Republican Party (United States)

== Composition ==
[[File:Annual population growth in the U.S. by county - 2010s.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Annual population growth in the U.S. by county during the 2010s]]
[[File:2020 US presidential margins by county.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of the vote in the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]] by county{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Similar to the 2004 map, Republicans dominate in rural areas, making improvements in the [[Appalachia]]n states, namely [[Kentucky]], where the party won all but two counties; and [[West Virginia]], where every county in the state voted Republican. The party also improved in many rural counties in [[Iowa]], [[Wisconsin]], and other [[Midwestern United States|midwestern]] states. Conversely, the party suffered substantial losses in urbanized areas such as [[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas]], [[Harris County, Texas|Harris]], [[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend]], and [[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant]] counties in [[Texas]], and [[Orange County, California|Orange]] and [[San Diego County|San Diego]] counties in [[California]], which it had won in 2004 but lost in 2020}}]]

The Party's 21st-century base consists of groups such as White voters, particularly male, but a majority of White women as well; heterosexual married couples; [[Rural areas in the United States|rural residents]]; and non-union workers without college degrees. Meanwhile, urban residents, union workers, most ethnic minorities, the unmarried, and sexual minorities tend to vote for the Democratic Party. The suburbs have become a major battleground.<ref name=voter>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444506004577613060923763578|title=The Evolution of the Republican Party Voter|author=Barone, Michael|date=August 26, 2012|access-date=April 17, 2013|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|author-link=Michael Barone (pundit)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327003307/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444506004577613060923763578|archive-date=March 27, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/10/democrats-iowa-kansas-rural-votes-scholten-king|title=Can Democrats ever win back white, rural America?|first=Chris|last=McGreal|date=November 11, 2018|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080818/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/10/democrats-iowa-kansas-rural-votes-scholten-king|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Since the 2010s, the party is strongest in the [[Southern United States|South]], most of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] and [[Mountain States]], and [[Alaska]] according to ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/opinion/campaign-stops/the-divided-states-of-america.html|title=Opinion – The Divided States of America|first=Lee|last=Drutman|date=September 22, 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308003039/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/opinion/campaign-stops/the-divided-states-of-america.html|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to a 2015 [[The Gallup Organization|Gallup poll]], 25% of Americans identify as Republican and 16% identify as leaning Republican. In comparison, 30% identify as Democratic and 16% identify as leaning Democratic. The Democratic Party has typically held an overall edge in party identification since Gallup began polling on the issue in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/183887/democrats-regain-edge-party-affiliation.aspx|title=Democrats Regain Edge in Party Affiliation|author=Gallup, Inc.|work=Gallup.com|date=July 2, 2015|access-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704194949/http://www.gallup.com/poll/183887/democrats-regain-edge-party-affiliation.aspx|archive-date=July 4, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In recent years, the party has made significant gains among the [[Working class|White working class]], [[Hispanic]]s, and [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] while losing support among most [[Upper class|upper-class]] and [[Undergraduate education|college-educated]] Whites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/14/republicans-democrats-hispnanic-voters|title=The great realignment|website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]|date=July 14, 2022|access-date=August 2, 2022|archive-date=July 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720132417/https://www.axios.com/2022/07/14/republicans-democrats-hispnanic-voters|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/13/democrats-biden-white-college-graduates-poll|title=The Democratic electorate's seismic shift|website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]|date=July 13, 2022|access-date=August 2, 2022|archive-date=July 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720140825/https://www.axios.com/2022/07/13/democrats-biden-white-college-graduates-poll|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Demographics ===
