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{{For|comparison with other parties|Political parties in the United States#Politics comparison}}

<!-- Before changing the position section of the infobox, please review past discussions on the talk page (in the archives if not found on the main page) and start a discussion yourself before making any changes if you still plan on doing so. -->
{{Infobox American Political Party
|party_name = Republican Party
|party_articletitle = Republican Party
|party_logo = [[Image:Republicanlogo.svg|200px|"Republican Party Elephant" logo]]
|website = [http://www.gop.com www.gop.com]
|headquarters = 310 First Street NE<br> [[Washington, D.C.]]<br>20003
|chairman = [[Michael Steele]] (R-[[Maryland|MD]])
|president =
|houseleader = [[John Boehner]] <br /> (R-[[Ohio|OH]])
|senateleader = [[Mitch McConnell]] <br /> (R-[[Kentucky|KY]])
|foundation = 1854
|ideology = ''Modern:''<br>[[Conservatism in the United States|'''Conservatism''']]<br>[[Social conservatism]]<br>[[Fiscal conservatism]]<br>[[Economic liberalism]]<br>[[Neoconservatism]]<br><br>''Historical:'' <br> [[Abolitionism]] <br> [[Classical liberalism]] <br> [[Progressivism]] <br> [[Paleoconservatism]]<br><br>
|fiscalpolicy = [[Centre-right|Center-right]]
|socialpolicy = [[Centre-right|Center-right]]
|international = [[International Democrat Union]]
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The '''Republican Party''' is one of the two [[major party|major]] contemporary [[political parties in the United States]], along with the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. Founded by abolitionists in 1854, it is often called the '''Grand Old Party''' or the '''GOP'''. Today the party supports a [[centre-right|center-right]] platform.

The Republican Party has the [[Political party strength in U.S. states|second most registered voters]] as of 2004 with 55 million, encompassing roughly one-third of the electorate.<ref name="Neuhart, P. (January 22, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''.">{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/neuharth/2004-01-22-neuharth_x.htm|title=Neuhart, P. (January 22, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref> Polls over the last year have found that twenty-one to twenty-six percent of Americans self-identify as Republicans.<ref>[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/parsing-the-polls/21-percent.html ''The Washington Post'', "The Republican Shrinkage Problem", 4/29/2009, Accessed 6/15/2009 ]</ref><ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22946.html ''Politico'', "Self-Identified Independents Surge in Poll", 5/26/09, Accessed 6/15/09]</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_042609.html Washington Post-ABC News Poll, April 21-24 2009, Accessed 6/15/09]</ref>

There have been nineteen Republican [[President of the United States|Presidents]]. Republicans currently fill a minority of seats in both the [[United States Senate]] and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], hold a minority of [[List of current United States governors|state governorships]], and control a minority of [[List of U.S. state legislatures|state legislatures]].

==History==
{{Main|History of the United States Republican Party}}
[[Image:Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg|140px|thumb|left|[[Abraham Lincoln]] was the first Republican president (1861–1865)]]


Founded in [[Ripon, Wisconsin]], in 1854 by [[Abolitionism|anti-slavery]] expansion activists and modernizers,<ref>Wyeth, Newton. Republican Principles and Policies: A Brief History of the Republican National Party. Harvard, MA: Republic Press, 1916. Print.</ref> the Republican Party quickly surpassed the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]] as the principal opposition to the Democratic Party.<ref>Rapaport, Ronald, and Walter Stone. Three's a crowd: the dynamic of third parties, Ross Perot, & Republican resurgence. 1st ed. University of Michigan Press, 2005 ISBN 0472114530, 9780472114535</ref> It first came to power in 1860 with the election of [[Abraham Lincoln]] to the presidency and presided over the [[American Civil War]] and [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]].<ref>Franklin, John Hope. Reconstruction after the Civil War. University of Chicago Press, 1995 ISBN 0226260798, 9780226260792</ref><ref>Foner, Eric. Politics and Ideology in the Age of the Civil War. Oxford University Press, 1981 ISBN 0195029267, 9780195029260</ref>

The party began to form in the late 1840s, though it would take opposing the [[Kansas-Nebraska Act]] to unify the party. <ref>p.168 Gienapp, William. The Origins of the Republican Party. 1989 ISBN 0195055012</ref> Their first official party convention was held on July 6, 1854 in [[Jackson, Michigan]].<ref>p.43 Stocking, William. Under the oaks. Detroit: 1904.</ref> The Republican's initial base was in the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] and the party solidified its position as the [[Two-party system|second party]] with the nomination of [[John C. Fremont]] in the [[United States presidential election, 1856|1856 Presidential election]]. Early Republican ideology was reflected in the 1856 slogan ''free labor, free land, free men.'' "Free labor" referred to the Republican belief in a mobile middle class that left the workforce and set up small businesses. "Free land" referred to Republican efforts to facilitate this spirit of [[entrepreneurship]] by giving away government owned land. The Party hoped that this rapid growth would help check, and eventually end slavery.<ref>Foner, Eric. Free soil, free labor, free men: the ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War. 2nd. Oxford University Press, 1995 ISBN 0195094972, 9780195094978</ref> Abraham Lincoln received the Republican nomination in 1860 and subsequently won the presidency.<ref>http://www.uselectionatlas.org/USPRESIDENT/GENERAL/pe1860.html</ref> The party remained a part of the Union during the [[American Civil War]] and presided over [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]]. In the [[United States presidential election, 1864|election of 1864]] a majority of Republicans united with pro-war Democrats to nominate Lincoln to the [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]] ticket. A faction of [[Radical Republicans]] split with the party and formed the [[Radical Democracy Party]]. This group chose John C. Frémont as its presidential candidate, before reaching a political agreement and withdrawing from the election in September 1864.

The party's success created factionalism within the party in the 1870s. Those disturbed by [[Ulysses S. Grant]] ran [[Horace Greeley]] for the presidency against him. The Stalwarts defended the [[spoils system]]; the Half-Breeds pushed for reform of the [[civil service]]. The GOP supported big business generally, hard money (i.e., the [[gold standard]]), high [[Tariffs in American history|tariffs]], generous pensions for Union veterans, and the annexation of [[Hawaii]]. The Republicans supported the [[Protestantism|Protestants]] who demanded [[Prohibition]]. As the Northern post-bellum economy boomed with heavy and light industry, railroads, mines, fast-growing cities and prosperous agriculture, the Republicans took credit and promoted policies to sustain the fast growth. But by 1890, the Republicans had agreed to the [[Sherman Antitrust Act]] and the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] in response to complaints from owners of small businesses and farmers. The high [[McKinley Tariff]] of 1890 hurt the party and the Democrats swept to a landslide in the off-year elections, even defeating McKinley himself.

