Editing Republican Party (United States) (section)

==== From Goldwater to Reagan ====
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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)
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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|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220142328/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/1964-republican-convention-revolution-from-the-right-915921/|url-status=live}}</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|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027101235/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-recalling-rockefeller/2014/11/21/1a615a04-711a-11e4-8808-afaa1e3a33ef_story.html|url-status=live}}</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.

The GOP went on to control the White House from 1969 to 1977 under 37th president [[Richard Nixon]], and when he resigned in 1974 due to the [[Watergate scandal]], [[Gerald Ford]] became the 38th president, serving until 1977.  [[Ronald Reagan]] defeated incumbent Democratic President [[Jimmy Carter]] in the [[1980 United States presidential election]].<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|archive-date=December 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220023515/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|url-status=live}}</ref>