election|1984]]
|[[Ronald Reagan]]/[[George H. W. Bush]]
|align=center|54,455,472
|align=center|58.8
|align=left|{{Composition bar|525|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}36
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1988 United States presidential election|1988]]
|[[George H. W. Bush]]/[[Dan Quayle]]
|align=center|48,886,097
|align=center|53.4
|align=left|{{Composition bar|426|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}99
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[1992 United States presidential election|1992]]
|[[George H. W. Bush]]/[[Dan Quayle]]
|align=center|39,104,550
|align=center|37.4
|align=left|{{Composition bar|168|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}258
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[1996 United States presidential election|1996]]
|[[Bob Dole]]/[[Jack Kemp]]
|align=center|39,197,469
|align=center|40.7
|align=left|{{Composition bar|159|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}9
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[2000 United States presidential election|2000]]
|[[George W. Bush]]/[[Dick Cheney]]
|align=center|50,456,002
|align=center|47.9
|align=left|{{Composition bar|271|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}112
|{{won}}{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Although Bush won a majority of votes in the Electoral College, Democrat [[Al Gore]] won a plurality of the popular vote.}}
|-
|align=center|[[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]
|[[George W. Bush]]/[[Dick Cheney]]
|align=center|62,040,610
|align=center|50.7
|align=left|{{Composition bar|286|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}15
|{{won}}
|-
|align=center|[[2008 United States presidential election|2008]]
|[[John McCain]]/[[Sarah Palin]]
|align=center|59,948,323
|align=center|45.7
|align=left|{{Composition bar|173|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}113
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[2012 United States presidential election|2012]]
|[[Mitt Romney]]/[[Paul Ryan]]
|align=center|60,933,504
|align=center|47.2
|align=left|{{Composition bar|206|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}33
|{{lost}}
|-
|align=center|[[2016 United States presidential election|2016]]
|[[Donald Trump]]/[[Mike Pence]]
|align=center|62,984,828
|align=center|46.1
|align=left|{{Composition bar|304|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{increase}}98
|{{won}}{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Although Trump won a majority of votes in the Electoral College, Democrat [[Hillary Clinton]] won a plurality of the popular vote.}}
|-
|align=center|[[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]
|[[Donald Trump]]/[[Mike Pence]]
|align=center|74,216,154
|align=center|46.9
|align=left|{{Composition bar|232|538|hex=#FF0000}}
|align=left|{{decrease}}72
|{{lost}}
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Politics|Conservatism|United States}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[List of African-American Republicans]]
* [[List of Hispanic and Latino Republicans]]
* [[List of state parties of the Republican Party (United States)]]
* [[Political party strength in U.S. states]]
{{div col end}}

{{clear}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}
{{notelist-ua}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Main|Bibliography of the history of the Republican Party}}
<!-- Alphabetical order please. -->
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* ''The Almanac of American Politics 2022'' (2022) details on members of Congress, and the governors: their records and election results; also state and district politics; revised every two years since 1975. [https://www.amazon.com/Almanac-American-Politics-Richard-Cohen/dp/195237409X/ details]; see [[The Almanac of American Politics]]
* ''American National Biography'' (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries and at [https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/84/ Wikipedia Library].
* Aberbach, Joel D., ed. and Peele, Gillian, ed. ''Crisis of Conservatism?: The Republican Party, the Conservative Movement, and American Politics after Bush'' (Oxford UP, 2011). 403pp
* Aistrup, Joseph A. ''The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South'' (1996).
* Black, Earl and Merle Black. ''The Rise of Southern Republicans'' (2002).
* Bowen, Michael, ''The Roots of Modern Conservatism: Dewey, Taft, and the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party.'' (U of North Carolina Press, 2011). xii, 254pp.
* Brennan, Mary C. ''Turning Right in the Sixties: The Conservative Capture of the GOP'' (1995).
* Conger, Kimberly H. ''The Christian Right in Republican State Politics'' (2010) 202 pages; focuses on Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri.
* Crane, Michael. ''The Political Junkie Handbook: The Definitive Reference Books on Politics'' (2004) covers all the major issues explaining the parties' positions.
* Critchlow, Donald T. ''The Conservative Ascendancy: How the Republican Right Rose to Power in Modern America'' (2nd ed. 2011).
* Ehrman, John, ''The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan'' (2005).
* Fauntroy, Michael K. ''Republicans and the Black vote'' (2007).
