They do exist, of course, but I seldom write about them because they tend to be quiet like little mice, hiding in the floor crevices. But here is one who has retired and no longer needs to fear the terrible consequences of not toeing the line: former U.S. Senator John Danforth. He said this recently:
Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri and an Episcopal priest, met with students during a seminar and held a luncheon talk at the graduate school.
"I think that the Republican Party fairly recently has been taken over by the Christian conservatives, by the Christian right," he said in an interview after his talks. "I don't think that this is a permanent condition but I think this has happened, and that it's divisive for the country."
He also said the evangelical Christian influence would be bad for the party in the long run.
Indeed. But moderate Republicans bear no clout whatsoever these days.