Who are the most popular republican politicians of the United States?
Republican is a word used to collectively refer to the members of the Republican Party, which is one of the two major political parties in the United States of America.
The Republicans have a reputation for locking horns with the Democrats during every presidential election, and just like the Democratic Party, the Republicans, too, have millions of supporters across the nation. It has been observed that Republicans have constantly strived for improvement in trade and tried to promote capitalism.
Did you know that the legendary Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican candidate to be elected to the presidency? The current President of the United States, Donald Trump, is also the President of the Republican Party.
Richard Nixon and Dwight D Eisenhower are also a few other famous republican politicians. Continue reading to learn about 10 more popular figures who are famously republican!
Republican politician: Donald Trump
Donald Trump was once a mere real estate developer who gained national awareness when he starred on the reality TV show “The Apprentice.”
The unlikely politician beat 16 Republican rivals to land the party’s presidential nomination back in 2016 and, surprisingly to many spectators, defeated Hillary Clinton in the general election.
In the Oval Office, Trump survived an impeachment effort, and his political standing sank over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, he is now serving a second term as president of the United States of America!
Republican politician: Henry Kissinger
Bavarian-born Henry Kissinger came to the US when he was only 15 years old. He was secretary of state under President Richard Nixon and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for his “peace with honor” effort to terminate the Vietnam War.
However, the diplomat came under criticism for the United States’ bombing campaigns in Cambodia and North Vietnam. Considered shrewd and intelligent, Kissinger was also credited with helping achieve detente between the US and the Soviet Union and with dealing with the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty.
Republican politician: Newt Gingrich
The Georgia Congressman and over 300 other Republicans signed a “Contract With America” back in 1994, with conservative calls for tax cuts, fewer regulations, smaller government, and congressional term limits.
That autumn, Republicans took control of the House for the first time since all the way back in 1955, and Newt Gingrich took the top job as majority speaker.
A standoff with President Bill Clinton on the topic of congressional demands for steep budget cuts led to a government shutdown for 5 days and later for 21 days. Gingrich made an ill-fated bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. The one-time college history professor has written over 20 books.
Republican politician: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger shifted from being a world-class bodybuilder to a blockbuster action movie star and then to the governor of California. His administration passed landmark measures to combat global warming, but floundered when the state wrestled with the recession in 2008.
In 1986, Arnold settled his celebrity status by joining the Kennedy clan and marrying Maria Shriver. But she filed for divorce in 2011. The charismatic, Austrian-born star went back to Hollywood after leaving office in 2011, and he starred in “Terminator: Dark Fate” in 2019.
Republican politician: Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz was selected with tea party support to the United States Senate in 2012, where he assisted in orchestrating a 16-day government shutdown based in part on Republican resistance to President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
He didn’t win the Republican presidential nomination against Donald Trump in 2016 after a tough campaign, and at first refused to endorse his one-time rival, but has since become a major Trump supporter.
Throughout his campaign, Ted Cruz championed the elimination of estate taxes, a 10% flat income tax, and the disassembling of the Internal Revenue Service. He overcame a surprisingly strong challenge for re-election in 2018 from Democrat Beto O’Rourke.
Republican politician: Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley was the United States ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump for 2 years. But before that, she was the governor of South Carolina, where she happened to be a tea party conservative.
Nikki won national props in 2015 when, in the trail of a racially inspired mass church shooting, she called for the disposal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol.
At the United Nations, where she served without any previous experience in foreign policy, she upheld Trump’s controversial decision to move the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, his exit from Iran’s nuclear deal, and his decision to get out of the international Paris Agreement on the subject of climate change.
Haley has even been proposed as a potential presidential candidate.
Republican politician: Bob Dole
A one-time Kansas senator, Bob Dole was the Republican candidate for the presidency in 1996. He promised a 15% across-the-board tax cut that failed to gain any real traction with the voting public.
He was ultimately defeated by President Bill Clinton. As a young man in the United States Army, Dole was severely injured in World War II and left with a paralyzed right arm.
He was a prominent supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was put in place in 1990 with sweeping protections against discrimination.
After he entered retirement, Bob Dole appeared in a commercial for men’s performance supplements.
Republican politician: George W. Bush
As the nation’s 43rd president, George W. Bush was in office during the dreadful 9/11 attacks. In response, his administration established the Department of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act, which extended government surveillance abilities, and led an international war on terror that also included the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Bush was also in the seat of the Oval Office when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. George W. Bush had a knack for mangling phrases and malapropisms that became known as “Bushisms. ” He was most popular for his affable Texas style.
Republican politician: Mike Pence
Mike Pence was once a conservative radio and TV talk show host throughout the 90s. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives back in 2000 and after as governor of Indiana in 2012. He also used to be the vice president to President Donald Trump in his first term.
The Christian conservative is extremely opposed to abortion rights and same-sex marriage and has influential evangelical support. In 2018, Mike Pence announced that the administration’s plan to add a Space Force branch to the military.
More recently, though, he was named by Trump to head the administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. He was highly criticized for declining to wear a face mask to the Mayo Clinic, stating he wanted to be able to look people in the eye.
Republican politician: Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin was thrust into fame when presidential candidate Senator John McCain named Alaska’s then-governor as his running mate back in 2008. A hunter and outdoor enthusiast, Pailin opposed abortion rights and same-sex marriage, and supported extended drilling in Alaska, especially in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The self-proclaimed maverick with an anti-intellectual stance fell short on the campaign trail, with blunders and a lack of political knowledge, specifically in foreign relations. Many see her unashamed style as paving the way for the victorious candidacy of President Donald Trump.
How familiar were you with these republican politicians before reading this post? Be sur to share your thoughts with me in the comments section below.
Meanwhile, if you enjoyed this article, you might want to also check out: 9 Kennedy Family Secrets So Dark the Family Tried to Hide Them