* {{cite book |last=Fried|first=J|title=Democrats and Republicans – Rhetoric and Reality|publisher=Algora Publishing|location=New York|year=2008}}
* Frank, Thomas. ''What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America'' (2005).
* [[David Frum|Frum, David.]] ''What's Right: The New Conservative Majority and the Remaking of America'' (1996).
* {{cite book|last=Gould|first=Lewis|title=Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans|year=2003|publisher=Random House |isbn=0375507418|url=https://archive.org/details/grandoldpartyhis00goul|url-access=registration}}
* Hemmer, Nicole. ''Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s'' (2022)
* {{cite book|last=Jensen|first=Richard|title=Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854–1983|date=1983|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, CT|url=https://www.questia.com/library/2038656/grass-roots-politics-parties-issues-and-voters|isbn=083716382X|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-date=May 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519103011/https://www.questia.com/library/2038656/grass-roots-politics-parties-issues-and-voters|url-status=dead}}
* [[John Judis|Judis, John B.]] and [[Ruy Teixeira]]. ''The Emerging Democratic Majority'' (2004), two Democrats project social trends.
* Kabaservice, Geoffrey. ''Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party'' (2012) scholarly history {{ISBN|978-0199768400}}.
* Kleppner, Paul, et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983), applies party systems model.
* Kurian, George Thomas ed. ''The Encyclopedia of the Republican Party'' (4 vol., 2002).
* Lamis, Alexander P. ed. ''Southern Politics in the 1990s'' (1999).
* Levendusky, Matthew. ''The Partisan Sort: How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans'' (2009). Chicago Studies in American Politics.
* Mason, Robert. ''The Republican Party and American Politics from Hoover to Reagan'' (2011).
* Mason, Robert and Morgan, Iwan (eds.) ''Seeking a New Majority: The Republican Party and American Politics, 1960–1980.'' (2013) Nashville, TN. Vanderbilt University Press. 2013.
* Mayer, George H. ''The Republican Party, 1854–1966.'' 2d ed. (1967).
* {{cite book|last=McPherson|first=James M.|title=Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era|year=1988|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford; New York|isbn=978-0195038637|title-link=Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era}}
* Oakes, James. ''The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution'' (W.W. Norton, 2021).
* Oakes, James. ''Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861–1865'' (W. W. Norton, 2012)
* [[Rick Perlstein|Perlstein, Rick]]. ''Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus'' (2002), broad account of 1964.
* Perlstein, Rick. ''[[Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America]]'' (2009).
* Reinhard, David W. ''The Republican Right since 1945'' (1983).
* Rutland, Robert Allen. ''The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush'' (1996).
* [[Larry Sabato|Sabato, Larry J.]] ''Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election'' (2005).
* Sabato, Larry J. and Bruce Larson. ''The Party's Just Begun: Shaping Political Parties for America's Future'' (2001), textbook.
* [[Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.|Schlesinger, Arthur Meier Jr.]] ed. ''History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2000'' (various multivolume editions, latest is 2001). Essays on the most important election are reprinted in Schlesinger, ''The Coming to Power: Critical presidential elections in American history'' (1972). [https://archive.org/search?query=title%3A%28%20History%20of%20American%20Presidential%20Elections%29%20AND%20creator%3A%28Schlesinger%29 online editions]
* Shafer, Byron E. and Anthony J. Badger, eds. ''Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775–2000'' (2001), long essays by specialists on each time period:
** includes: "To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs": 1820–1865 by [[Joel H. Silbey]]; "Change and Continuity in the Party Period: 1835–1885" by Michael F. Holt; "The Transformation of American Politics: 1865–1910" by Peter H. Argersinger; "Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: 1885–1930" by Richard Jensen; "The Limits of Federal Power and Social Policy: 1910–1955" by Anthony J. Badger; "The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness: 1930–1980" by James T. Patterson; and "Economic Growth, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government: 1955–2000" by Byron E. Shafer.
* Shafer, Byron and Richard Johnston. ''The End of Southern Exceptionalism'' (2006), uses statistical election data and polls to argue GOP growth was primarily a response to economic change.
* Steely, Mel. ''The Gentleman from Georgia: The Biography of Newt Gingrich'' Mercer University Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0865546711}}.
* Sundquist, James L. ''Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States'' (1983).
* Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''[[The Right Nation]]: Conservative Power in America'' (2004).
{{Refend}}

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{{Republican Party|state=expanded}}
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