Are suburban Republicans really more moderate?

[GaussLaw]

I think it's been discussed here that suburban Republicans are more moderate than rural Republicans.  Interestingly, this did not hold up at all in the KS-SEN Republican primary.

http://hosted.ap.org/interactives/2014/primary-election-results/?state=KS&date=2014-08-05#

Wolf won several of the more suburban Eastern counties in the state but got crushed in rural KS.

In Idaho, Russ Fulcher carried Ada County against Otter.

Perhaps this is worth re-examining.  It seems like a common thread of very conservative states is very Republican suburbs, and these suburbs don't always seem to be more liberal than the rural areas.

[All Along The Watchtower]

It depends.

[moderatevoter]

Well, off the top of my head: in the case of Kansas, maybe Republicans who live in suburban areas are less concerned about or less supportive of farm subsidies, and therefore would be more likely to support a "true fiscal conservative" over "RINO Roberts"?

[GaussLaw]

Well, off the top of my head: in the case of Kansas, maybe Republicans who live in suburban areas are less concerned about or less supportive of farm subsidies, and therefore would be more likely to support a "true fiscal conservative" over "RINO Roberts"?

Exactly.  It seems easier to be a "true conservative" in a suburb/exurb than in a rural farming area.  It seems like it's taken for granted that the suburban Republicans are the more moderate ones, but this doesn't always seem to be the case at all.

[Del Tachi]

It really does depend.

As for my state, looking at MS-Sen primary results it seems like some suburban counties (Madison, Rankin) are more moderate than some other ones (DeSoto, Hancock).

[tmthforu94]

For what it's worth, Roberts is from western Kansas and Wolf is from JoCo, so that probably threw it off a bit. Wolf's campaign was also almost entirely focused on JoCo.

[BM]

Not really. They're just more civilized and live in developed areas so they have to/know how to hide their bigotry more, but many would love to openly join their barbaric uneducated redneck brothers and sisters.

[GaussLaw]

Not really. They're just more civilized and live in developed areas so they have to/know how to hide their bigotry more, but many would love to openly join their barbaric uneducated redneck brothers and sisters.

And people wonder why Democrats struggle in rural areas..........

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Not really. They're just more civilized and live in developed areas so they have to/know how to hide their bigotry more, but many would love to openly join their barbaric uneducated redneck brothers and sisters.

HANABUSA WILL WIN GUYS ITS HER SEAT ITS HERS I SWEAR

[NHLiberal]

Not really. They're just more civilized and live in developed areas so they have to/know how to hide their bigotry more, but many would love to openly join their barbaric uneducated redneck brothers and sisters.

No need to be so mean

[Nichlemn]

I think they tend to be more libertarian, so on social issues they may appear more "moderate", but on fiscal issues more "extreme".

[ElectionsGuy]

No, in fact, they may be more conservative than rural republicans. They are more politically active, and the more politically active a person is, the more likely he/she is to be ideological. There is an exception though: cultural and social issues. Often on ballot measures you can see on things like gay marriage, gun issues, marijuana, etc. its not only divided by partisanship but also by the type of area one lives in.

[Mr. Illini]

It depends on the suburbs. Suburban Chicago Republicans are UNQUESTIONABLY more moderate than Republicans in rural Illinois. That goes especially for social issues, but on economic issues as well, no exceptions.

That said, ElectionsGuy's territory is home to very conservative suburban Republicans. I would argue that suburban Milwaukee Republicans are more conservative than Republicans in Wisconsin's rural areas.

It really is dependent on the city's history and the history of the suburbs themselves. I would say that good correlations are the city's size, whereas for bigger cities the suburban population tens to be more moderate than for smaller cities. For example, the suburbs of LA, Chicago, and New York are considerably more liberal than the suburbs of Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, or Tampa. It also depends on the region of the country, being that more conservative regions like the south still have very liberal cities, but the suburban areas are where the fact that it is a conservative region of the country can really swing it. For example, Houston and Phoenix have much more conservative suburbs than Boston and San Francisco.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Not really. They're just more civilized and live in developed areas so they have to/know how to hide their bigotry more, but many would love to openly join their barbaric uneducated redneck brothers and sisters.

And people wonder why Democrats struggle in rural areas..........

LOL! By far the two most rural states are Vermont and Maine.

[free my dawg]

...oh dear god she's back

[sg0508]

It's more of a stereotype, but being a former moderate republican from NY, it tends to hold true. Moderate Republicans:

1) Tend to have a high degree of education
2) Care about crime, law & order
3) Are often pro-choice.  You don't see that in rural areas that much.
4) Are pro-gay.  You also don't see this very much.
5) Economically, are conservative, and many hold white collar, financial services jobs.

[GaussLaw]

It's more of a stereotype, but being a former moderate republican from NY, it tends to hold true. Moderate Republicans:

1) Tend to have a high degree of education
2) Care about crime, law & order
3) Are often pro-choice.  You don't see that in rural areas that much.
4) Are pro-gay.  You also don't see this very much.
5) Economically, are conservative, and many hold white collar, financial services jobs.

Well yeah, certainly NY moderate Republicans are like that.   

In general, I would agree with #1 as pretty much always true for suburban Republicans.  They also are probably more socially liberal, but I don't think it's a given that they're more fiscally on the left, especially on issues like farm subsidies. 

Places like Shelby County, AL and Williamson County, TN are well-educated and affluent but also deeply conservative both socially and economically (and quite religious), so I think suburban Republicans can come in all shades.

[BM]

Not really. They're just more civilized and live in developed areas so they have to/know how to hide their bigotry more, but many would love to openly join their barbaric uneducated redneck brothers and sisters.

HANABUSA WILL WIN GUYS ITS HER SEAT ITS HERS I SWEAR

I don't think I've even posted about that race in months? And I never said she would definitely win, just that I wanted her to lol. Get over it.

[free my dawg]

Not really. They're just more civilized and live in developed areas so they have to/know how to hide their bigotry more, but many would love to openly join their barbaric uneducated redneck brothers and sisters.

HANABUSA WILL WIN GUYS ITS HER SEAT ITS HERS I SWEAR

I don't think I've even posted about that race in months? And I never said she would definitely win, just that I wanted her to lol. Get over it.

Well at least that's one thing Sanchez can do that she can't.