As of the 2020s, the party derives its strongest support from rural voters, evangelical Christians and [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Latter-day Saints]], men, senior citizens, and white voters without college degrees.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/04/new-republican-party-working-class-coalition-00122822 |title=The Emerging Working-Class Republican Majority |first=Patrick |last=Ruffini |date=November 4, 2023 |website=POLITICO |access-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114142644/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/04/new-republican-party-working-class-coalition-00122822 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rural-voters-continue-evade-democrats-rcna123252 |title=Rural voters continue to evade Democrats |date=November 5, 2023 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115133446/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rural-voters-continue-evade-democrats-rcna123252 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results |title=National Results 2020 President exit polls |publisher=CNN |access-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531093340/https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Voting patterns in the 2022 elections |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=July 12, 2023 |access-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115105820/https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voting-patterns-in-the-2022-elections/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Gender ====
Since 1980, a "gender gap" has seen stronger support for the Republican Party among men than among women. Unmarried and divorced women were far more likely to vote for Democrat [[John Kerry]] than for Republican [[George W. Bush]] in the 2004 presidential election.<ref name=wvwv2004>[http://www.wvwv.org/docs/WVWV_2004_post-election_memo.pdf "Unmarried Women in the 2004 Presidential Election"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101195440/http://www.wvwv.org/docs/WVWV_2004_post-election_memo.pdf|date=January 1, 2016}} ([[PDF]]). Report by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, January 2005. p. 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> In 2006 House races, 43% of women voted Republican while 47% of men did so.<ref name=2006cnnexitpolls>{{cite news|title=Exit Polls|work=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|date=November 7, 2006|access-date=November 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629021338/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|archive-date=June 29, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2010 midterms, the "gender gap" was reduced, with women supporting Republican and Democratic candidates equally (49%–49%).<ref name=abcnews3775>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vote-2010-elections-results-midterm-exit-poll-analysis/story?id=12003775|title=Exit Poll Analysis: Vote 2010 Elections Results|publisher=[[ABC News]]|date=November 2, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125030423/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vote-2010-elections-results-midterm-exit-poll-analysis/story?id=12003775|archive-date=January 25, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Weeks2010>{{cite news|last=Weeks|first=Linton|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131039717|title=10 Takeaways From The 2010 Midterms|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=November 3, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203055924/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131039717|archive-date=February 3, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Exit polls from the 2012 elections revealed a continued weakness among unmarried women for the GOP, a large and growing portion of the electorate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591624-republicans-should-worry-unmarried-women-shun-them-marriage-gap?fsrc=scn/tw/te/pe/themarriagegap|title=Republicans should worry that unmarried women shun them|date=December 14, 2013|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|access-date=September 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115185951/https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591624-republicans-should-worry-unmarried-women-shun-them-marriage-gap?fsrc=scn%2Ftw%2Fte%2Fpe%2Fthemarriagegap|archive-date=January 15, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Although women supported Obama over [[Mitt Romney]] by a margin of 55–44% in 2012, Romney prevailed amongst married women, 53–46%.<ref>{{cite news|date=December 3, 2012|title=The Marriage Gap in the Women's Vote|first=Meg T.|last=McDonnell|url=http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote|work=Crisis Magazine|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031034237/http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-marriage-gap-in-the-womens-vote|archive-date=October 31, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Obama won unmarried women 67–31%.<ref>{{cite news|first=Suzanne|last=Goldenberg|date=November 9, 2012|title=Single women voted overwhelmingly in favour of Obama, researchers find|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama|access-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231035001/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/09/single-women-voted-favour-obama|archive-date=December 31, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, according to a December 2019 study, "White women are the only group of female voters who support Republican Party candidates for president. They have done so by a majority in all but 2 of the last 18 elections".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Junn|first1=Jane|author-link1=Jane Junn|last2=Masuoka|first2=Natalie|date=2020|title=The Gender Gap Is a Race Gap: Women Voters in US Presidential Elections|journal=Perspectives on Politics|volume=18|issue=4|pages=1135–1145|doi=10.1017/S1537592719003876|issn=1537-5927|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/white-women-support-gop/507617/|title=White Female Voters Continue to Support the Republican Party|quote=Hard-core partisans don’t switch teams over the personal shortcomings of their champion.|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=November 14, 2016|access-date=January 30, 2021|archive-date=December 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215024943/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/white-women-support-gop/507617/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Education ====
