Independent-Republican Era
- See also Independent_Republican_(disambiguation).
The Independent-Republican Party (I-R) was the name of the party from November 15, 1975 until September 23, 1995. The name change was made because the “Republican" name was damaged by the Watergate Scandal. Polls conducted in the early-mid 1970s indicated people in Minnesota were more likely to vote for a candidate who identify as an "Independent" versus a "Republican". During that time, the state party became more dependent on grassroots fundraising and eventually went bankrupt. After the National party pumped money into the party, in the early-mid 1980s, their image and base began turning more conservative. During this time the party had both US Senate seats and briefly held control of the state House of Representatives. By 1994, the grassroots had turned socially more conservative, and changed the name back in 1995. Attempts to drop the term "Independent" had been defeated in 1989, 1991 and 1993.
Read more about this topic: Republican Party Of Minnesota
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