After the two terms of Democrat [[Grover Cleveland]], the election of [[William McKinley]] in [[United States presidential election, 1896|1896]] is widely seen as a resurgence of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a [[realigning election]]. McKinley promised that high tariffs would end the severe hardship caused by the [[Panic of 1893]], and that the GOP would guarantee a sort of pluralism in which all groups would benefit. The Republicans were cemented as the party of business, though mitigated by the succession of [[Theodore Roosevelt]] who embraced [[trust-busting]]. He later ran on a third party ticket of the [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive Party]] and challenged his previous successor [[William Howard Taft]]. The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of opposition to the [[League of Nations]], high tariffs, and promotion of business interests. [[Warren G. Harding]], [[Calvin Coolidge]] and [[Herbert Hoover]] were resoundingly elected in [[United States presidential election, 1920|1920]], [[United States presidential election, 1924|1924]], and [[United States presidential election, 1928|1928]] respectively. The [[Teapot Dome scandal]] threatened to hurt the party but Harding died and Coolidge blamed everything on him, as the opposition splintered in 1924. The pro-business policies of the decade seemed to produce an unprecedented prosperity until the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] heralded the [[Great Depression]].

The [[New Deal coalition]] of Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt controlled American politics for most of the next three decades, excepting the two-term presidency of Republican [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. [[African American]]s began moving toward favoring the Democratic Party during Roosevelt's time. After Roosevelt took office in 1933, New Deal legislation sailed through Congress at lightning speed. In the 1934 midterm elections, 10 Republican senators went down to defeat, leaving them with only 25 against 71 Democrats. The House of Representatives was split in a similar ratio. The "Second New Deal" was heavily criticized by the Republicans in Congress, who likened it to [[class conflict|class warfare]] and [[socialism]]. The volume of legislation, and the inability of the Republicans to block it, soon made the opposition to Roosevelt develop into bitterness. Conservative Democrats, mostly from the South, joined with Republicans led by Senator [[Robert Taft]] to create the [[conservative coalition]], which dominated domestic issues in Congress until 1964.

The second half of the 20th century saw election of Republican presidents [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], [[Richard Nixon]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[George H. W. Bush]], and [[George W. Bush]]. The Republican Party, led by House Republican Minority Whip [[Newt Gingrich]] campaigning on a ''[[Contract with America]]'', were elected to majorities to both houses of Congress in the [[Republican Revolution]] of 1994. Their majorities were generally held until the Democrats regained control in the mid-term election of 2006. In the 21st century the Republican Party is defined by [[social conservatism]], an [[Preemptive war|aggressive]] foreign policy to defeat terrorism and promote global democracy, a more powerful [[Executive (government)|executive branch]], tax cuts, and deregulation and subsidization of industry.

In the [[United States presidential election, 2008|Presidential election of 2008]], the party's nominees were Senator [[John McCain]], of [[Arizona]], for President and [[Alaska]] Governor [[Sarah Palin]] for Vice President.

==Name and symbols==
[[Image:NastRepublicanElephant.jpg|right|300px|thumb|1874 Nast cartoon featuring the first notable appearance of the Republican elephant<ref>[http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7 Cartoon of the Day: "The Third-Term Panic"]. Retrieved on [[2008-09-01]].</ref>]]
The party's founding members chose the name "Republican Party" in the mid-1850s in part as an [[homage]] to [[Thomas Jefferson]] (it was the name initially used by his party).<ref>{{cite book | author=[[Joyce Appleby|Appleby, Joyce]] | title=Thomas Jefferson | year=2003 | page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Rutland, Robert Allen | title=The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush | year=1996 | page=2}}</ref> The name echoed the 1776 [[Republicanism in the United States|republican]] values of civic virtue and opposition to aristocracy and corruption.<ref>{{cite book | author=Gould, Lewis | title=Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans | year=2003| page=14–15}}</ref>

The term "Grand Old Party" is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the initialism "G.O.P." (or "GOP") is a commonly used designation. According to the Republican Party, the term "gallant old party" was used in 1875.<ref>[http://staging.gop.com/About/AboutRead.aspx?AboutType=5 Origin of the GOP]</ref> According to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', the first known reference to the Republican Party as the "grand old party" came in 1876. The first use of the abbreviation GOP is dated 1884.

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>[http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&Month=November&Date=7 Cartoon of the Day: "The Third-Term Panic"]. Retrieved on [[2007-02-21]].</ref> In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]] was the [[eagle]], as opposed to the Democratic [[rooster]]. This symbol still appears on Indiana, New York<ref>http://www.schenectadycounty.com/FullStory.aspx?m=320&amid=930</ref>, and West Virginia<ref>http://www.wvsos.com/elections/ballots/barbourgen.pdf</ref> ballots.

After the [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 election]], the color red became associated with the GOP, although it has not been officially adopted by the party. That election night, for the first time, all of 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. Although the assignment of colors to political parties is unofficial and informal, they have come to be widely recognized by the media and the public to represent the respective political parties ''(see [[Political color]] and [[Red states and blue states]] for more details)''.{{Fact|date=May 2009}}

==Structure and composition==
{{further|[[Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties]]}}
The [[Republican National Committee]] (RNC) is responsible for promoting Republican campaign activities. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. Its current chairman is [[Michael S. Steele]]. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House or otherwise by the Party's state committees. The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the [[Republican National Convention]], raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.

The Republican House and Senate caucuses have separate [[fundraising]] and strategy committees. The [[National Republican Congressional Committee]] (NRCC) assists in House races, and the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]] (NRSC) in Senate races. They each raise over $100 million per election cycle, and play important roles in recruiting strong state candidates. The [[Republican Governors Association]] (RGA) is a discussion group that seldom funds state races; it is currently chaired by Governor [[Rick Perry]] of Texas.

==Ideology and political positions==
{{Further|[[Factions in the Republican Party (United States)]]}}
{{Politics of the United States}}
The Republican Party includes [[Fiscal conservatism|fiscal conservatives]], [[Social conservatism|social conservatives]], [[Neoconservatism|neoconservatives]], and economic [[Libertarianism|libertarians]].

===Economic policies===
Republicans emphasize the role of [[free market]] decision making in fostering economic prosperity. They favor [[laissez-faire]] [[free market]]s, [[economic liberalism|economic liberty]], [[fiscal conservatism]], [[Responsibility assumption|personal responsibility]], and policies supporting business.