{{see also|educational attainment in the United States}}
[[File:Americans with a bachelor's degree or higher by state.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Americans with a [[bachelor's degree]] or higher by state]]
Until 2016, affluent voters and usually more-educated voters leaned more towards Republicans in presidential elections, but after 2016 the norm reversed. Those without college educations tend to be more socially conservative on a wide array of issues. In the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Donald Trump won 67% of white voters without a college degree, compared to 48% of white voters with a college degree.<ref>{{Cite news|title=National Results 2020 President exit polls.|url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/exit-polls/president/national-results|access-date=2020-12-04|work=[[CNN]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/education-polarization-diploma-divide-democratic-party-working-class.html|title=How the Diploma Divide Is Remaking American Politics|first1=Eric|last1=Levitz|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York Intelligencer]]|date=October 19, 2022|access-date=April 24, 2023|archive-date=October 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020215535/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/education-polarization-diploma-divide-democratic-party-working-class.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/opinion/education-american-politics.html|title=The 'Diploma Divide' Is the New Fault Line in American Politics|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 17, 2023|access-date=April 24, 2023|first1=Doug|last1=Sosnik|archive-date=April 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424073901/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/opinion/education-american-politics.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2012, the [[Pew Research Center]] conducted a study of registered voters with a 35–28 Democrat-to-Republican gap. They found that self-described Democrats had an eight-point advantage over Republicans among college graduates and a fourteen-point advantage among all post-graduates polled. Republicans had an eleven-point advantage among White men with college degrees; Democrats had a ten-point advantage among women with degrees. Democrats accounted for 36% of all respondents with an education of high school or less; Republicans accounted for 28%. When isolating just White registered voters polled, Republicans had a six-point advantage overall and a nine-point advantage among those with a high school education or less.<ref name=Pew2012>{{cite web|url=http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-detailed_tables/Detailed%20tables%20for%20Party%20ID.pdf|title=Detailed Party Identification Tables|publisher=Pew Research Center for the People & the Press|access-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030113849/http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-detailed_tables/Detailed%20tables%20for%20Party%20ID.pdf|archive-date=October 30, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the 2016 presidential election, exit polls indicated that "Donald Trump attracted a large share of the vote from Whites without a college degree, receiving 72 percent of the White non-college male vote and 62 percent of the White non-college female vote." Overall, 52% of voters with college degrees voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, while 52% of voters without college degrees voted for Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2016/11/18/educational-rift-in-2016-election/|title=The educational rift in the 2016 election|first=William A. Galston and Clara|last=Hendrickson|date=November 18, 2016|access-date=March 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080815/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2016/11/18/educational-rift-in-2016-election/|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Ethnicity ====
{{see also|Race and ethnicity in the United States}}

Republicans have been winning under 15% of the African American vote in national elections since 1980. The party abolished chattel slavery under [[Abraham Lincoln]], defeated the [[Slave Power]], and gave Black people the legal right to vote during [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction in the late 1860s]]. Until the [[New Deal]] of the 1930s, Black people supported the Republican Party by large margins.<ref name=South>In the South, they were often not allowed to vote, but still received some Federal patronage appointments from the Republicans</ref> Black delegates were a sizable share of southern delegates to the national Republican convention from Reconstruction until the start of the 20th century when their share began to decline.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Heersink|first1=Boris|last2=Jenkins|first2=Jeffery A.