RINO
A RINO (Republican in Name Only), also known as a Reform Democrat, is a disparaging term used by immoderate Republicans, opposition Democrats, or the liberal media to characterize an officeholder or candidate who is a member of the Republican Party but comes from a constituency which votes Republican but may hold views outside the mainstream Republican Party but he or she is elected nonetheless. RINOs and Reform Democrats typically come from New England states where corrupt Democrat political machines do not allow dissent and opposition so reformers have difficulty gaining ballot access, or from western states or occasionally midwestern states. A similar term is cafeteria conservative, for a person who picks and chooses which conservative principles to believe, as a person might choose foods in a cafeteria instead of ordering the full-course menu selected by the chef at high-class restaurants.[1]
Centrists
- Former Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island
- Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine
- Senator Susan Collins of Maine
- Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
- Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska
- Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon
- Senator John McCain of Arizona
- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California
- Former Governor George Pataki of New York
- Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani
- Former NJ Governor and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Whitman
- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell
- Former Supreme Court Justice and Arizona Senate Majority Leader Sandra Day O'Connor
- Former Governor, Senator, Representative Lowell Weicker of Connecticut
- Former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts