Beginning in the early 1970s, as the Democratic party (which might otherwise have been a natural home to Rockefeller Republicans who were disaffected by their own party) became more liberal and the leadership of the Republican party grew more socially conservative, Rockefeller Republicans became less influential within their party.
As a result, a significant number of them ceased to identify as Republicans, and instead became independent voters, Democrats, or members of the Libertarian party. There are still, however, some Rockefeller Republicans in high political office, such as U.S. Sen.Olympia Snowe. To be sure, the term "Rockefeller Republican" today sounds somewhat dated, and such Republicans are probably more apt to call themselves "moderate Republicans."
The departure of U.S Sen. Jim Jeffords from the Republican party in 2001 dramatized the still-existing tension between the "Rockefeller wing" of the party and what is today its generally more influential socially conservative wing.
Nelson Rockefeller was born on the same day of the year as his paternal grandfather, and from childhood was the leader of the five Rockefeller brothers, John, Nelson, Laurance, Winthrop, and David.
Rockefeller's ambition was the presidency; he spent millions in attempts to win the Republican primaries in 1960, 1964, and 1968.
Rockefeller left office as governor in 1973 in what was rumored at the time to be a move toward a fourth bid for the presidency; however this never materialized.
In the United States, the term RockefellerRepublican refers to those members of the Republican party who hold "moderate" views similar to those of the late Nelson Rockefeller, governor of New York from 1959 to 1973 and vice president of the United States under President Gerald Ford in the mid-1970s.
In other words, RockefellerRepublicans are quite moderate or Liberal in their positions on domestic and social policies, but often conservative about economic and fiscal policy and, to a cetain extent, foreign policy.
The "RockefellerRepublican" label is also applied to such modern-day politicians as Rhode Island's Lincoln Chafee, a liberal in both cultural and international respects, but generally "pro-business" in terms of economic policy.
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