Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is a right-wing political party in the United States. One of the two major parties, it emerged as the main rival of the Democratic Party in the 1850s, and the two parties have dominated American politics since then.

The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists opposing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and the expansion of slavery into U.S. territories. It rapidly gained support in the North, drawing in former Whigs and Free Soilers. Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 led to the secession of Southern states and the outbreak of the American Civil War. Under Lincoln and a Republican-controlled Congress, the party led efforts to preserve the Union, defeat the Confederacy, and abolish slavery. During the Reconstruction era, Republicans sought to extend civil rights protections to freedmen, but by the late 1870s the party shifted its focus toward business interests and industrial expansion. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it dominated national politics, promoting protective tariffs, infrastructure development, and laissez-faire economic policies, while navigating internal divisions between progressive and conservative factions. The party's support declined during the Great Depression, as the New Deal coalition reshaped American politics. Republicans returned to national power with the 1952 election of Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose moderate conservatism reflected a pragmatic acceptance of many New Deal-era programs.

Following the civil rights era, the Republican Party's use of the Southern strategy appealed to many white voters disaffected by Democratic support for civil rights. The 1980 election of Ronald Reagan marked a major realignment, consolidating a coalition of free market advocates, social conservatives, and foreign policy hawks. Since 2009, internal divisions have grown, leading to a shift toward right-wing populism,^[20] which ultimately became its dominant faction.^[9] This culminated in the 2016 election of Donald Trump, whose leadership style and political agenda—often referred to as Trumpism—reshaped the party's identity.^[17][18][19] By the 2020s, the party has increasingly shifted towards illiberalism.^[21] In the 21st century, the Republican Party's strongest demographics are rural voters, White Southerners, evangelical Christians, men, senior citizens, and voters without college degrees.

On economic issues, the party has maintained a pro-capital attitude since its inception. It currently supports Trump's mercantilist policies,^[22][23] including tariffs^[a] on imports on all countries at the highest rates in the world^[27][28] while opposing globalization and free trade. It also supports low income taxes and deregulation while opposing labor unions, a public health insurance option and single-payer healthcare.^[29][30] On social issues, it advocates for restricting abortion,^[31] supports tough on crime policies, such as capital punishment and the prohibition of recreational drug use,^[32] promotes gun ownership and easing gun restrictions,^[33] and opposes transgender rights.^[34] Views on immigration within the party vary, though it generally supports limited legal immigration but strongly opposes illegal immigration and favors the deportation of those without permanent legal status, such as undocumented immigrants and those with temporary protected status. In foreign policy, the party supports U.S. aid to Israel but is divided on aid to Ukraine^[35] and improving relations with Russia, with Trump's ascent empowering an isolationist "America First" foreign policy agenda.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).