I did an informal poll at work a few months back. Only one person in addition to yours truly knew that Lincoln was a Pubbie. Everyone else was certain he’d been a ‘Rat.
His father was... prior to the Nov ‘60 elections. There was never any evidence Junior was (and even if there were, he would’ve, like his father, ceased to be with the ‘60 election). The oft-cited Frances Rice lamentable piece on “MLK was a Republican” was riddled with errors, and it was even referenced in this article, calling A. Phillip Randolph a “Republican”, when Randolph and his wife were prominent Socialists and ran for Congress from NY as members of the Socialist Party. MLK, Jr. blasted Conservative Republicans and Goldwater, saying he was providing racist Whites a “cover.” He was a proponent of big government solutions to Black problems and continued moving leftward until his death.