A leading economic theory advocated by modern Republicans is [[supply-side economics]]. Some fiscal policies influenced by this theory were popularly known as "[[Reaganomics]]," a term popularized during the Presidential administrations of [[Ronald Reagan]]. This theory holds that reduced income tax rates increase [[GDP]] growth and thereby generate the same or more revenue for the government from the smaller tax on the extra growth. This belief is reflected, in part, by the party's long-term advocacy of tax cuts. Many Republicans consider the income tax system to be inherently inefficient and oppose graduated tax rates, which they believe are unfairly targeted at those who create jobs and wealth. They believe private spending is usually more efficient than government spending.

Most Republicans agree there should be a "safety net" to assist the less fortunate; however, they tend to believe the private sector is more effective in helping the poor than government is; as a result, Republicans support giving government grants to faith-based and other private charitable organizations to supplant welfare spending. Members of the GOP also believe that limits on eligibility and benefits must be in place to ensure the safety net is not abused. Republicans introduced and strongly supported the [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act|welfare reform of 1996]], which was signed into law by Democratic President Clinton, and which limited eligibility for welfare, successfully leading to many former welfare recipients finding jobs.<ref>{{cite press release |title=New Report Shows Welfare Reform Success in Increasing Work and Raising Incomes |publisher=House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources |date=[[2003-04-07]] |url=http://waysandmeans.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=print&ID=64 |accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref>

The party opposes a [[single-payer health care]] system, believing such a system constitutes [[socialized medicine]] and is in favor of a personal or employer-based system of insurance, supplemented by [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] for the elderly and [[Medicaid]], which covers approximately 40% of the poor.<ref>[http://www2.citizen.org/hrg/medicaid/assets/reports/2007UnsettlingScores.pdf Unsettling Scores: A Ranking of State Medicaid Programs, P. 15]</ref> The GOP has a mixed record of supporting the historically popular [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]], [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid]] programs, all of which Republicans initially opposed. On the one hand, congressional Republicans and the Bush administration supported a reduction in Medicaid's growth rate.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wachino |first=Victoria |title=The House Budget Committee's Proposed Medicaid and SCHIP Cuts Are Larger Than Those The Administration Proposed |publisher=[[Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]] |url=http://www.cbpp.org/3-10-05health.htm |date=[[2005-03-10]]|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref> On the other hand, congressional Republicans expanded Medicare, supporting a new drug plan for seniors starting in 2006.
Republicans are generally opposed by [[trade union|labor union]] management and members, and have supported various legislation on the state and federal levels, including [[right to work]] legislation and the [[Taft-Hartley Act]], which gives workers the right not to participate in unions, as opposed to a [[closed shop]], which prohibits workers from choosing not to join unions in workplaces. Republicans generally oppose increases in the [[minimum wage]], believing that minimum wage increases hurt many businesses by forcing them to cut jobs and services as well as raise the prices of goods to compensate for the decrease in profit.

===Separation of powers and balance of powers===
Many current Republicans voice support of "[[strict constructionism]]," the judicial philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted narrowly and as close to the original intent as is practicable rather than a more flexible "living Constitution" model.<ref>[http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/issues/judges.html On the Issues: Supreme Court]<!--It's only McCain's position, so a better ref would be good, but any comparison of the 2008 Republican candidates should show them all agreeing.--></ref> Most Republicans point to [[Roe v. Wade]] as a case of [[judicial activism]], where the court overturned most laws restricting abortion on the basis of a [[privacy law|right to privacy]] inferred from the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] and the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]]. Some Republicans have actively sought to block judges whom they see as being [[judicial activism|activist judges]] and have sought the appointment of judges who claim to practice [[judicial restraint]]. Other Republicans, though, argue that it is the right of judges to extend the interpretation of the Constitution and judge actions by the legislative or executive branches as legal or [[Constitutionality|unconstitutional]] on previously unarticulated grounds. The issue of [[judicial deference]] to the legislature is a matter of some debate&nbsp;— like the Democrats, most Republicans criticize court decisions which overturn their own (conservative) legislation as overstepping bounds and support decisions which overturn opposing legislation. Some commentators have advocated that the Republicans take a more aggressive approach and support legislative supremacy more firmly.<ref>[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZTZmYzY4YzkzYzYxMjY4MzAxZjI4NDdjMmVlYTNmMDQ= Judicial Restraint]</ref>

The Republican party has supported various bills within the last decade to strip some or all federal courts of the ability to hear certain types of cases, in an attempt to limit judicial review. These [[jurisdiction stripping]] laws have included removing federal review of the recognition of same-sex marriage with the [[Marriage Protection Act of 2007|Marriage Protection Act]],<ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040722-121146-3494r.htm Washington Times - House to debate court stripping<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance with the [[Pledge Protection Act]], and the rights of detainees in Guantanamo Bay in the [[Detainee Treatment Act]]. The last of these limitations was overruled by the Supreme Court in [[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]].

Compared with Democrats, many Republicans believe in a more robust version of [[federalism]] with greater limitations placed upon [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] power and a larger role reserved for the [[U.S. state|States]]. Following this view on [[federalism]], Republicans often take a less expansive reading of congressional power under the [[Commerce Clause]], such as in the opinion of [[William Rehnquist]] in ''[[United States v. Lopez]]''. Many Republicans on the more libertarian wing wish for a more dramatic narrowing of [[Commerce Clause]] power by revisiting, among other cases, ''[[Wickard v. Filburn]]'', a case that held that growing wheat on a farm for consumption on the same farm fell under congressional power to [[Commerce Clause|"regulate commerce ... among the several States"]].

President [[George W. Bush]] was a proponent of the [[unitary executive theory]] and cited it within his [[Signing statement (United States)|signing statements]] about legislation passed by Congress.<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/04/30/bush_challenges_hundreds_of_laws/ Bush challenges hundreds of laws] [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner.</ref> The administration's interpretation of the unitary executive theory was called seriously into question by ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]'', where the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that the President does not have sweeping powers to override or ignore laws through his power as commander in chief,<ref>"Why The Court Said No" by David Cole, New York Review of Books&nbsp;— [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19212]</ref> stating "the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails."<ref>Opinion of the court, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, pg 72, [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/05-184.pdf]</ref> Following the ruling, the Bush administration has sought Congressional authorization for programs started only on executive mandate, as was the case with the [[Military Commissions Act of 2006|Military Commissions Act]], or abandoned illegal programs it had previously asserted executive authority to enact, in the case of the [[National Security Agency]] [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|domestic wiretapping program]].

The Republican party supports the status quo of the current [[Political status of Puerto Rico#US Political parties|political status of Puerto Rico]], which is that the island is free to hold referendums to decide their status within the United States.

