While the national Republican Party, with the help of right-wing interest groups, has largely purged itself of moderate politicians in recent years, a new survey finds the Republican voters have not necessarily followed. GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio surveyed 2,000 self-described Republicans and found that 77 percent said employers should not have the right to fire an employee over their sexual orientation; nearly half would let gays serve openly in the military. While 61 percent called themselves “pro-life,” only 28 percent want to ban all abortions, and 72 percent said the decision should be up to the woman, her family, and her doctor, not the government. Overall, 60 percent said they would be likely to vote for a presidential candidate whom they disagreed with on abortion but who agreed with them on most other issues.
Fabrizio’s poll also showed that the economic wing of the GOP has shrunk by two-thirds in the last ten years – replaced by those concerned primarily with foreign policy and national security. Marc Ambinder has more details.