|date=2020|title=Whiteness and the Emergence of the Republican Party in the Early Twentieth-Century South|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-american-political-development/article/whiteness-and-the-emergence-of-the-republican-party-in-the-early-twentiethcentury-south/899B4B98A78353683C3C6050DFA5771B/core-reader|journal=Studies in American Political Development|volume=34|pages=71–90|doi=10.1017/S0898588X19000208|s2cid=213551748|issn=0898-588X|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=February 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222013516/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-american-political-development/article/abs/whiteness-and-the-emergence-of-the-republican-party-in-the-early-twentiethcentury-south/899B4B98A78353683C3C6050DFA5771B|url-status=live}}</ref> Black people shifted in large margins to the Democratic Party in the 1930s, when Black politicians such as Arthur Mitchell and William Dawson supported the New Deal because it would better serve the interest of Black Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Party Realignment – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Essays/Temporary-Farewell/Party-Realignment/ |access-date=June 24, 2020 |website=history.house.gov |archive-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221074318/https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Essays/Temporary-Farewell/Party-Realignment/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Black voters would become one of the core components of the [[New Deal coalition]]. In the South, after the [[Voting Rights Act]] to prohibit racial discrimination in elections was passed by a bipartisan coalition in 1965, Black people were able to vote again and ever since have formed a significant portion (20–50%) of the Democratic vote in that region.<ref name=Sitkoff>Harvard Sitkoff, ''A New Deal for Blacks'' (1978).</ref>

In the 2010 elections, two African American Republicans, [[Tim Scott]] and [[Allen West (politician)|Allen West]], were elected to the House of Representatives. As of January 2023, there are four African-American Republicans in the House of Representatives and one African American Republican in the United States Senate.<ref name=Holmes2010>{{cite news|author=L. A. Holmes|url=http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/03/black-republicans-win-first-congress-seats-2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104213733/http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/03/black-republicans-win-first-congress-seats-2003|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2010|title=Black Republicans Win First Congress Seats Since 2003|publisher=[[Fox News]]|date=April 7, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011}}</ref> In recent decades, Republicans have been moderately successful in gaining support from [[Hispanic]] and [[Asian American]] voters. George W. Bush, who campaigned energetically for Hispanic votes, received 35% of their vote in 2000 and 44% in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN.com Election 2004 |url=https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=www.cnn.com |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104035510/https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leal |first=David |date=2004 |title=The Latino Vote in the 2004 Election |url=http://mattbarreto.com/papers/2004vote.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128155620/http://mattbarreto.com/papers/2004vote.pdf |archive-date=January 28, 2017 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=mattbarreto.com/}}</ref><ref name=2004cnnexitpolls>{{cite news|title=Exit Polls|work=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.4.html|date=November 2, 2004|access-date=November 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060421062126/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.4.html|archive-date=April 21, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> The party's strong anti-communist stance has made it popular among some minority groups from current and former Communist states, in particular [[Cuban American]]s, [[Korean American]]s, [[Chinese American]]s and [[Vietnamese American]]s. The 2007 election of [[Bobby Jindal]] as Governor of Louisiana was hailed as pathbreaking.<ref name=BBC7412>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7907412.stm|title=Americas Profile: Bobby Jindal|work=[[BBC News]]|date=February 25, 2009|access-date=May 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102154911/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7907412.stm|archive-date=November 2, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Jindal became the first elected minority governor in [[Louisiana]] and the first state governor of [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]] descent.<ref name=deccanherald>{{cite news|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/31998/bobby-jindal-may-become-first.html|title=Bobby Jindal may become first Indian-American to be US prez|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=October 23, 2009|access-date=May 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420065245/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/31998/bobby-jindal-may-become-first.html|archive-date=April 20, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

Republicans have gained support among racial and ethnic minorities, particularly among those who are working class, Hispanic or Latino, or Asian American since the 2010s.<ref name="auto9">{{Cite web |title=Vietnamese Americans and Donald Trump – DW – 11/23/2020 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/trump-popular-among-vietnamese-americans/a-55702032 |access-date=January 18, 2023 |website=dw.com |language=en |archive-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114184033/https://www.dw.com/en/trump-popular-among-vietnamese-americans/a-55702032 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Teixeira-2022">{{Cite web |last=Teixeira |first=Ruy |author-link=Ruy Teixeira |date=November 6, 2022 |title=Democrats' Long Goodbye to the Working Class |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/democrats-long-goodbye-to-the-working-class/672016/ |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en |quote=As we move into the endgame of the 2022 election, the Democrats face a familiar problem. America’s historical party of the working class keeps losing working-class support. And not just among White voters. Not only has the emerging Democratic majority I once predicted failed to materialize, but many of the non-White voters who were supposed to deliver it are instead voting