English

Proper noun

Goldwater Republican

1. (US) A member of the Republican Party whose policies resemble those of the late Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. These policies include the smallest government possible at the federal level, as well as social libertarianism, in contrast to the Moral Majority.

   1964, The Man on the Bandwagon, TIME Magazine, July 12, 1964, :

   For months he insisted that he did not want the nomination, would not seek it, and would only reluctantly accept a genuine draft. Despite Scranton's repeated statements, it was behind him that anti-Goldwater Republican leaders late last week tried to rally -- and Scranton showed signs of acquiescence.

   1994, Goldwater Defending Clinton; Conservatives Feeling Faint, Timothy Egan, The New York Times, March 24, 1994, :

   "A lot of people who think of themselves as Goldwater Republicans do not know what it really means to be a Goldwater Republican," said Tom Paniccia, a former Air Force sergeant who was discharged from the military last year after he had proclaimed his homosexuality. "He has always had a near libertarian stance on keeping government out of people's lives."

Usage notes

Usage continues to the present day as Goldwater continued to be a noted presence in the Republican Party until his retirement from the Senate in 1987. In practice, the term Goldwater Republican is used by people today who are unsatisfied with the Republican Party's current focus on social issues and family matters.