The Boll Weevil Democrats was a bloc of conservative Democrats who consistently voted in favor of tax cuts, increases in military spending, and deregulation during Ronald Reagan's presidential administration. The "Boll Weevils" consisted mostly of conservative Southern Democrats who remained in the US Congress during the 1970s and 1980s, including John Birch Society leader Larry McDonald. Most of the Boll Weevils retired from politics, but some, including Strom Thurmond, Phil Gramm, and Richard Shelby, defected to the Republican Party. Younger and newer members as well as the remaining Boll Weevil stalwarts formed the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress.
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