Editing Republican Party (United States) (section)

==== Moderates ====
{{Main|Centrism|Center-right politics}}
{{see also|Republican Governance Group|Moderate conservatism|Problem Solvers Caucus}}
Moderates in the Republican Party are an ideologically centrist group that predominantly come from the [[Northeastern United States]],<ref name="Kashinsky-2023">{{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|access-date=November 8, 2023|archive-date=November 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108131447/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/19/moderate-republican-governor-trump-00107248|url-status=live}}</ref> and are typically located in [[swing state]]s or [[Red states and blue states|blue states]]. Moderate Republican voters are typically [[Educational attainment in the United States|highly educated]],<ref name="Harry Enten"/> affluent, fiscally conservative, socially moderate or liberal and often [[Never Trump movement|Never Trump]].<ref name="Cohn2023" /><ref name="Kashinsky-2023"/> While they sometimes share the economic views of other Republicans (i.e. [[tax cuts|lower taxes]], [[deregulation]], and [[welfare reform]]), moderate Republicans differ in that some are for [[affirmative action in the United States|affirmative action]],<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Losing Its Preference: Affirmative Action Fades as Issue|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/stories/aa091896.htm|year=1996|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223165410/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/stories/aa091896.htm|archive-date=February 23, 2017}}</ref> [[LGBT rights in the United States|LGBT rights and same-sex marriage]], legal access to and even public funding for [[abortion debate|abortion]], [[Gun politics in the United States|gun control]] laws, more [[environmental regulation]] and action on [[climate change]], fewer restrictions on [[immigration]] and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/06/liberal.republicans/|title=Analysis: An autopsy of liberal Republicans|first=Alan|last=Silverleib|website=cnn.com|language=en|date=May 6, 2009|access-date=October 14, 2018|archive-date=June 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625021607/http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/06/liberal.republicans/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 21st century, some former Republican moderates have switched to the Democratic Party.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tatum |first1=Sophie |title=3 Kansas legislators switch from Republican to Democrat |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/19/politics/kansas-legislature-republican-democrat/index.html |website=CNN |date=December 20, 2018 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030091356/https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/19/politics/kansas-legislature-republican-democrat/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Weiner |first1=Rachel |title=Charlie Crist defends party switch |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2012/12/10/charlie-crist-defends-party-switch/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225143218/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2012/12/10/charlie-crist-defends-party-switch/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{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 |archive-date=June 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617124126/https://www.npr.org/2019/08/23/753404051/meltdown-on-main-street-inside-the-breakdown-of-the-gops-moderate-wing |url-status=live }}</ref>

Notable moderate Republicans include Senators [[Lisa Murkowski]] of Alaska and [[Susan Collins]] of Maine,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/10/collins-murkowski-key-votes-kavanaugh-confirmation/572407/|title=Two Moderate Senators, Two Very Different Paths|first=Elaina|last=Plott|date=October 6, 2018|website=The Atlantic|access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/opinion/collins-murkowski-change-parties.html|title=Opinion – Senators Collins and Murkowski, It's Time to Leave the G.O.P.|first=Susan|last=Faludi|work=The New York Times|date=July 5, 2018|access-date=February 23, 2019|via=NYTimes.com|archive-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221112139/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/opinion/collins-murkowski-change-parties.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/408193-kavanaughs-fate-rests-with-sen-collins/|title=Kavanaugh's fate rests with Sen. Collins|first=Linda|last=Petre|date=September 25, 2018|website=TheHill|access-date=February 23, 2019|archive-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221112348/https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/408193-kavanaughs-fate-rests-with-sen-collins|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/sen-lisa-murkowski-face-reprisal-alaska-gop|title=Sen. Lisa Murkowski Could Face Reprisal from Alaska GOP|first1=Griffin|last1=Connolly|date=October 9, 2018|access-date=February 23, 2019|website=rollcall.com|archive-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011013657/https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/sen-lisa-murkowski-face-reprisal-alaska-gop|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nevada governor [[Joe Lombardo]], Vermont governor [[Phil Scott]],<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|archive-date=November 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109112034/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/11/republican-governors-new-england-defy-blue-wave/574726/|url-status=live}}</ref> New Hampshire governor [[Kelly Ayotte]], and former Maryland governor [[Larry Hogan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/29/larry-hogan-trump-maryland-00181572|title=Larry Hogan confirms he won't vote for Trump, despite the former president's endorsement|date=September 29, 2024|website=Politico|first1=Greta|last1=Reich|access-date=September 29, 2024}}</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|archive-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221112322/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|url-status=live}}</ref>