for Republicans... From 2012 to 2020, the Democrats not only saw their support among White working-class voters — those without college degrees — crater, they also saw their advantage among non-White working-class voters fall by 18 points. And between 2016 and 2020 alone, the Democratic advantage among Hispanic voters declined by 16 points, overwhelmingly driven by the defection of working-class voters. In contrast, Democrats' advantage among White college-educated voters improved by 16 points from 2012 to 2020, an edge that delivered Joe Biden the White House. |archive-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107212010/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/democrats-long-goodbye-to-the-working-class/672016/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cohn-2022">{{Cite news |last=Cohn |first=Nate |date=July 13, 2022 |title=Poll Shows Tight Race for Control of Congress as Class Divide Widens |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/upshot/poll-2022-midterms-congress.html |access-date=August 27, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=But the cofluence of economic problems and resurgent cultural issues has helped turn the emerging class divide in the Democratic coalition into a chasm, as Republicans appear to be making new inroads among non-White and working class voters... For the first time in a Times/Siena national survey, Democrats had a larger share of support among White college graduates than among non-White voters – a striking indication of the shifting balance of political energy... |archive-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720164749/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/upshot/poll-2022-midterms-congress.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Zitner-2022">{{Cite web |last1=Zitner |first1=Aaron |last2=Mena |first2=Bryan |date=October 2, 2022 |title=Working-Class Latino Voters, Once Solidly Democratic, Are Shifting Toward Republicans |url=https://www.wsj.com/story/working-class-latino-voters-once-solidly-democratic-are-shifting-toward-republicans-a7578ecc |access-date=October 3, 2022 |website=[[Wall Street Journal]] |quote=Latinos across America are splitting among economic lines, with a pronounced shift among working-class voters toward the Republican party. |archive-date=October 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008131525/https://www.wsj.com/story/working-class-latino-voters-once-solidly-democratic-are-shifting-toward-republicans-a7578ecc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Kraushaar-2022a">{{Cite web |last=Kraushaar |first=Josh |date=July 14, 2022 |title=The Great American Realignment |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/14/republicans-democrats-hispnanic-voters |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |language=en |quote=Shifts in the demographics of the two parties' supporters — taking place before our eyes — are arguably the biggest political story of our time. Republicans are becoming more working class and a little more multiracial. Democrats are becoming more elite and a little more White... |archive-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720132417/https://www.axios.com/2022/07/14/republicans-democrats-hispnanic-voters |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Kraushaar-2022b">{{Cite web |last=Kraushaar |first=Josh |date=July 13, 2022 |title=The Democratic electorate's seismic shift |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/13/democrats-biden-white-college-graduates-poll |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |language=en |quote=Democrats are becoming the party of upscale voters concerned more about issues like gun control and abortion rights. Republicans are quietly building a multiracial coalition of working-class voters, with inflation as an accelerant... In the Times/Siena poll, Ds hold a 20-point advantage over Rs among White college-educated voters — but are statistically tied among Hispanics. |archive-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720140825/https://www.axios.com/2022/07/13/democrats-biden-white-college-graduates-poll |url-status=live }}</ref> According to [[John Avlon]], in 2013, the Republican party was more ethnically diverse at the statewide elected official level than the Democratic Party was; GOP statewide elected officials included Latino Nevada Governor [[Brian Sandoval]] and African-American U.S. senator [[Tim Scott]] of South Carolina.<ref>{{cite news|title=GOP's surprising edge on diversity|first=John|last=Avlon|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/18/opinion/avlon-gop-diversity/index.html?c=&page=0|work=[[CNN]]|date=January 18, 2013|access-date=January 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131025447/http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/18/opinion/avlon-gop-diversity/index.html?c=&page=0|archive-date=January 31, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], Republican presidential candidate [[John McCain]] won 55% of White votes, 35% of Asian votes, 31% of Hispanic votes and 4% of African American votes.<ref name=pewresearch>[http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1209/racial-ethnic-voters-presidential-election?src=prc-latest&proj=peoplepress "Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618075224/http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1209/racial-ethnic-voters-presidential-election?src=prc-latest&proj=peoplepress|date=June 18, 2012}}. Pew Research Center. April 30, 2009.</ref> In 2012, 88% of Romney voters were White while 56% of Obama voters were White.