Republican Party

Although now mostly associated with conservative political philosophy, the United States Republican Party has long had a liberal wing.

In the late 20th century, those in this wing were often called Rockefeller Republicans, a reference to the former New York governor and vice president Nelson A. Rockefeller.

Liberals in the Republican party were competitive with the conservative wing of the party from the Progressive era until the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan's presidency marked the triumph of the conservative wing. During the 1960s, the two wings of the party were epitomized by liberal Rockefeller and conservative Barry M. Goldwater.

This is not always a cut-and-dried issue. Senator John S. McCain III is considered liberal on many issues, and voted against the George W. Bush Administration's proposed energy and prescription drug legislation, as well as the Federal Marriage Amendment, but he is considered the political protégé of Goldwater and identifies himself as a staunch conservative. McCain could be identified as a classical conservative, a group which views modern social conservatives and neoconservatives as dangerous radicals.

List of liberal or "Rockefeller" Republicans

• John B. Anderson -- former U.S. representative from Illinois, 3rd party candidate for President, 1980
• Sherwood Boehlert -- U.S. representative from New York
• Michael R. Bloomberg -- mayor of New York
• Edward W. Brooke -- U.S. senator from Massachusetts
• John H. Chafee -- U.S. senator from Rhode Island
• Lincoln D. Chafee -- U.S. senator from Rhode Island
• William S. Cohen -- U.S. senator from Maine; secretary of defense
• Susan Collins -- U.S. senator from Maine
• Barber Conable -- U.S. representative from New York and president of the World Bank
• Thomas Dewey -- governor of New York
• Rudolph W. Giuliani -- mayor of New York
• Mark O. Hatfield -- Governor of Oregon, U.S. senator from Oregon
• John Heinz -- U.S. senator from Pennsylvania
• Frank J. Horton -- U.S. representative from New York
• Amory Houghton -- U.S. representative from New York
• Jacob K. Javits -- U.S. senator from New York
• Kenneth Keating -- U.S. senator from New York
• Robert M. La Follette, Sr. -- governor of Wisconsin and U.S. senator from Wisconsin
• Robert M. La Follette, Jr. -- U.S. senator from Wisconsin
• Fiorello H. LaGuardia -- New York City mayor
• John V. Lindsay -- U.S. representative from New York, New York City mayor
• Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. -- U.S. senator from Massachusetts
• Charles McC. Mathias -- U.S. senator from Maryland
• Thomas L. McCall -- Governor of Oregon
• Constance A. Morella -- U.S. representative from Maryland
• Wayne L. Morse -- U.S. senator from Oregon
• Robert W. Packwood - U.S. senator from Oregon
• George Pataki -- governor of New York
• Jack Quinn -- U.S. representative from New York
• Richard J. Riordan -- Mayor of Los Angeles
• George W. Romney -- governor of Michigan
• Nelson A. Rockefeller -- governor of New York, Vice President of the United States.
• Theodore Roosevelt -- President of the United States
• Chris Shays -- U.S. representative from Connecticut
• William W. Scranton -- governor of Pennsylvania
• Margaret Chase Smith -- U.S. senator from Maine
• Olympia Snowe -- U.S. senator from Maine
• Arlen Specter -- U.S. senator from Pennsylvania
• Harold Stassen -- Governor of Minnesota
• James R. "Big Jim" Thompson -- governor of Illinois
• Earl Warren -- Governor of California and Chief Justice of the United States
• Lowell P. Weicker Jr. -- U.S. senator from Connecticut, governor of Connecticut
• William F. Weld -- governor of Massachusetts
• Wendell Willkie -- Republican candidate for president
• Malcolm Wilson -- Governor of New York

See also

• Log Cabin Republicans
• Republican In Name Only
• South Park Republican
• Republican Liberty Caucus

External Links

• SavetheGOP.com - Organization dedicated to opposing liberal Republicans