===Environmental policies===
Most Republicans are skeptical of anthropogenic [[global warming]] and question scientific studies on the impact of human activity on climate change, instead asserting that global warming is part of "natural" cyclical phenomenon, or caused by a number of other [[alternative science|alternative theories]].{{Fact|date=October 2008}} This is slowly changing due to more scientific research and increasing pressure from the international community, and in July 2008 the Bush administration acknowledged, at least in principle, the need to act on the issue of climate change.{{Fact|date=October 2008}} [[John McCain]], the Republican nominee for president in 2008, was a strong advocate of legislation to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Historically, the Republican Party has made several contributions to the protection of the environment. Republican President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was a prominent conservationist whose policies eventually led to the creation of the modern U.S. [[National Park Service]].<ref>{{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 |accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref> Also, President [[Richard Nixon]] was responsible for establishing the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |author=Nixon, Richard |title=Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970 |date=[[1970-07-09]] |url=http://www.epa.gov/history/org/origins/reorg.htm |accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref> More recently, [[California]] Republican Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], with the support of 16 other states, [[filing (legal)|sued]] the [[Federal government of the United States|Federal Government]] and the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] for the right to set vehicle emission standards higher than the [[US emission standard|Federal Standard]],<ref>{{cite web |author=Schwarzenegger, Arnold |title=California will Sue Federal Government|date=[[2007-12-07]] |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/20/california.emissions/ |accessdate=2008-01-08|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> a right to which California is entitled under the [[Clean Air Act]].

This association has weakened over time, though, as the Democratic Party came to also support environmentalism. President [[George W. Bush]] has publicly opposed ratification of the [[Kyoto Protocol]]s on the grounds that they unfairly targeted Western industrialized nations such as the United States while giving developing Global South polluters such as [[People's Republic of China|China]] and [[India]] a pass. Bill Clinton also never sent the Kyoto treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification as he also thought it unfair to the United States.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bush, George W. |title="Text of a Letter from the President"| date=[[2001-03-13]] |url=http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010314.html |archiveurl= |accessdate=2007-11-09}}{{Dead link|date=February 2009}}</ref>

In 2000, the Republican Party adopted as part of its platform support for the development of market-based solutions to environmental problems. According to the platform, "economic prosperity and environmental protection must advance together, environmental regulations should be based on science, the government’s role should be to provide market-based incentives to develop the technologies to meet environmental standards, we should ensure that environmental policy meets the needs of localities, and environmental policy should focus on achieving results processes."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Encourage Market-Based Solutions to Environmental Problems |journal=OnTheIssues |date=2000-08-12}}</ref> Although this platform was created for the [[Republican National Convention]], emphasis on these issues within the Republican Party has diminished in the past few years.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Paul Rauber |title=[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1525/is_n3_v81/ai_18229985 Elephant graveyard - how the Republican Party is handling environmental issues] |journal=Sierra |date=2006 May-June}}</ref>

The [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Fact Sheet: Harnessing the Power of Technology for a Secure Energy Future |date=[[2007-02-22]] |url=http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070222-2.html |accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref> along with several of the [[Republican Party (United States) presidential candidates, 2008|candidates that sought the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008]],<ref>{{cite web |author=Kudlow & Company |title=Interview with Rudy Giuliani |date=[[2007-03-26]] |url=http://www1.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/03/interview_with_rudy_giuliani_1.html |accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Issue Watch: Achieving Energy Independence |url=http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Energy |accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Candidates: Rep. Duncan Hunter |work=Washington Post.com |date=[[2007-10-12]] |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/10/01/DI2007100101460.html |accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref> supported increased Federal investment into the development of clean alternative fuels, and environmentally unsound fuels such as [[ethanol]], as a way of helping the U.S. achieve [[North American energy independence|energy independence]], as opposed to supporting less use of carbon dioxide-producing methods of generating energy. McCain supports the [[Emissions trading|cap-and-trade]] policy, a policy that is quite popular among Democrats but much less so among other Republicans. Most Republicans support increased [[oil well|oil drilling]] in currently protected areas such as the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]], a position that has drawn sharp criticism from many environmental activists.

===Social policies===
The 2004 Republican platform expressed support for the [[Federal Marriage Amendment]] to the [[United States Constitution]] to define marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman. A majority of the GOP's national and state candidates are [[pro-life]] and oppose [[abortion]] on religious or moral grounds, and favor [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives|faith-based initiatives]]. There are some exceptions, though, especially in the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and Pacific Coast states. They are generally against [[affirmative action]] for women and minorities often describing it as a [[racial quota|quota system]], believing that it is not [[meritocratic]] and that is counter-productive socially by only further promoting [[discrimination]].<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/15/bush.affirmativeaction/ CNN.com - Bush criticizes university 'quota system' - Jan. 16, 2003<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Eilperin |first=Juliet |title=Watts Walks a Tightrope on Affirmative Action |publisher=[[The Washington Post]] |date=[[1998-05-12]] |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/stories/aa051298.htm |accessdate=2007-01-22}}</ref> Most of the GOP's membership favors [[capital punishment]] and stricter punishments as a means to prevent crime. Republicans in rural areas generally support [[Gun politics in the United States|gun ownership rights]] and oppose laws regulating guns, although Republicans in urban areas sometimes favor limited restrictions on the grounds that they are necessary to protect safety in large cities.

Most Republicans support [[school choice]] through [[charter school]]s and [[school voucher]]s for private schools; many have denounced the performance of the public school system and the teachers' unions. The party has insisted on a system of greater accountability for public schools, most prominently in recent years with the [[No Child Left Behind Act]] of 2001. Many Republicans, however, opposed the creation of the [[United States Department of Education]] when it was initially created in 1979.

The religious wing of the party tends to support [[School prayer|organized prayer in public schools]] and the inclusion of teaching [[creationism]] or [[intelligent design]] in science classes alongside [[evolution]]. Although the GOP has voted for increases in government funding of scientific research, some members actively oppose the federal funding of [[embryonic stem cell]] research because it involves the harvesting and destruction of human [[embryo]]s (which many consider ethically equivalent to [[abortion]]), while arguing for applying research money into [[adult stem cell]] or amniotic stem cell research. The stem cell issue has garnered two once-rare vetoes on research funding bills from President Bush, who said the research "crossed a moral boundary."

===National defense and military spending===
The Republican Party has always advocated a strong national defense; however, up until recently they tended to disapprove of interventionist foreign policy actions. Republicans opposed [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s intervention in [[World War I]] and his subsequent attempt to create the [[League of Nations]]. They were also staunchly opposed to intervention in [[World War II]] prior to the Japanese attack on [[Pearl Harbor]]. Even in the 1990s, although [[George H. W. Bush]] supported fighting in the [[Gulf War]], Republicans opposed the intervention of the United States in [[Somalia]] and the [[Balkans]]. However, in 2000, [[George W. Bush]] ran on a platform that opposed these types of involvement in foreign conflicts.

