Here is an interesting description of Putin's core constituency from Condoleezza Rice, G W Bush's Secy of State
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-05/putin-thinks-he-s-vladimir-the-great-condoleezza-rice-says
Despite how much the Russian economy suffers from the low price of oil -- its budget is balanced at $105 per barrel not $80 -- Rice said she "would be very surprised if you see a change in the way that they approach the economy.” She explained that was because Putin’s largesse is rooted in the need to maintain his core constituents: the uneducated, the elderly, the retired military, and the rural populations.
Seems almost identical Trump's supposed core, almost as though Trump had been tutored in outreach to voters.
So much for the core voters-they help to win elections legally or get a Republican close enough to cheat and win.
The Republican Party office holders, corporate donors, oil and gas industry,and operatives are a different matter-their main interest is huge profits and Putin's Russia was going to be the next market where double digit profits could be made.
I think Putin and Russian investors/business leaders have been doing outreach for awhile to Republicans based on these business interests. Russia was beginning to be seen as the hot new market where it was possible to make huge profits--that was before the Clinton criticism of the Russian elections and the economic sanctions of the Obama administration.
Putin would have taken notice of Devin Nunes, opposing NATO preferences pressuring the Pentagon to move surveillance activities to the Azores.
Clinton and Obama were standing in the way of profits and I think many Republicans,especially the younger ones who tend to be even more authoritarian than the older ones, reacted. The fact that Putin is an anti-muslim, white, "christian," nationalist strongman is probably very appealing to the younger generation of Republicans,. A stable market where large profits can be made (and where you can use a simple tool like bribery to avoid any regulations), so long as you don't cross the dictatorial leader-is what they want.
The older group of Republicans know not to trust Putin and Russia-but they view the oil and gas opportunities as worth the risk. Rice, as an oil/gas industry person almost certainly was involved in Tillerson's appointment as Secy of State. She would be acting in what she perceives to be the US's economic interest re oil and gas even though she has no illusions about Putin.
G W Bush opened the door to Putin after 9/11 but I think it the double digit profits chase that came later was the actual beginning of the infiltration of the Republican Party.
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