American Politics is most often driven by many unwritten and unrecorded traditions, of which the loyalty to one’s political party is the most important one.
However, there have been many instances in the political history of the United States when supporters and leaders of a conservative party have supported a liberal president and liberal supporters supporting conservative presidents.
Such incidents gave birth to terms such as “Reagan Democrats” and “New Democrats.” “Reagan Democrats” was a term coined by Stanley Greenberg, an American Democratic pollster, and political strategist, who has also served as the pollster to Nelson Mandela.
Greenberg noted that the supporters of Ronald Reagan in Macomb County looked like Democrats but were not voting like them.
Walking on the same pattern, “Biden Republicans” are the new phenomenon, where many Republican leaders and voters tend to distance themselves from the extreme politics of the Republican party under the Trump doctrine.
These Biden republicans have increased by manifolds after Donald Trump sponsored attacks on Capitol Hill.
Supporters Supporting the Rival Party: From Reagan Democrats to Biden Republicans
Biden Republicans are very similar to Reagan Democrats in terms of appearances. Living in suburban areas, they are mostly middle-aged white Americans. However, they differ from each other in some of the other traits.
Reagan Democrats were blue-collar primarily and culturally conservative, while Biden Republicans are well-educated individuals who enjoy and support diversity.
Due to Trump’s extreme and irrational policies, some Republican voters had no other choice than to oppose him in the election. These voters are also Biden Republicans, who tried to teach GOP a lesson by opening their eyes.
For them, giving the presidency to Biden does not matter as long as it puts GOP back on track.
Their Republican leaders care more about white supremacy while undermining the Black community.
This attitude from Republican leaders has compelled the Biden Republicans to vote for Joe Biden and see him as a savior of the diminishing democracy in the United States.
In 2016 and 2020, Trump tried to persuade new voters through a rhetoric of white nationalism and racial resentment. His plan proved successful in some regions, but the damage was far more significant than the gain.
While he succeeded in attracting a new group of white nationalists, he also lost a significant vote bank of the suburban population that sees America as a diverse society, not just a white community.
This resulted in the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential elections of 2020.
Republican Voters Alienating from Trump: An Encouraging Sign for Democrats
After his victory in the 2020 presidential election, President Joe Biden’s inclination toward achieving racial justice is commendable.
Republicans coming Biden’s way is not an overnight phenomenon. In fact, it is the result of Biden’s continuous calls of unity with Republicans, for which many Republicans consider that he has a soft corner of his heart for them.
Being a former Senator, Biden has a history of seeking this unity, resulting in Republicans coming Biden’s way.
A prominent example of this unity is the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Biden did not hesitate to call on Republicans for help, even though he could have and did pull it through without Republican support.
Senator Susan Collins, one of the leading Republican figures in the Senate, received a call from President Joe Biden. He called her and her colleagues to the Oval Office only a few days after Biden took the oath of office.
Susan Collins was one of those Republicans who wrote many letters to the President objecting to the $1.9 trillion packages.
The meeting concluded without any outcome. However, it portrayed the notion of Biden’s readiness in not sabotaging democracy by ignoring an equally powerful party in the Senate.
This is the primary reason why Susan Collins admired Biden in one of her interviews with the Atlantic.
MAGA slogan: Coined by Trump, Used by Biden to Pull Biden Republicans
While coining “Make America Great Again,” commonly known as MAGA, is Trump’s phenomenon. However, the racism and the ultra-nationalism that he sponsored under this slogan alienated a score of Republicans from Trump’s narrative.
Seeing the existing trend of some Democrats not bandwagoning Biden in the Senate, Biden has no other option but to seek Republican support in the chamber.
Some of the Biden Republicans are also present in the House, who voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment and labeled him guilty of using absolute powers in attacking Capitol Hill in the January 6 episode.
While Biden tried to convince Republicans on his COVID relief bill, he could not gain enough support from Republicans, resulting in his usage of the budget reconciliation process.
However, in the trying times when masses were seeking monetary relief in the testing second wave of the coronavirus, the number of Biden Republicans has increased to a great extent.
Probably, many Republican supporters were seeking this sort of support from Donald Trump. He went against the popular narrative and passed a smaller relief package during his last days of presidency.
The data also supports Biden’s plan to attract Republicans towards his plans, resulting in the ultimate increase of the Biden Republicans in the United States.
According to reports, 89 percent of Democrats while 60 percent of Republicans supported Biden’s COVID-19 relief package. Only 30 percent of Republicans showed strong opposition to the relief package.
The poll numbers are disturbing and shocking as they suggest that most Republicans supported President Joe Biden in the bill. It has been a long time since a Democrat President has harnessed such massive support from Republican voters.
Probably, most of the Republican supporters saw the actualization of MAGA in Biden’s narrative.
Final Thoughts
Before taking the oath of office, seventeen fresh House Republicans congratulated Joe Biden, extending their support to work together for the country.
These included Representative Peter Meijer and Representative David Valadao, who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump.
This group of seventeen members might seem nothing in front of 211 House members of the Republican Party. Yet, it shows the potential that Joe Biden and his team could compel many more to get on the table to find solutions to the problems being faced by the country.
President Biden meeting Republican lawmakers to seek their support regarding the infrastructure bill suggests that Biden Republicans are an actual phenomenon.
Although he failed to get considerable support from Republicans in this bill, his approach of passing the plan is enough to portray that he is ready to make compromises on the plan, even though Democrats can pass the legislation with budgetary reconciliation.
Although Biden Republicans are in the minority, if the Republican party does not get back on their track, this number can increase exponentially, resulting in Republicans who will try to bandwagon Biden in the days to come.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.