Today, the Republican Party supports [[unilateralism]] in issues of national security, believing in the ability and right of the United States to act without external or international support in its own self-interest. In general, Republican defense and international thinking is heavily influenced by the theories of [[Neorealism (international relations)|neorealism]] and [[Political realism|realism]], characterizing the conflicts between nations as great struggles between faceless forces of international structure, as opposed to the result of individual leaders, their ideas, and their actions. The realist school's influence shows in Reagan's [[Evil empire|Evil Empire]] stance on the [[Soviet Union]] and George W. Bush's [[Axis of evil]].

Republicans secured gains in the [[United States congressional elections, 2002|2002]] and [[United States congressional elections, 2004|2004 elections]] with the [[War on Terrorism]] being one of the top issues favoring them. Since the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], the party supports [[neoconservatism|neoconservative]] policies with regard to the War on Terror, including the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001 war in Afghanistan]] and the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].

The doctrine of [[preemptive war]], wars to disarm and destroy potential military foes not in defense, but based on speculation of future attacks, has been advocated by prominent members of the Bush administration, but the war within Iraq has undercut the influence of this doctrine within the Republican Party. [[Rudy Giuliani]], the former mayor of New York during the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and a once prominent Republican presidential candidate for the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008 presidential election]], has stated that America must keep itself "on the offensive" against terrorists, stating his support of that policy. <!--I'm pretty sure we can come up with an equivalent McCain quote. Anyone want to try?-->

The Bush administration supported the position that the [[Geneva Conventions]] do not apply to [[unlawful combatant]]s, using the premise that they apply to soldiers serving in the armies of [[nation state]]s and not [[List of designated terrorist organizations|terrorist organizations]] such as [[Al-Qaeda]]. The Supreme Court overruled this position in ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]'', which held that the Geneva Conventions were legally binding and must be followed in regards to all enemy combatants.

===Other international policies===
Republicans support attempts for the democratization of Middle Eastern countries currently under the rule of dictatorships.

The party, through former U.N. Ambassador [[John R. Bolton|John Bolton]], has advocated reforms in the [[United Nations]] to halt corruption such as that which afflicted the [[Oil-for-Food Programme]]. As previously stated, some Republicans including Bush oppose the [[Kyoto Protocol]] (although there is a section that supports it within the party). The party strongly promotes [[free trade]] agreements, most notably [[North American Free Trade Agreement|NAFTA]], [[Dominican Republic&nbsp;– Central America Free Trade Agreement|CAFTA]] and now an effort to go further south to [[Brazil]], [[Peru]] and [[Colombia]].

Republicans are divided on how to confront [[illegal immigration]] between a moderate platform that allows for migrant workers and easing citizenship guidelines, and enforcement-first nationalist approach. The Bush administration has made appeals to immigrants a high priority long-term political goal, but that goal is not a high priority in most local GOP entities. In general, pro-growth advocates within the Republican Party support more immigration, and traditional or populist conservatives oppose it. In 2006, the White House supported and 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, taking an enforcement-first approach, refused to go along.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blanton |first=Dana |title=National Exit Poll: Midterms Come Down to Iraq, Bush |publisher=[[FOX News]] |date=[[2006-11-08]] |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228104,00.html |accessdate=2007-01-06}}</ref>

===Political status of Puerto Rico===
The Republican Party has expressed its support for the [[United States nationality law|U.S. citizens]] of [[Puerto Rico]] to exercise their right to determine a future permanent non-territorial political status with government by consent, full enfranchisement and to be admitted to the union as a fully sovereign [[U.S. state]]. Puerto Rico has been under U.S. sovereignty for over a century and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917; but the island’s ultimate status still has not been determined and its 3.9 million residents still do not have voting representation in their national government. The following is the appropriate section from the 2008 party platform (unchanged from the 2004 and 2000 platforms).<ref>[http://www.gop.com/media/2004platform.pdf gop.com 2004 Republican Platform]</ref><ref>[http://www.letpuertoricodecide.com/status.php Let Puerto Rico Decide: An Introduction to Puerto Rico's Status Debate]</ref><ref>[http://platform.gop.com/2008Platform.pdf 2008 Republican Platform]</ref></blockquote>

==Voter base==
[[Image:U.S. party affiliation.svg|thumb|right|Registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents as of 2004.<ref name="Neuhart, P. (January 22, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''." />]]

'''''Business community'''''. The GOP is usually seen as the traditionally pro-business party and it garners major support from a wide variety of industries from the [[finance|financial]] sector to small businesses. This may relate to the fact that Republicans are about 50 percent more likely to be self-employed, and are more likely to work in the area of management.<ref>Fried, Joseph, ''Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;— Rhetoric and Reality'' (New York: Algora Publishing, 2008), 104–5, 125.</ref>

'''''Gender'''''. Since 1980 a "gender gap" has seen slightly stronger support for the GOP among men than among women. In the 2006 House races, 43% of women voted for GOP, while 47% of men did so.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls>{{cite web |title=Exit Polls |publisher=[[CNN]] |url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html |date=[[2006-11-07]]|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref>

'''''Race'''''. Since 1964, the GOP has been weakly represented among [[African American]]s, winning under 15% of the black vote in recent national elections (1980 to 2004). The party has recently nominated African American candidates for senator or governor in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, though none were successful. The Republican Party supported the [[Abolitionism|abolition]] of slavery under [[Abraham Lincoln]], and from the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] until the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s, blacks voted for Republican candidates by an overwhelming margin; in the Southern states, they were often not allowed to vote, but received Federal patronage appointments from the Republicans. The majority of black Americans switched to the Democratic Party in the 1930s when the [[New Deal]] offered them governmental support for civil rights. In the South, blacks were able to vote in large numbers after 1965, when a bipartisan coalition passed the [[Voting Rights Act]], and ever since have formed a significant portion (ranging from 20% to 50% depending on the state) of the Democratic vote in that region.<ref> Harvard Sitkoff, A New Deal for Blacks (1978). </ref>

In recent decades, the party has been more successful in gaining support from [[Hispanic]] and [[Asian American]] voters than from African Americans. George W. Bush, who campaigned significantly for Hispanic votes, received 35% of their vote in 2000 and 44% in 2004.<ref name=2004cnnexitpolls>{{cite web |title=Exit Polls |publisher=[[CNN]] |url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.4.html |date=[[2004-11-02]]|accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref> The party's strong [[anti-communism|anti-communist]] stance has made it popular among some minority groups from current and former Communist states, in particular [[Cuban American]]s and [[Vietnamese American]]s. In the 2006 House races, the GOP won 51% of white votes, 37% of Asian votes, and 30% of Hispanic votes, while winning only 10% of [[African American]] votes.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls />

