New England "Yankee Republican" Almost Extinct After 2006 Elections...

For the first time since 1874, both houses of the state legislature now have Democratic majorities.

The New York Times PAM BELLUCK November 26, 2006 10:07 PM

It was a species as endemic to New England as craggy seascapes and creamy clam chowder: the moderate Yankee Republican.

Dignified in demeanor, independent in ideology and frequently blue in blood, they were politicians in the mold of Roosevelt and Rockefeller: socially tolerant, environmentally enthusiastic, people who liked government to keep its wallet close to its vest and its hands out of social issues like abortion and, in recent years, same-sex marriage.

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