In sharp contrast to the views of most of their elected representatives and party leaders, a majority of Orange County Republicans support abortion rights, stricter gun control laws and stronger protections for the environment.
They overwhelmingly agree with their elected officials on fiscal matters, immigration controls and the need to scale back, or eliminate, government programs such as affirmative action, welfare and bilingual education.
A Times Orange County Poll shows Republicans locally to be far less uniform in their views than the county's political leadership, with divergent opinions on topics ranging from gay rights and mandatory school prayer to erecting a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.
The poll, based on telephone interviews in May with 600 Orange County registered Republicans, found that 66% consider themselves politically conservative, while the rest view themselves as moderate to liberal.
But what does it mean to be a conservative Republican in Orange County?
David Nelson sees himself as one. The 54-year-old salesman from Fountain Valley is against government-funded abortions, opposes gun control laws, supports prayer in schools, thinks environmentalists have gone "too far" and believes building a wall along the border "might help" curb illegal immigration.
Patti Jo Frey considers herself a conservative Republican too. The 36-year-old marketing representative from Newport Beach wants to eliminate affirmative action and welfare programs and favors cracking down hard on illegal immigration. Yet she is "very pro-choice" in favoring the right to an abortion, supports gay rights and wants to ban semiautomatic weapons.
"I'm not big on social programs and big government spending," said Frey, who participated in the survey. "I'm being selfish, but I want what's good for me in my income bracket."
UC Irvine professor Mark Baldassare, who conducted The Times poll, calls it "Republicanism by a la carte menu."
"There are a lot of different views on what it means to be a Republican here," he said.
Orange County Republican Party Chairman Thomas A. Fuentes said "there has always been a divergence of opinion" in the GOP.
"I would think that people would be joyful in knowing that difference of opinion exists," he said. "We are burdened by the conflict. We are challenged by intellectual independence. But it's healthy, [and] we seem to be able to deal with it."