For decades, a greater percentage of white (caucasian) voters self-identified as Democrats, rather than Republicans. However, since the mid-1990s whites have been more likely to self-identify as Republicans than Democrats.<ref>Fried, Joseph, ''Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;— Rhetoric and Reality'' (New York: Algora Publishing, 2008), 321.</ref>

'''''Family status'''''. In recent elections, Republicans have found their greatest support among whites from married couples with children living at home.<ref>[http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2005/05/08/affordable-family-formation-the-neglected-key-to-gops-future/ Affordable Family Formation–The Neglected Key To GOP’s Future] by Steve Sailer</ref> Unmarried and divorced women were far more likely to vote for Kerry in 2004.<ref>[http://www.wvwv.org/docs/WVWV_2004_post-election_memo.pdf Unmarried Women in the 2004 Presidential Election] ([[PDF]]). Report by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, January, 2005. Page 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>

'''''Income'''''. Low income voters tend to favor the Democratic Party while high income voters tend to support the Republican Party. President George W. Bush won 41% of the poorest 20% of voters in 2004, 55% of the richest twenty percent, and 53% of those in between. In the 2006 House races, the voters with incomes over $50,000 were 49% Republican, while those under were 38%.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls />

'''''Military'''''. Republicans hold a large majority in the armed services, with 57% of active military personnel and 66% of officers identified as Republican in 2003.<ref name="Lobe, J. (January 1, 2004). Military More Republican, Conservative Than Public&nbsp;— Poll. ''LewRockwell.com''.">{{cite web|url=http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:GDeFkKSDCpoJ:www.lewrockwell.com/ips/lobe43.html+army+percent+Republican&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us|title=Lobe, J. (January 1, 2004). Military More Republican, Conservative Than Public&nbsp;— Poll. ''LewRockwell.com''.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>

'''''Education'''''. Self-identified Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to have 4-year college degrees. The trends for the years 1955 through 2004 are shown by gender in the graphs below, reproduced with permission from ''Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;— Rhetoric and Reality'', a book published in 2008 by Joseph Fried.<ref>Fried, Joseph, ''Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;— Rhetoric and Reality'' (New York: Algora Publishing, 2008), 74–5.</ref> These graphs depict results obtained by Fried from the National Election Studies (NES) data base.

[[Image:Fig 57 - men 4-yr college degrees.JPG|thumb|375px|right]]
[[Image:Fig 58 women with 4-yr college degs.JPG|thumb|360px|right]]

Regarding graduate-level degrees (masters or doctorate), there is a rough parity between Democrats and Republicans. According to the Gallup Organization: "[B]oth Democrats and Republicans have equal numbers of Americans at the upper end of the educational spectrum&nbsp;— that is, with post graduate degrees..."<ref>Frank Newport, "Who are the Democrats?," ''The Gallup News Service''(August 11, 2000), as cited in Joseph Fried, ''Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;— Rhetoric and Reality'' (New York, Algora Publishing, 2008) 74.</ref> Fried provides a slightly more detailed analysis, noting that Republican men are more likely than Democratic men to have advanced degrees, but Democratic women are now more likely than Republican women to have advanced degrees.<ref>Fried, Joseph, ''Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;— Rhetoric and Reality'' (New York: Algora Publishing, 2008), 76–7.</ref>

Republicans remain a small minority of college professors, with 11% of full-time faculty identifying as Republican.<ref name="Kurtz, H. (March 29, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html|title=Kurtz, H. (March 29, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.|accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref>

'''''Age'''''. The Democrats do better among younger Americans and Republicans among older Americans. In 2006, the GOP won only 38% of the voters aged 18–29.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls />

'''''Sexual Orientation'''''. Exit polls conducted in 2000, 2004 and 2006 indicate that 23–25% of gay and lesbian Americans voted for the GOP. In recent years, the party has opposed [[same-sex marriage]], adoption by same-sex couples, inclusion of sexual orientation in hate crimes laws, the [[Employment Non-Discrimination Act]], while supporting the use of the [[don't ask, don't tell]] policy within the military.<ref>{{web cite|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Republican_Party.htm#Civil_Rights Republican Party on the Issues |title=Civil_Rights Republican Party on the Issues |accessdate=2007-02-21}}</ref> The opposition to gay rights found in the Republican Party largely comes from the very religious and socially conservative portion of the party.<ref>{{web cite|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2091413/|title=A Common Missed Conception:
Why religious people are against gay marriage.}}</ref>

'''''Religion'''''. 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 [[United States presidential election, 1960|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 late 1960s that undercut the [[New Deal coalition]]. Voters who attend church weekly gave 61% of their votes to Bush in [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]]; those who attend occasionally gave him only 47%, while those who never attend gave him 36%. 59% of Protestants voted for Bush, along with 52% of Catholics (even though [[John Kerry|Kerry]] was Catholic). Since 1980, large majorities of [[evangelism|evangelicals]] have voted Republican; 70–80% voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and 70% for GOP House candidates in [[United States general elections, 2006|2006]]. Jews continue to vote 70–80% Democratic. 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 50-50. The main line traditional Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians) have dropped to about 55% Republican (in contrast to 75% before 1968). Their church memberships have declined in that time as well, and the conservative evangelical rivals have grown. Members of the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly known as Mormons, are overwhelmingly Republican and vote in line with the Christian Right. George W. Bush received 89% of the Mormon vote. <ref>Robert Booth Fowler et al., ''Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices'' (2004)</ref>

'''''Location'''''. Since 1980, geographically the Republican "base" ("[[Red states and blue states|red states]]") is strongest in the [[Southern United States|South]] and [[Mountain States|Mountain West]], and weakest in the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific Coast]]. The [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] has been roughly balanced since 1854, with [[Illinois]] becoming more Democratic and liberal because of the city of Chicago and [[Minnesota]] and [[Wisconsin]] more Republican since 1990. Since the 1930s the Democrats have dominated most central cities, while the Republicans now dominate rural areas and the majority of suburbs.<ref name="CNN.com Election 2004">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN.com Election 2004|accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref>

