Republicans

Alan Simpson (1931–2024), longtime U.S. senator from Wyoming 

Alan Simpson was a longtime Republican politician from Wyoming best known for his tenure in the U.S. Senate, which included a decade as Senate whip.

Jim Leach (1942–2024), 30-year Iowa congressman

Jim Leach was a respected Republican congressman from Iowa who served 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Jodi Rell (1946–2024), former governor of Connecticut

M. Jodi Rell was the governor of Connecticut from 2004 to 2011.

David Hobson (1936–2024), former U.S. representative from Ohio

David Hobson represented Ohio’s seventh congressional district as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009. 

Dan Evans (1925–2024), former Washington governor and U.S. senator

Dan Evans was a three-term governor of Washington state in the 1960s and ‘70s who went on to serve as a U.S. senator in the ‘80s.

Steve Symms (1938–2024), conservative U.S. senator

Steve Symms was a staunch conservative and longtime Republican elected official, serving four terms in Congress and two as a United States senator for Idaho.

Alice Stewart (1966–2024), CNN political commentator

Alice Stewart was a conservative political commentator for CNN who also advised several Republicans in their candidacies for president.

Chris Cannon (1950–2024), U.S. Representative from Utah

Chris Cannon was a politician who represented Utah as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2009.

Pete McCloskey (1927–2024), GOP congressman who fought Nixon

Pete McCloskey was a Republican congressman who became the first member of the House to call for Richard Nixon’s resignation, co-wrote the Endangered Species Act, and co-founded Earth Day.

Terry Everett (1937–2024), U.S. Rep. from Alabama

Terry Everett was a Republican who represented southeast Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2009.

Lauch Faircloth (1928–2023), U.S. senator from North Carolina 

Lauch Faircloth was a politician who served one term representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

Don Sundquist (1936–2023), former governor of Tennessee  

Don Sundquist was a Tennessee politician and businessman who served in Congress for 12 years before becoming governor of Tennessee, a position he held for two terms.

Al Quie (1923–2023), former congressman and Governor of Minnesota 

Al Quie was a Republican who served in Congress for more than 20 years and as Governor of Minnesota, in addition to being considered twice as a potential vice-presidential running mate in a U.S. presidential election.

Lowell Weicker (1931–2023), U.S. senator and Connecticut governor 

Lowell Weicker was a Republican U.S. congressman who later went Independent and served as governor of Connecticut.

Pat Robertson (1930–2023), televangelist who hosted The 700 Club

Pat Robertson was a former Southern Baptist minister and political commentator who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network and hosted its flagship show, “The 700 Club,” since 1966.

Bill Oesterle (1965–2023), cofounder of Angie’s List 

Bill Oesterle was an online entrepreneur and influential political activist as well as the cofounder and CEO of Angie’s List, a pioneering website that was devoted to connecting users to local home improvement contractors. 

Harry Whittington (1927–2023), Texas reformer shot by VP

Harry Whittington was a lawyer who made headlines in 2006 when he was accidentally shot by Vice President Dick Cheney while on a hunting trip.

David Durenberger (1934–2023), U.S. senator from Minnesota

David Durenberger was a Republican U.S. senator from Minnesota who served for 16 years.

Lynnette Hardaway (1971–2023), half of conservative duo Diamond and Silk

Lynnette Hardaway was half of the duo Diamond and Silk, whose conservative political commentary was popular on YouTube and Fox News.

Jim Kolbe (1942–2022), longtime U.S. representative from Arizona

Jim Kolbe was a Republican who represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 until 2007.

Jackie Walorski (1963–2022), Indiana Congresswoman

J ackie Walorski was the Republican representative for district 2 in Indiana since 2013.

Midge Decter (1927–2022), prominent neoconservative writer

Midge Decter was a writer and one of the founders of the neoconservative movement in the 1960s.

Orrin Hatch (1934–2022), long-serving U.S. Senator from Utah

Orrin Hatch was a Republican U.S. senator from Utah, the longest-serving Republican in U.S. Senate history and the longest-serving senator from Utah in Senate history.

Johnny Isakson (1944–2021), U.S. senator from Georgia

Johnny Isakson was a Republican who represented Georgia in the U.S. Senate from 2005 to 2019.

Bob Dole (1923–2021), longtime U.S. senator from Kansas

Bob Dole represented Kansas as a Republican in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996 and ran for president against Democrat Bill Clinton in 1996.

Mike Enzi (1944–2021), former senator from Wyoming

Mike Enzi was a Republican senator from Wyoming who served in the senate from 1997 until his retirement in 2021.

John Warner (1927–2021), longtime U.S. Senator and sixth husband of Elizabeth Taylor

John Warner was a Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia who served from 1979 to 2009, as well as the former U.S. Secretary of the Navy.

Buddy Roemer (1943–2021), former Louisiana governor

Buddy Roemer was governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992, and he became the first governor in U.S. history to switch political parties while in office.

