Grew up solidly middle-class in what is now a very expensive zip code in what was then very (I mean VERY) conservative Orange County. Mom and dad hardcore Republican, so I started out with the same leanings. Elementary, middle and high schools all 100% white. Dad was racist, homophobic, etc., mom was not. Got into punk and logged a lot of time at the Cuckoo's Nest, exposed to ska, punk, racist skinheads, anti-racist skinheads, atheists, etc. (for punk fans, watch this documentary about the Cuckoo's Nest:
). Started seeing that things weren't as black and white as I thought they were, but continued to register as Republican. Eventually I focused more on positions than party, registered Independent, but still voted mostly Republican. I'm still registered Independent.
Then something very unexpected happened.
I became a police officer, surrounded by very conservative police officers. That was an eye opener. At first, the job reinforced the conservative views I continued to have, but then I really started to *talk* to people. Everyone has a story, and, yeah, a lot of them were just lies in order to gain sympathy and hopefully avoid arrest or a citation, but not all. I began to migrate towards the center, and have stayed there ever since. I also noticed that the most conservative, most religious officers were the ones most likely to lie, exaggerate, be violent, leave out exculpatory evidence, and flat-out stab you in the back. I'm thoroughly disgusted by both sides but especially by politicians who violate their oath of office. I tend to vote for politicians who I feel will uphold the law and completely ignore the party, although lately I'm searching harder for 3rd party candidates to vote for because I don't want to vote Republican or Democrat whenever possible.
So....migrated from ultra-conservative to centrist, maybe a little more to left of center than center, but definitely close to center.