The South has become solidly Republican in national elections since 1980, and has been trending Republican at the state level since then at a slower pace.<ref>Earl Black and Merle Black. ''Politics and Society in the South'' (2005)</ref> In 2004 Bush led Kerry by 70%-30% among Southern whites, who made up 71% of the Southern electorate. Kerry had a 70-30 lead among the 29% of the voters who were black or Hispanic. One-third of these Southern voters said they were white evangelicals; they voted for Bush by 80-20; but were only 72% Republican in 2006.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls /><ref name=2004cnnexitpolls />

The Republican Party's strongest focus of political influence lies in the [[Great Plains]] states, particularly [[Oklahoma]], [[Kansas]], [[Nebraska]], [[South Dakota]], and [[North Dakota]], and in the [[Mountain states]] of [[Idaho]], [[Wyoming]], and [[Utah]] (Utah gave George W. Bush more than 70% of the popular vote in 2004). These states are sparsely populated, have very few urban centers, and have overwhelmingly White populations, making it extremely difficult for Democrats to create a sustainable voter base there. Unlike the South, these areas have been strongly Republican since before the party realignments of the 1960s. The Great Plains states were one of the few areas of the country where Republicans had any significant support during the [[Great Depression]]. However, these areas also have very few electoral votes or House seats, making them of limited political utility relative to more populous states.

'''''Conservatives and Moderates'''''. The Republican coalition is quite diverse, and numerous [[Factions in the Republican Party (United States)|factions]] compete to frame platforms and select candidates. The "conservatives" are strongest in the South, where they draw support from religious conservatives. The "[[moderate]]s" tend to dominate the party in New England, and used to be well represented in all states. From the 1940s to the 1970s under such leaders as [[Thomas E. Dewey]], [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], [[Nelson Rockefeller]], and [[Richard Nixon]], they usually dominated the presidential wing of the party. Since the 1970s they have been less powerful, though they are always represented in the cabinets of Republican presidents. [[New Hampshire]]'s two Republican congressmen lost to their Democratic opponents. In [[Vermont]], [[Jim Jeffords]], a Republican Senator became an [[Independent (politician)|independent]] in 2001 due to growing disagreement with President Bush and the party leadership. In addition, Moderate Republicans hold the governorships in three of the six New England States; [[M. Jodi Rell]] in [[Connecticut]], [[Donald Carcieri]] in [[Rhode Island]], and [[Jim Douglas]] in [[Vermont]]. Former [[Massachusetts]] governor [[Mitt Romney]] also was a popular Republican governor while in office.

Since the 1980s, [[talk radio]] audiences and hosts have tended to be conservative, and typically favor the Republicans. Some well known radio hosts include [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Glenn Beck]], [[Sean Hannity]], [[Neal Boortz]], [[Laura Ingraham]], [[Michael Reagan]], [[Howie Carr]], and [[Michael Savage (commentator)|Michael Savage]].

==Future trends==
Republican [[Karl Rove]] and other commentators had speculated about a permanent political realignment in favor of the GOP along the lines of the [[United States presidential election, 1896|presidential election of 1896]], in which [[William McKinley]] constructed a Republican majority that lasted for the next 36 years. While the American political sphere is relatively evenly divided in terms of ideology,<ref name="gould">Gould (2003)</ref> the Republican Party trails the Democrats by 17 million registered voters.<ref name="Neuhart, P. (January 22, 2004). Why politics is fun from catbirds' seats. ''USA Today'''." />

Democratic commentators [[Ruy Teixeira]] and [[John Judis]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Judis |first=John B. |coauthors=Teixeira, Ruy |title=Movement Interruptus |publisher=[[The American Prospect]] |date=[[2005-01-04]] |url=http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=8955 |accessdate=2006-11-18}}</ref> on the other hand, say non-geographic social indicators show a trend toward Democrats. They point to the rapid increase in college graduates (who are trending Democratic), and the possible decrease in white and rural Republican bases. They also point to an increasing Democratic presence in formerly Republican strongholds such as Colorado, which as of the 2008 elections has two Democratic senators, a Democratic governor, and Democratic control of the legislature.<!--Originally was Montana, but state senate went back to Republican hands in 2008, so not the best example.-->

Skeptics {{Who|date=June 2009}} ask whether the Republican Party can simultaneously contain both [[Libertarianism|libertarians]] and [[Social conservatism|social conservatives]], or whether it can contain a business community that may use [[Illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]] as employees, and [[Hispanic]] voters. Republican optimists {{Who|date=June 2009}} also point to the success of Roosevelt's Democratic coalition, which held together even more disparate elements. For the most part until 2007, the Republican Party has remained fairly cohesive, as both strong [[Economic liberalism|economic libertarians]] and strong [[Social conservatism|social conservatives]] are opposed to the Democrats, whom they see as both the party of bigger and more secular, liberal government.<ref> Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''The Right Nation'' (2004).</ref> Yet, libertarians are increasingly dissatisfied with the party's social policy and support for [[corporate welfare]] and [[national debt]], which some believe has grown increasingly restrictive of personal liberties, and with the Bush Administration greatly increasing the federal debt.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2730251|title=Evans, B. (December 15, 2005). Ex-Rep. Barr Quits GOP for Libertarians. ''The Associated Press''.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref> Some social conservatives are also growing increasingly dissatisfied with the party's support for economic policies that they see as contradictory to their moral values.<ref name="scare">[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/huckabees_rebellion.html How Huckabee Scares the GOP]. By E. J. Dionne. [[Real Clear Politics]]. Published December 21, 2007. Accessed August 22, 2008</ref>

