Factions in the Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party of the United States in the 21st century is composed of various different groups or factions. Although their interests at times conflict, they share enough in common to remain in the same party.

By and large the factions are informal and unorganized. They do not have their own organizations, newspapers, or paid memberships. Defining the views of any "faction" of any American political party is difficult. The 2009 off year elections brought out some of the divisions, especially as they played out in the election for Congress in the 23rd New York District.

By ideology

Traditionalists

Traditionalists belong to one of the oldest branches of conservatism, extending back to the New Humanism of Irving Babbitt and Paul Elmer More, the Southern Agrarians, T. S. Eliot, the British Distributists, and the original New Conservatives (Russell Kirk, Richard M. Weaver, and Robert Nisbet). Traditionalists favor cultural and educational renewal, localism, civic communitarianism, natural law and transcendent faith, and organic society while opposing abortion, feminism, and same-sex marriage.

Several public traditionalists are academics and write for such publications as Modern Age , Humanitas , The University Bookman, The Intercollegiate Review, and Touchstone Magazine. Traditionalist organizations include the Intercollegiate......
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