<ref>Tom Scocca, "Eighty-Eight Percent of Romney Voters Were White", [http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/scocca/2012/11/mitt_romney_white_voters_the_gop_candidate_s_race_based_monochromatic_campaign.html ''Slate'' November 7, 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706035304/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/scocca/2012/11/mitt_romney_white_voters_the_gop_candidate_s_race_based_monochromatic_campaign.html |date=July 6, 2015 }}</ref> In the [[2022 United States House of Representatives elections|2022 U.S. House elections]], Republicans won 58% of White voters, 40% of Asian voters, 39% of Hispanic voters, and 13% of African American voters.<ref>{{cite news|date=November 9, 2022|title=Exit polls for Midterm Election Results 2022|url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/exit-polls/national-results/house/0|access-date=November 17, 2022|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-date=November 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116212531/https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/exit-polls/national-results/house/0|url-status=live}}</ref>

As of 2020, Republican candidates had lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/2020-republicans-doomed.html |title=The Republican Party is (Probably) Not Doomed |date=September 10, 2019 |access-date=September 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911222213/http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/2020-republicans-doomed.html |archive-date=September 11, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 1992, the only time they won the popular vote in a presidential election is the [[2004 United States presidential election]]. Demographers have pointed to the steady decline of its core base of older, rural White voters (as a percentage of the eligible voters).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republicans-_and_-democrats-should-be-worried-about-2020/|title=Republicans And Democrats Should Be Worried About 2020|first=Perry Jr.|last=Bacon|newspaper=[[FiveThirtyEight]]|date=April 20, 2018|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920122752/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republicans-_and_-democrats-should-be-worried-about-2020/|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jul/02/republicans-try-to-save-their-deteriorating-party-with-another-push-for-a-carbon-tax|title=Republicans try to save their deteriorating party with another push for a carbon tax|first=Dana|last=Nuccitelli|date=July 2, 2018|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920161212/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jul/02/republicans-try-to-save-their-deteriorating-party-with-another-push-for-a-carbon-tax|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://theconversation.com/the-democratic-party-is-facing-a-demographic-crisis-72948|title=The Democratic Party is facing a demographic crisis|first=Musa|last=al-Gharbi|website=The Conversation|date=February 28, 2017 |access-date=March 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330070607/http://theconversation.com/the-democratic-party-is-facing-a-demographic-crisis-72948|archive-date=March 30, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/trump-2016-election/528519/|title=Why Voter Demographics in U.S. Elections Matter Now More Than Ever|first=Ronald|last=Brownstein|date=May 31, 2017|website=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920161148/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/trump-2016-election/528519/|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> However, [[Donald Trump]] managed to increase non-White support to 26% of his total votes in the 2020 election — the highest percentage for a GOP presidential candidate since 1960.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2020/11/04/despite-racist-charges-trump-did-better-with-minorities-than-any-gop-candidate-in-60-years/|title=Despite 'racist' charges, Trump did better with minorities than any GOP candidate in 60 years|first=Josh|last=Hammer|date=November 5, 2020|access-date=February 4, 2021|archive-date=February 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213055120/https://nypost.com/2020/11/04/despite-racist-charges-trump-did-better-with-minorities-than-any-gop-candidate-in-60-years/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54972389|title=US election 2020: Why Trump gained support among minorities|date=November 22, 2020|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=February 4, 2021|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201183542/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54972389|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Religious communities ====
{{main|Religion and politics in the United States|Bible Belt}}
{{see also|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and politics in the United States}}
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 [[1960 United States presidential election|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 1970s and 1980s that undercut the New Deal coalition.<ref>To some extent the [[United States Supreme Court]] decision ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' caused American Christians to blur their historical division along the line between Catholics and Protestants and instead to realign as conservatives or liberals, irrespective of the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation Era]] distinction.</ref> Voters who attended church weekly gave 61% of their votes to Bush in [[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]; those who attended occasionally gave him only 47%; and those who never attended gave him 36%. Fifty-nine percent of Protestants voted for Bush, along with 52% of Catholics (even though [[John Kerry]] was Catholic). Since 1980, a large majority of [[Evangelicalism|evangelicals]] has voted Republican; 70–80% voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004 and 70% for Republican House candidates in [[United States general elections, 2006|2006]].