Rush Limbaugh (1951–2021), iconic conservative talk show host

Rush Limbaugh was a conservative radio talk show host known as one of the most iconic voices of the political right for more than 30 years.

Ron Wright (1953–2021), U.S. Representative from Texas

Ron Wright was a Republican U.S. Representative from Texas’ 6th congressional district, in the Arlington area.

Sheldon Adelson (1933–2021), billionaire casino magnate and political donor

Sheldon Adelson was a billionaire who owned casinos in Las Vegas and Asia, who was a prominent donor to Republican causes.

Herman Cain (1945–2020), 2012 Republican presidential candidate

Herman Cain was a business executive best known for seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Barry Farber (1930–2020), longtime talk radio host

Barry Farber was a popular conservative talk radio host who had been broadcasting since 1960, most recently on CRN Digital Talk Radio.

Tom Coburn (1948–2020), Oklahoma congressman known as “Dr. No”

Tom Coburn  was a Republican congressman from Oklahoma who served in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 and in the Senate from 2005 until his retirement in 2015. He was given the nickname “Dr. No” for his tendency to block bills.

David Koch (1940–2019), industrialist who funded conservative politics

David Koch, an industrialist who funded conservative politics, died Friday, August 23, 2019, according to multiple news sources. He was 79.

Thad Cochran (1937–2019), longtime US senator from Mississippi

Called “The Quiet Persuader” for his low profile consensus building in the Senate.

Richard Lugar (1932–2019), former U.S. Senator from Indiana

Richard Lugar was a longtime Republican Senator from Indiana who was highly regarded for his foreign policy leadership. He served in the Senate from 1977 until 2013. He teamed with Democratic Senator Sam Nunn on the Nunn-LugarCooperative Threat Reduction Program, which secured the dismantling of weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. Lugar was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 from President Obama.

George H.W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president of the United States

George Herbert Walker Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993.

John McCain (1936–2018), war hero turned maverick politician

In a Congress where the gulf between red and blue seems wider than it ever has, the long-serving Senator John McCain created an image of himself as a bipartisan bridge-builder. A Republican devoted to his party, he nevertheless reached across the aisle to form alliances and friendships with Democrats as he tried to advance ideals including fiscal conservatism, campaign finance reform, and American exceptionalism.

Charles Krauthammer (1950–2018), influential conservative voice

Worked for The Washington Post and Fox News Channel…

John Anderson (1922–2017), Former longtime Illinois Congressman

Ran for President as an independent in 1980…

Pete Domenici (1932–2017), former longtime New Mexico Senator

Republican power broker was in the Senate for more than 30 years.

Roger Ailes (1940 - 2017), longtime Fox News chief

Roger Ailes, the longtime Fox News chief who built the company into a populist media powerhouse over two decades before resigning last year amid multiple sexual harassment allegations, died Thursday, May 18, 2017. He was 77.

Benjamin Gilman (1922–2016), former U.S. representative

Benjamin Gilman, a former U.S. representative from New York, died Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016, in Wappingers Falls, New York, according to The Associated Press. He was 94.

Phyllis Schlafly (1924 - 2016), conservative icon

Phyllis Schlafly, a constitutional lawyer who successfully campaigned against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution during the 1970s, died Sept. 5, 2016, according to multiple news sources, including CNN. She was 92. Schlafly, who was widely credited with helping move the Republican Party to the right, went on to found the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund. The political group announced her death in a statement on Labor Day.

Jerry Doyle (1956 - 2016), Babylon 5 star

Jerry Doyle, an actor known best as the star of the sci-fi TV series “Babylon 5,” died July 27, 2016, according to multiple news sources. He was 60.

Bob Bennett (1933 - 2016), former senator from Utah

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett died May 4 of complications of pancreatic cancer, according to a post on his Facebook page. He was 82.

Robert Bennett (1933 - 2016), U.S. senator from Utah

Robert Bennett, a former Republican U.S. senator from Utah, died April 4 of complications of a recent stroke, according to a statement issued by his family. He was 82. Bennett also had pancreatic cancer. "His final days were filled with kindness and love, and the family greatly appreciates the outpouring of well wishes and support," the statement said. "It touched his heart, and deeply touched ours, to see how much he was loved." Bennett, whose father, Wallace F. Bennett, also served in the U.S. Senate, served three terms as a U.S. senator for Utah. Bennett's credits included chairmanships and senior positions on several key Senate committees, including the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Appropriations Committee, Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and more.

Conrad Burns (1935 - 2016)

Former U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana died April 28 of natural causes at his home in Billings, Montana, according to multiple news sources. He was 81. The death was announced by Montana Republican Party Executive Director Jeff Essman. The three-term senator won his seat in 1988 in a close election, but he was re-elected in a landslide in 1994, the first Republican U.S. senator to be re-elected in Montana. Burns used his influence on the U.S. Senate's Appropriations Committee to develop energy policies and manage public lands in the country's Western region.