Not all moderates left the party though. Lincoln Chafee certainly is very popular and looks to be guaranteed the nomination. He is the face of the Republican party now and seems to be attracting a lot of moderates and liberal Republicans who were scared away during the nineties. The Republicans have been trying to distance themselves from the Religious Right ever since the 2000 election and if Chafee runs it will probably help them overcome the tarnished image the party has had since then.
I am a Democrat, but I’ll freely admit that things aren’t looking good given the current economic situation. At least President Shaheen is ending her second term and won’t have to run in this bad climate, but I think Vice-President Richardson or whoever gets the nomination is screwed if Chafee gets the Republican nod.