==State and territorial parties==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
*[[Alabama Republican Party]] [http://www.algop.org]
*[[Republican Party of Alaska]] [http://alaskarepublicans.com/]
*[[Arizona Republican Party]] [http://www.azgop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Arkansas]] [http://www.arkansasgop.org/]
*[[California Republican Party]] [http://www.cagop.org/]
*[[Colorado Republican Party]] [http://www.cologop.org/]
*[[Connecticut Republican Party]] [http://www.ctgop.org/]
*[[Republican State Committee of Delaware]] [http://www.delawaregop.com/]
*[[Republican Party of Florida]] [http://www.rpof.org/]
*[[Georgia Republican Party]] [http://www.gagop.org/]
*[[Hawaii Republican Party]] [http://www.gophawaii.com/]
*[[Idaho Republican Party]] [http://www.idgop.org/]
*[[Illinois Republican Party]] [http://www.ilgop.org/]
*[[Indiana Republican Party]] [http://www.indgop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Iowa]] [http://www.iowagop.org/]
*[[Kansas Republican Party]] [http://www.ksgop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Kentucky]] [http://www.rpk.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Louisiana]] [http://www.lagop.com/]
*[[Maine Republican Party]] [http://www.mainegop.com/]
*[[Maryland Republican Party]] [http://www.mdgop.org/]
*[[Massachusetts Republican Party]] [http://www.massgop.com/]
*[[Michigan Republican Party]] [http://www.migop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Minnesota]] [http://www.mngop.com/]
*[[Mississippi Republican Party]] [http://www.msgop.org/]
*[[Missouri Republican Party]] [http://www.mogop.org/]
*[[Montana Republican Party]] [http://www.mtgop.org/]
*[[Nebraska Republican Party]] [http://www.negop.org/]
*[[Nevada Republican Party]] [http://www.nevadagop.org/]
{{Col-2}}
*[[New Hampshire Republican State Committee]] [http://www.nhgop.org/]
*[[New Jersey Republican State Committee]] [http://www.njgop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of New Mexico]] [http://www.gopnm.org/]
*[[New York Republican State Committee]] [http://www.nygop.org/]
*[[North Carolina Republican Party]] [http://www.ncgop.org/]
*[[North Dakota Republican Party]] [http://www.ndgop.com]
*[[Ohio Republican Party]] [http://www.ohiogop.org/]
*[[Oklahoma Republican Party]] [http://www.okgop.com/]
*[[Oregon Republican Party]] [http://www.orgop.org/]
*[[Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania]] [http://www.pagop.org/]
*[[Rhode Island Republican Party]] [http://www.rigop.org/]
*[[South Carolina Republican Party]] [http://www.scgop.com/]
*[[South Dakota Republican Party]] [http://www.southdakotagop.com/]
*[[Tennessee Republican Party]] [http://www.tngop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Texas]] [http://www.texasgop.org/]
*[[Utah Republican Party]] [http://www.utgop.org/]
*[[Vermont Republican Party]] [http://www.vtgop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Virginia]] [http://www.vagop.com/]
*[[Washington State Republican Party]] [http://www.wsrp.org/]
*[[West Virginia Republican Party]] [http://www.wvgop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of Wisconsin]] [http://www.wisgop.org/]
*[[Wyoming Republican Party]] [http://www.wygop.org/]
*[[Republican Party of American Samoa]]
*[[District of Columbia Republican Committee]] [http://www.dcgop.com/]
*[[Republican Party (Guam)|Guam Republican Party]]
*[[Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands)|Northern Mariana Islands Republican Party]]
*[[Republican Party of Puerto Rico]] [http://www.goppr.org/index.php.en]
*[[Republican Party of the Virgin Islands]] [http://www.virepublicanwomen.com/id2.html]
{{Col-end}}

==See also==
{{portal|Politics|Vote.png}}
*[[Factions in the Republican Party (United States) ]]
*[[List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets]]
*[[List of African American Republicans]]
*[[Political party strength in U.S. states]]
*[[2008 Republican National Convention]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
{{main|References regarding the United States Republican Party}}
*''American National Biography'' (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries.
*Aistrup, Joseph A. ''The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South'' (1996)
*[[Michael Barone (pundit)|Barone, Michael]], and Grant Ujifusa, ''The Almanac of American Politics 2006: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (2005).
*Black, Earl and Merle Black. ''The Rise of Southern Republicans'' (2002)
*Brennan, Mary C. ''Turning Right in the Sixties: The Conservative Capture of the GOP'' (1995)
*Crane, Michael. ''The Political Junkie Handbook: The Definitive Reference Books on Politics'' (2004) covers all the major issues explaining the parties' positions
*Donald, David. ''Lincoln'' (1999)
*Ehrman, John, ''The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan'' (2005)
*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)
*Gould, Lewis. ''Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans'' (2003)
*Jensen, Richard. ''Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854–1983'' (1983)
*[[John Judis|Judis, John B.]] and [[Ruy Teixeira]]. ''The Emerging Democratic Majority'' (2004) two Democrats project social trends
*Kleppner, Paul, et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983), applies party systems model
*Lamis, Alexander P. ed. ''Southern Politics in the 1990s'' (1999)
*Mayer, George H. ''The Republican Party, 1854–1966.'' 2d ed. (1967)
*Perlstein, Rick. ''Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus'' (2002) broad account of 1964
*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)
*[[Larry Sabato|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)
*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 & 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 0-86554-671-1.
*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).

==External links==
{{commons|Republican Party}}
<!-- links to official sites or documents go below here-->
* [http://www.gop.com/ Republican National Committee]
* [http://src.senate.gov/ Senate Republican Conference]
* [http://www.gop.gov/ House Republican Conference]
* [http://www.nrsc.org/ National Republican Senatorial Committee]
* [http://www.nrcc.org/ National Republican Congressional Committee]
* [http://www.rga.org/ Republican Governors Association]
* [http://www.rslc.com/ Republican State Leadership Committee]
* [http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/ National Black Republican Association]
* [http://www.republicansabroad.com/ Republicans Abroad International]
* [http://www.yrnf.com/ Young Republican National Federation]
* [http://www.crnc.org/ College Republican National Committee]
* [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/78545.pdf 2008 National Platform] ([[PDF]]), *[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=78545 HTML version]
* [http://www.gop.com/media/2004platform.pdf 2004 National Platform] ([[PDF]]), *[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=25850 HTML version]
<!-- links to official sites or documents go above here-->
* {{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Parties/Republican/|Republican Party}}
{{Republican Party}}
{{USParty}}
{{United States topics}}

[[Category:International Democrat Union]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1854]]
[[Category:Republican Party (United States)| ]]
[[Category:Political parties in the United States]]
[[Category:Jackson, Michigan]]

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[[fa:حزب جمهوری‌خواه ایالات متحده آمریکا]]
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[[fy:Republikeinske Partij]]
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[[he:המפלגה הרפובליקנית]]
[[ka:რესპუბლიკური პარტია (აშშ)]]
[[la:Factio Republicana (CFA)]]
[[lt:JAV respublikonų partija]]
[[hu:Republikánus Párt (USA)]]
[[mr:रिपब्लिकन पक्ष (अमेरिका)]]
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[[no:Det republikanske parti (USA)]]
[[nn:Republican Party]]
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[[ro:Partidul Republican, SUA]]
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[[sq:Partia Republikane]]
[[simple:Republican Party (United States)]]
[[sk:Republikánska strana (USA)]]
[[sl:Republikanska stranka (ZDA)]]
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[[sh:Republikanska stranka SAD]]
[[fi:Yhdysvaltain republikaaninen puolue]]
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[[ta:குடியரசுக் கட்சி (ஐக்கிய அமெரிக்கா)]]
[[th:พรรคริพับลิกัน (สหรัฐอเมริกา)]]
[[tr:Cumhuriyetçi Parti (ABD)]]
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Revision as of 17:08, 19 July 2009

See communism.

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