Members of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], who reside predominantly in [[Utah]] and several neighboring states, voted 75% or more for [[George W. Bush]] in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Grover|last=Norquist|title=Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQu8IGTotBUC&pg=PA146|year=2008|publisher=HarperCollins|pages=146–149|isbn=978-0061133954}} The Democratic Obama administration's support for requiring institutions related to the Catholic Church to cover birth control and abortion in employee health insurance has further moved traditionalist Catholics toward the Republicans.</ref> Members of the Mormon faith had a mixed relationship with Donald Trump during his tenure, despite 67% of them voting for him in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]] and 56% of them supporting his presidency in [[2018 United States elections|2018]], disapproving of his personal behavior such as that shown during the [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape|''Access Hollywood'' controversy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/15/mormons-want-to-save-the-republican-partys-soul-but-is-it-too-late|title=Mormons want to save the Republican party's soul. But is it too late?|first=J. Oliver|last=Conroy|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=February 15, 2018|access-date=May 7, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035828/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/15/mormons-want-to-save-the-republican-partys-soul-but-is-it-too-late|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Trump underperformed in heavily-Mormon [[2020 United States presidential election in Utah|Utah]] by more than ten percentage points compared to Mitt Romney (who is Mormon) in [[2012 United States presidential election in Utah|2012]] and George W. Bush in [[2004 United States presidential election in Utah|2004]]. Their opinion on Trump had not affected their party affiliation, however, as 76% of Mormons in 2018 expressed preference for generic Republican congressional candidates.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/11/29/most-mormons-voted/|title=Most Mormons voted Republican in the midterms—but their Trump approval rating continues to decline, study finds|first1=Hannah|last1=Fingerhut|first2=Brady|last2=McCombs|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=November 29, 2018|access-date=May 7, 2020|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111065741/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/11/29/most-mormons-voted/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Jews continue to vote 70–80% Democratic; however, a slim majority of [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] voted for the Republican Party in 2016, following years of growing Orthodox Jewish support for the party due to its social conservatism and increasingly pro-Israel foreign policy stance.<ref name="Sales-Adkins-2020">{{cite news|work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|title='I think it's Israel': How Orthodox Jews became Republicans|date=February 3, 2020|url=https://www.jta.org/2020/02/03/politics/i-think-its-israel-how-orthodox-jews-became-republicans|access-date=June 12, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115111043/https://www.jta.org/2020/02/03/politics/i-think-its-israel-how-orthodox-jews-became-republicans|url-status=live}}</ref> Over 70% of Orthodox Jews identify as Republican or Republican leaning as of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanau |first=Shira |date=May 11, 2021 |title=New Pew study shows 75% of Orthodox Jews identify as Republicans, up from 57% in 2013 |url=https://www.jta.org/2021/05/11/united-states/new-pew-study-shows-75-of-orthodox-jews-identify-as-republicans-up-from-57-in-2013 |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108140806/https://www.jta.org/2021/05/11/united-states/new-pew-study-shows-75-of-orthodox-jews-identify-as-republicans-up-from-57-in-2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> An exit poll conducted by the [[Associated Press]] for 2020 found 35% of [[Muslims]] voted for Donald Trump.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/929478378/understanding-the-2020-electorate-ap-votecast-survey|title=Understanding The 2020 Electorate: AP VoteCast Survey|author=NPR Staff|work=[[NPR]]|date=November 3, 2020|access-date=November 17, 2020|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219064318/https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/929478378/understanding-the-2020-electorate-ap-votecast-survey|url-status=live}}</ref> The mainline traditional Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians and Disciples) have dropped to about 55% Republican (in contrast to 75% before 1968). 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 54–46 in the 2010 midterms.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|url=http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1791/2010-midterm-elections-exit-poll-religion-vote|title=Religion in the 2010 Elections|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=November 3, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206111210/http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1791/2010-midterm-elections-exit-poll-religion-vote|archive-date=February 6, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although once strongly Democratic, [[Catholic Church in the United States|American Catholic]] voters have been politically divided in the 21st century with 52% of Catholic voters voting for Trump in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]] and 52% voting for Biden in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]. While Catholic Republican leaders try to stay in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church on subjects such as abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research, they tend to differ on the death penalty and same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/18/politics/pope-encyclical-climate-change-catholic-republicans/|title=Pope hands GOP climate change dilemma|work=[[CNN]]|date=June 18, 2015|access-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705234555/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/18/politics/pope-encyclical-climate-change-catholic-republicans/|archive-date=July 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Pope Francis]]' 2015 encyclical {{lang|it|[[Laudato si']]}} sparked a discussion on the positions of Catholic Republicans in relation to the positions of the Church.
