Dixiecrat

American  

[dik-see-krat] / ˈdɪk siˌkræt /

noun

1. a member of a faction of southern Democrats stressing states' rights and opposed to the civil rights programs of the Democratic Party, especially a southern Democrat who bolted the party in 1948 and voted for the candidates of the States' Rights Democratic Party.

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Other Word Forms

• Dixiecratic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Dixiecrat

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; Dixie + (Demo)crat ( def. )

Example Sentences

With then–Gov. Thurmond as their leader, the group broke off and created the Dixiecrat Party for the upcoming election.

From Slate • Jul. 3, 2023

We can also look back at Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a former Dixiecrat candidate for president and arch-segregationist who was notoriously belligerent in his rhetoric and personal style.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2021

And Mr. Hollings was not the first South Carolina political icon Mr. Biden has honored: In 2003, he delivered a eulogy for Strom Thurmond, a longtime Republican senator and onetime Dixiecrat nominee for president.

From New York Times • Apr. 16, 2019

When he was asked to deliver the eulogy for former Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 2003, Biden joked about their implausible relationship and called the late senator’s request for him to speak “his last laugh.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2019

In 1948 they formed the Dixiecrat Party and refused to support many of the policies and candidates of the Democratic Party.

From The Black Experience in America by Coombs, Norman