Henry Pollock Staff Writer I, like a growing percent of Americans, identify politically as economically conservative and socially liberal. I want less government spending, I don’t support economic regulation, I believe a woman has the right to choose, I support gay marriage, etc. The recent elections, however, have left me very disappointed and even disheartened. A trend seems to have occurred—fewer and fewer moderate Republicans are winning their primary battles and running in the general elections. We don’t  need to look further than two states bordering Illinois to see the proof of this, as the Senate elections in Indiana and Missouri provide perfect examples. Senator-elects Claire McCaskill and Joe Donnelly stole away with two seats that were easily winnable by Republican candidates. Instead of selecting a more moderate candidate, like the RINO (Republican in Name Only, a critical name for Republicans who display liberal views) incumbent from Indiana Richard Lugar, primary voters chose the now notorious conservatives Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock to represent the party. Akin and Mourdock proceeded to, on their way to losing the race, show their extreme social views. Scenarios like this occurred in 2010 in Colorado, Delaware, and Nevada and, if nothing changes, can be expected to continue into 2014. As a result of this recent trend in primary elections, voters with the same views as me are being forced into a choice between a rock and a hard place. Though it is expected neither candidate will be a complete economic conservative and social liberal, the increased amount of conservative Republican candidates makes it so the only possibility for economically liberal and socially conservative candidates are Democratic nominees. This disappearance of moderate Republicans is thus marginalizing RINO voters and forcing us to conform to the beliefs of other political groups. With their downfall we are left with two questions, where did all the moderates go, and what can we do to get them back?]]>