Midwest Conservative

A Midwest conservative is one who is unpretentious and skeptical about the Establishment, the Swamp, and the Left Coast, and supports both social conservatism, fiscal conservatism and Midwestern austerity. They have traditionally been associated with the Republican Party and known for their advocacy of Old Right-style politics. Midwest conservatives are closer to conservative populism than Rockefeller Republicans were.

During the 1930s, Midwest conservatives came to oppose the entrenched, bloated government brought about by the New Deal. Nebraska Republicans Hugh A. Butler and Kenneth Wherry were a pair of isolationists and adamant conservatives in the Senate who symbolized traditional Midwestern conservatism; Butler led opposition towards foreign aid,^[1] while Wherry is particularly notable for being one of only seven senators voting against U.S. entry into the United Nations.^[2] During the 81st Congress (1949–50), the pair achieved a near-perfect conservative voting record.^[3]

The conflict between L. Brent Bozell, Jr. and William F. Buckley illustrated how Midwest conservatives were more principled that East Coast conservatives, which Buckley was. Bozell, who was from Omaha, Nebraska, eventually requested that name be removed from the National Review as it pandered to the pro-abortion, pro-Equal Rights Amendment liberal media.^[4]

Iowa politicians Bourke Hickenlooper and H. R. Gross were also representative of Midwestern conservatism, opposing big government and liberal economic initiatives. Hickenlooper was an isolationist-turned-internationalist, though maintained strong anti-communist stances and defended Joseph McCarthy.^[5] On the other hand, Gross was an adamant non-interventionist.^[6]

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