Conservative Democrat

In American politics, a Conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with more conservative views than most Democrats. Traditionally, conservative Democrats have been elected to office from the Southern states, rural areas, the Rust Belt, and the Great Plains.

Before 1964, the Democratic Party and Republican Party each had influential liberal, moderate, and conservative wings. During this period, conservative Democrats formed the Democratic part of the conservative coalition. Urban political machines also constituted part of the Democratic Party's conservative faction.

Since the 1960s, the number of conservative Democrats decreased substantially. The numerical decline of conservative Democrats is attributed to the Southern strategy, which realigned conservative white voters in the South to the Republican Party following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In the late 20th century, the Democratic Party abandoned New Deal-style liberalism and moved rightward on economic policy, embracing neoliberalism under the New Democrats, deregulation (including the repeal of Glass–Steagall), welfare reform, and fiscal austerity. The party has moved to the left on social and cultural issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and reproductive rights.

In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 14% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters identified as conservative or very conservative, 38% identify as moderate, and 47% identify as liberal or very liberal. The Blue Dog Coalition represents centrist and conservative Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Blue Dog Coalition has declined significantly from its peak in 2006.