The Pope's encyclical on behalf of the Catholic Church officially acknowledges a man-made climate change caused by burning fossil fuels.<ref>Thomas Reese, [http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/readers-guide-laudato-si "A readers' guide to 'Laudato Si'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630145312/http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/readers-guide-laudato-si |date=June 30, 2015 }}, ''National Catholic Register'', June 26, 2015.</ref> The Pope says the warming of the planet is rooted in a throwaway culture and the developed world's indifference to the destruction of the planet in pursuit of short-term economic gains. According to ''The New York Times'', ''Laudato si''' put pressure on the Catholic candidates in the 2016 election: [[Jeb Bush]], [[Bobby Jindal]], [[Marco Rubio]] and [[Rick Santorum]].<ref name=davenport>{{cite news|first=Caral|last=Davenport|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/politics/popes-views-press-gop-on-climate-change.html|title=Pope's Views on Climate Change Add Pressure to Catholic Candidates|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519063735/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/politics/popes-views-press-gop-on-climate-change.html|archive-date=May 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

With leading Democrats praising the encyclical, James Bretzke, a professor of moral theology at [[Boston College]], has said that both sides were being disingenuous: "I think it shows that both the Republicans and the Democrats&nbsp;... like to use religious authority and, in this case, the Pope to support positions they have arrived at independently&nbsp;... There is a certain insincerity, hypocrisy I think, on both sides".<ref>{{cite web|first=Brian|last=Fraga|url=http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/political-role-reversal-democrats-praise-encyclical-while-gop-remains-cauti/#ixzz3f7S3YpSv|title=Political Role Reversal: Democrats Praise Encyclical, While GOP Remains Cautious|website=Ncregister.com|date=June 26, 2015|access-date=December 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227043512/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/political-role-reversal-democrats-praise-encyclical-while-gop-remains-cauti#ixzz3f7S3YpSv|archive-date=February 27, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> While a Pew Research poll indicates Catholics are more likely to believe the Earth is warming than non-Catholics, 51% of Catholic Republicans believe in global warming (less than the general population) and only 24% of Catholic Republicans believe global warming is caused by human activity.<ref>{{cite news|title=Catholics Divided Over Global Warming|work=Pew Research|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/16/catholics-divided-over-global-warming/|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=July 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708154543/http://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/16/catholics-divided-over-global-warming/|archive-date=July 8, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Members of the business community ====
The Republican Party has traditionally been a pro-business party. It garners major support from a wide variety of industries from the financial sector to small [[businesses]]. Republicans are 24 percent more likely to be business owners than Democrats.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2016/10/12/study-republicans-are-24-percent-more-likely-than-democrats-to-be-business-owners/|title=Study: Republicans are 24 percent more likely than Democrats to be business owners|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=October 12, 2018}}</ref> Prominent business [[lobbying group]]s such as the [[United States Chamber of Commerce|U.S. Chamber of Commerce]] and [[National Association of Manufacturers]] have traditionally supported Republican candidates and economic policies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-gang-that-couldnt-lob_b_839047|title=The Gang That Couldn't Lobby Straight|newspaper=[[HuffPost]]|first=Bill|last=McKibben|date=March 22, 2011|access-date=February 26, 2023|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226191446/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-gang-that-couldnt-lob_b_839047|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://waysandmeans.house.gov/chairman-brady-marks-six-months-of-tax-reform-wins/ |title=Chairman Brady Marks Six Months of Tax Reform Wins – Ways and Means |access-date=August 18, 2018 |archive-date=December 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222090755/https://waysandmeans.house.gov/chairman-brady-marks-six-months-of-tax-reform-wins/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although both major parties support [[capitalism]], the Republican Party is more likely to favor [[private property]] rights (including [[intellectual property]] rights) than the Democratic Party over competing interests such as [[environmentalism|protecting the environment]] or lowering [[medication costs]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/551769-house-republicans-urge-opposition-to-vaccine-patent-waiver/|title=House Republicans urge opposition to vaccine patent waiver|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date=May 4, 2021|access-date=June 4, 2021|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512162834/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/551769-house-republicans-urge-opposition-to-vaccine-patent-waiver|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-republicans-vote-overturn-biden-rule-water-protections-rcna74317|title=House Republicans vote to overturn Biden rule on water protections|website=[[NBC News]]|date=March 10, 2023|access-date=March 10, 2023|archive-date=March 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310130746/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-republicans-vote-overturn-biden-rule-water-protections-rcna74317|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/1/10/2016_Republican_Party_Platform.pdf|title=Republican Party Platform 2016|access-date=October 12, 2018|archive-date=February 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205210641/https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/1/10/2016_Republican_Party_Platform.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

A survey cited by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in 2012 found that 61 percent of small business owners planned to vote for Republican presidential candidate [[Mitt Romney]] in the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 presidential election]]. Small business became a major theme of the [[2012 Republican National Convention]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-30/business/35493960_1_small-business-business-owners-plan-small-companies|title=Small business a common theme at Republican Convention|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=J. D.|last=Harrison|date=August 30, 2012|access-date=April 17, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328070655/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-30/business/35493960_1_small-business-business-owners-plan-small-companies|archive-date=March 28, 2013}}</ref>