With the conspicuous exception of “Defund the police,” red positions on culture war issues typically don’t have the support of a majority of Americans, if the polls are to be believed. Why then, does the GOP always pursue them, and why do they succeed?
Two words: geography and intensity. Bright blue culture war positions predominate in states like California, where rolling up huge majorities doesn’t help to win national elections. In addition, the GOP is relatively united behind the most extreme positions expressed by the reactionary plurality, while the Democrats are united only in their opposition to the GOP. Liberals and moderates (i.e., Biden voters, the majority of Democrats) have nearly the same degree of disdain for the woke Twitter left as conservatives and reactionaries. As a result, cultural issues are effectively wedge issues for the right.