The Moderate Majority

The Moderate Majority examines the Republican electorate and challenges the conventional narrative that today’s Republicans are all radicalized, reactionary ideologues. It illuminates the substantial gap between the elites and diverse, mostly moderate rank-and-file GOP voters. With a historically grounded, mixed-methods approach that draws on a rich collection of empirical survey data and face-to-face interviews, this book presents a comprehensive portrait of contemporary mass Republican opinion and behavior.

• Provides an illuminating examination of the Republican Party in the electorate
• Meets the need for an oppositional perspective on this subject
• Looks particularly at the Republican electorate and their attitudes toward government and culture

George Hawley is an associate professor of political science at the University of Alabama. He is the author of eight books, including Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism (2016) and Conservatism in a Divided America: The Right and Identity Politics (2022).

A page is turning in America’s political history, and everyone is trying hard to predict what’s next. Opinions are everywhere, but a trustworthy analyst can be hard to find, which is one reason to appreciate George Hawley’s latest book, The Moderate Majority.

- Rachel Lu for the National Review

"Throughout The Moderate Majority, as in his previous work, Hawley plays the role of the social scientist rather than the polemicist. His careful and systematic reporting of data, examination of each issue from many sides, and warranted caution on what we should and should not conclude from his results, lend an adult-in-the-room authority to his argument. On a topic that generates a great deal of heat, Hawley’s […] volume is intentional in shedding light."

- Jesse Smith for Fusion