What is Principled
Moderation?

What Is Principled Moderation?

People often hear the word moderate and think it means weak, indecisive, or unwilling to take a stand. Someone lost in a bland, shifting middle.

At the Free State Party, we believe moderation is not the absence of conviction, but both a governing and a values-based ideology. We call it Principled Moderation: moderation with a backbone.

A Governing and Values-Based Ideology

As a governing ideology, moderation offers a clear vision for how responsible government should function in a free, pluralistic society. It defends democracy and the rule of law. It respects dissent and prioritizes results-oriented leadership, rejecting performative politics. It does not treat governing as a zero-sum battle.

As a values ideology, moderation holds that each individual matters while also acknowledging the importance of strong communities including lending a hand to neighbors when needed. This tension between liberty and equality is resolved issue-by-issue. It accepts that most issues are complex. It maintains that public policy should reflect competence, fiscal responsibility, and care for the common good. These are not morally neutral ideas. They provide a clear foundation for thoughtful and pragmatic stands on today’s most difficult issues.

We recognize that principled conservatives and liberals share our governing philosophy, though they differ in which values they emphasize. In today’s political climate, even these voices are increasingly drowned out by those who claim to share their values but abandon responsible governance for a win-at-any-cost mindset. This has fueled the stark polarization afflicting our communities.

That breakdown happens when people focus only on the ends (their values), excusing any tactic in the name of victory. It also happens when people care only about the means (the governing), becoming so cautious they risk paralysis. That is the familiar, and often fair, critique of moderates without principles.

Principled Moderation rejects both failures. It insists that our goals and the ways we pursue them must reflect decency, fairness, and the integrity of our democratic system. It argues that our democracy depends on protecting our governing values first, so we can return to the necessary debates over which values to prioritize and how those shape policy. And it contends that moderates must be ready to join those debates with their own clear stands on today’s issues.

Why It Matters

In a time when outrage is profitable and polarization dominates politics, Americans are left to choose between two increasingly rigid options. Many feel trapped between competing extremes, with little room for thoughtful leadership focused on practical solutions.

Many Kansans reject both parties and consider themselves moderates. Yet efforts to build new political movements aimed at independents and moderates have rarely succeeded. Too often, those efforts lack a clear, shared understanding of what moderation stands for. Without that foundation, they settle for vague, feel-good statements that offer little substance or direction.

Principled Moderation offers a different way forward. It affirms the value and liberty of every individual and recognizes that communities grow stronger when neighbors support one another. It trusts diverse voices, common-sense analysis, and fiscally responsible governance to produce the strongest, most lasting solutions. These are not platitudes. These are philosophical guardrails that help prevent reckless, cruel, or shortsighted policies.

An Optimistic, Practical Path Forward

Principled Moderation is not an appeal to anger or fear. It is a thoughtful, optimistic, and practical approach. Kansans deserve a party rooted in these values. A party willing to make tough decisions with honesty, compassion, and common sense.

That is what Principled Moderation offers. That is what moderation with a backbone looks like. That is what the Free State Party stands for.