"Country Club Republican" also known as a "Country Club Conservative" or "Establishment Republican" is an expression employed, usually pejoratively, to describe certain members of the Republican Party in the United States. Some of the characteristics attributed to country club Republicans are higher than average income or inherited wealth, hailing from politically or socially prominent families, fiscally conservative opinions but with liberal, moderate or indifferent views on social issues such as abortion, censorship, and gay rights.[1][2] They are more likely to have attended prestigious colleges and universities than other Republican Party members.[3]
Politicians said to be country club Republicans include: President George H. W. Bush, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Utah Senator Mitt Romney,[1] former governor of New Jersey Thomas Kean,[4] and former Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.[5]
Current officeholders
Senators
- Mitt Romney, Senator from Utah
- Shelley Moore Capito, Senator from West Virginia
- Susan Collins, Senator from Maine
- Bill Cassidy, Senator from Louisiana
- Pete Ricketts, Senator from Nebraska
Representatives
- Brian Fitzpatrick, Congressman from Pennsylvania
- David Valadao, Congressman from California
- Mike Lawler, Congressman from New York
Governors
- Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia
- Jim Justice, Governor of West Virginia
- Chris Sununu, Governor of New Hampshire
- Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia
- Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah
Former office holders
Presidents
- George H. W. Bush, Former President of the United States (1989–1993), 43rd Vice President of the United States (1981–1989), Former CIA director (1976–1977), Ambassador to China (1974–1975), Chair of the Republican National Committee (1973–1974), Ambassador to the U.N (1971–1973), Former Representative from Texas's 7th District (1967–1971)
- George W. Bush, Former President of the United States (2001–2009), 46th Governor of Texas (1995–2000)
Cabinet members
- Elliot Richardson, different cabinet positions (1969–1977)
Senators
- Prescott Bush, Senator from Connecticut
- John Chafee, Senator from Rhode Island
- Barry Goldwater, Senator from Arizona
- John Heinz, Senator from Pennsylvania
- Kay Bailey Hutchison, Senator from Texas
- Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Senator from Massachusetts
- Kelly Loeffler, Senator from Georgia
- John McCain, Senator from Arizona
- John Warner, Senator from Virginia
- Richard Burr, Senator from North Carolina
- Pat Toomey, Senator from Pennsylvania
- Rob Portman, Senator from Ohio
- Ben Sasse, Senator from Nebraska
Representatives
- Judy Biggert, Representative from Illinois
- Bob Dold, Representative from Illinois
- Millicent Fenwick, Representative from New Jersey
- Amo Houghton, Representative from New York
- Liz Cheney, Congresswoman from Wyoming
- Peter Meijer, Congressman from Michigan
Governors
- Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida
- Pete du Pont, Governor of Delaware
- Bill Haslam, Governor of Tennessee
- Thomas Kean, Governor of New Jersey
- Bruce Rauner, Governor of Illinois
- Nelson Rockefeller, Governor of New York
- Bob Taft, Governor of Ohio
- Bill Weld, Governor of Massachusetts
- Pete Wilson, Governor of California
- John Kasich, Governor of Ohio
- Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts
Others
- Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes, candidate for Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000
See also
References
- 1 2 The Country Club Image The Christian Science Monitor 1992-08-14.
- ↑ Americans Discover New Way to Worship: The Study Group The Christian Science Monitor 1996-11-26
- ↑ Faith Shapes Bauer's Visions for the White House The Christian Science Monitor 1999-11-23
- ↑ Raising Kean's Name The New York Times 2004-06-13
- ↑ Senator Trails in Texas, and Slugs Alone The New York Times 1993-06-03