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A '''conservative Democrat''' is a member of the [[Democratic Party|Democrat Party]] in the United States who holds [[conservative]] views on social or economic issues. Conservative Democrats are extremely rare today, if any exist at all.<ref>Scaliger, Charles (August 3, 2018). [https://www.thefreelibrary.com/DONE+WITH+CONSERVATIVE+DEMOCRATS%3a+Once+upon+a+time+in+the+Democratic...-a0550996988 Done With Conservative Democrats]. ''The New American''. Retrieved August 6, 2018.</ref>  However, despite that party's longstanding reputation as a [[liberal]] political party, the Democrat Party had a conservative wing for much of its history.  Conservative Democrats were organized into the [[Blue Dog]] caucus in the House.  Previously they were known by other names including "boll weevil Democrats" during the 1980s, when a large number of conservative Democrats voted with [[Ronald Wilson Reagan|President Reagan]] on fiscal and social policy.

A '''conservative Democrat''' is a member of the [[Democratic Party|Democrat Party]] in the United States who holds [[conservative]] views on either social or economic issues or sometimes both. Conservative Democrats are extremely rare today, if any exist at all.<ref>Scaliger, Charles (August 3, 2018). [https://www.thefreelibrary.com/DONE+WITH+CONSERVATIVE+DEMOCRATS%3a+Once+upon+a+time+in+the+Democratic...-a0550996988 Done With Conservative Democrats]. ''The New American''. Retrieved August 6, 2018.</ref>  However, despite that party's longstanding reputation as a [[liberal]] political party, the Democrat Party had a conservative wing for much of its history.  Conservative Democrats were organized into the [[Blue Dog]] caucus in the House.  Previously they were known by other names including "boll weevil Democrats" during the 1980s, when a large number of conservative Democrats voted with [[Ronald Wilson Reagan|President Reagan]] on fiscal and social policy.

The [[The South|American South]] had a long tradition of electing conservative Democrats to office, including in presidential elections until they broke from the Democrats in 1964 to vote for [[Barry Goldwater]], the Republican nominee.  From 1948 to the 1970s an even more conservative wing of the party, mostly from the South, was called "Dixiecrats".  This Dixiecrat wing of the party has been essentially defunct since the 1970s, when the House contingent was led by the late [[Joe Waggonner]] of [[Louisiana]].  A few former Dixiecrats, including [[Strom Thurmond]] and [[Jesse Helms]], were early converts to the [[Republican Party]], foreshadowing a long trend of conservatives leaving the Democrats and joining the Republicans that continued through the 1980s and 1990s.

The [[The South|American South]] had a long tradition of electing conservative Democrats to office, including in presidential elections until they broke from the Democrats in 1964 to vote for [[Barry Goldwater]], the Republican nominee.  From 1948 to the 1970s an even more conservative wing of the party, mostly from the South, was called "Dixiecrats".  This Dixiecrat wing of the party has been essentially defunct since the 1970s, when the House contingent was led by the late [[Joe Waggonner]] of [[Louisiana]].  A few former Dixiecrats, including [[Strom Thurmond]] and [[Jesse Helms]], were early converts to the [[Republican Party]], foreshadowing a long trend of conservatives leaving the Democrats and joining the Republicans that continued through the 1980s and 1990s.