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Which GOP senators were labeled RINOs by conservative activist groups since 2010?
Executive summary
Conservative activist groups and right‑wing commentators have used "RINO" (Republican In Name Only) as a political cudgel against many Republican officeholders since 2010, frequently targeting senators who dissent from hard‑right positions or oppose Donald Trump; examples cited in the provided material include Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, John McCain (earlier), Mitch McConnell, Liz Cheney and others noted as targets of RINO labeling [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Available sources document the term’s use by activist outfits like the National Federation of Republican Assemblies and sites such as RINO Watch, which keep lists and campaigns against perceived RINOs [1] [6].
1. What "RINO" means and who uses it
RINO—“Republican In Name Only”—is a pejorative applied by conservative activists and intra‑party critics to Republicans judged insufficiently conservative; Merriam‑Webster defines it as a party member “disloyal to the party or deemed insufficiently conservative” and notes the label’s resurgence under Trump [7]. Political actors and organized groups (including a "RINO Hunters Club" and online outfits like RINO Watch) explicitly use the term as a tool to punish or primary incumbents they deem insufficiently orthodox [1] [6].
2. Senators repeatedly named RINOs in the sources
The collected sources identify several high‑profile senators frequently labeled RINOs: Mitch McConnell is explicitly listed as a RINO on Conservapedia [5]; John McCain is named among prominent Republicans called RINOs in PBS's Bill’s Run coverage [3]; Susan Collins and other moderate senators are discussed in Politico as being positioned apart from the Trump‑aligned GOP majority, a context in which RINO accusations commonly arise [2]. Liz Cheney is explicitly noted as having been called a RINO in regional editorial coverage [4]. RINO Watch and related activist sites monitor and criticize sitting senators they consider disloyal [6].
3. How activists use the label as a campaign tool
Conservative activists and the Tea Party movement used "RINO" as a primary‑season weapon in and after 2010 to target incumbents they saw as too moderate; political‑dictionary style sources say Tea Party forces “effectively used the term as a way to ‘primary’ Republican incumbents” in 2010 [8]. The history of organized campaigns — from the National Federation of Republican Assemblies’ "RINO Hunters Club" to modern online trackers — shows activists translate the label into endorsements, primary challenges, and public shaming [1] [6].
4. Disagreements over who qualifies as a RINO
The sources show disagreement over the term’s application: what one group calls RINO behavior (e.g., crossing party lines, opposing Trump picks, voting with Democrats) others treat as independence or moderation. PBS and opinion pages note that the label is “in the eye of the beholder” and has been used against a wide range of figures from John McCain to state‑level Republicans [3] [4]. Politico frames some senators as taking independent, institutional stances that draw ire from Trump loyalists — illustrating competing interpretations: principled independence versus disloyalty [2].
5. Limits of the available reporting and gaps
The provided sources do not offer an exhaustive, dated list of every GOP senator labeled a RINO since 2010; they supply examples, historical context, and mention organizations that compile targets but no comprehensive roster is included in these materials (not found in current reporting). Conservative encyclopedias and dictionaries name some figures and describe patterns, while RINO Watch and similar sites imply ongoing lists but the specific senator‑by‑senator roll‑call across 2010–2025 is not supplied here [5] [6] [7].
6. How to verify specific accusations going forward
To build a definitive list, consult primary sources from activist groups (RINO Watch, National Federation of Republican Assemblies), contemporary news reporting on each senator (e.g., coverage in Politico for institutional dissenters), and archived social‑media or campaign materials where activists call someone a RINO; the provided materials point to those types of sources but do not themselves contain a full, dated inventory [6] [2] [1].
Summary takeaway: the label RINO has been widely and repeatedly applied to a range of GOP senators since 2010 — particularly moderates and Trump critics such as Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski‑style moderates, Mitch McConnell (per some conservative outlets), John McCain historically, and Liz Cheney — but the current set of provided sources offers examples and context rather than a definitive, exhaustive list [2] [5] [3] [4] [6].