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Three days after the Republican health-care bill collapsed, Rep. Charlie Dent (R) of Pennsylvania called a press conference to tell reporters he was going to try a different way to fix the Affordable Care Act.

Standing just off the House floor, Congressman Dent said the only way to sustainable, durable health-care reform is to work with Democrats 鈥� one fix at a time. That was the conclusion he'd come to along with a few other Republicans.

That stance resonated with some voters back in Dent鈥檚 politically mixed Pennsylvania district. 鈥淚t was uplifting,鈥� says Sandra Birchmeier, a Democrat and Dent fan, who saw the press conference on the local news that night.

Dent鈥檚 strategy may sound na茂ve in an era of hyper-polarization, in which the hard-line Freedom Caucus looks to have the upper hand among House Republicans. But Dent and other relatively moderate Republicans just proved they are a force to be reckoned with.

Hard-liners took the fall for the health-care debacle, but at least 25 non-Freedom Caucus members either leaned against, or, like Dent, said flat-out that they would oppose the听bill if it came to the floor. For lack of votes, it never did.

In bucking their own leadership 鈥� and President Trump 鈥� moderate Republicans have suddenly become far more visible, after years of being overshadowed by their staunch right-wing colleagues. Now, on everything from tax reform to spending and infrastructure, they will likely try to pull their conservative leadership toward more centrist positions that will fly in their swing districts.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a tug of war within the party鈥� and moderates are the 鈥渕ajority-makers,鈥� says Michael Steel, who was the spokesman for former House Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio. 鈥淭hey will provide the margin of victory or loss on every big issue.鈥�

Like-minded Republicans have another thing going for them, says Dent, in an interview at his Allentown, Pa., district office on Friday. Reality.

Shedding his bomber jacket on a cold rainy day, the congressmen relaxes into a leather chair and points out that it has taken votes from both parties to pass spending bills, avert fiscal cliffs, increase the debt ceiling, and approve major legislation and reforms. The big exception was Obamacare, of course.

鈥淣ow the question is: Why don鈥檛 we simply accept what appears to be reality, that in order to pass any of these big bills, that we have to do it on a bipartisan basis?鈥�

Why some Democrats cheer for Dent

Hours earlier, cars packed the parking lot at a Bethlehem, Pa., community center, when about 400 people came to hear Dent hold his first in-person town hall of the new Congress.

Standing on a bunting-festooned stage, he reached into a basket of constituent questions, and read from an index card: 鈥淲ill you, as an elected official representative of the people, stand up against the morass of lies and misinformation put forth by this administration, or will you hide?鈥�

Cheers erupted from an overwhelmingly Democratic crowd (and sometimes, jeers). When the noise died down, Dent 鈥� now starting his seventh term 鈥� answered in substance: My job is to represent the people of my district. If the administration is on the right track on an issue, I will work with them. If they are on the wrong track, I will stand as a check.

鈥淚鈥檝e done that,鈥� he said, setting off another round of hearty applause. 鈥淚 know how to say 鈥榥o鈥� to people."

The pulling of the health-care bill 鈥� brought on in part by opposition from folks like Dent 鈥� was a huge defeat for the president. He has since vowed to fight the right-wing Freedom Caucus if they don鈥檛 鈥済et on the team.鈥�

But while the failure was blamed on hard-liners, it also underscored the power of GOP moderates.

鈥淚 think听they recognize at this point what their authority is, what their power is, and what they mean to Trump,鈥� says former Rep. Tom Davis (R) of Virginia, who once belonged to the center-right caucus now co-chaired by Dent, called the听Tuesday听Group.

鈥淚 think you鈥檙e going to see them move more into driving a lot of policy coming out of the House,鈥� says Davis, speaking of the听Tuesday听Group and other Republicans who consider themselves the 鈥済overnance wing鈥� of the party.

The White House is still working with moderates and the Freedom Caucus to find enough votes to pass a GOP health care bill.

United we stand 鈥� but which 'we'?

During the Obama years, the GOP governance wing was overshadowed by the immovable tea partiers, who went on to form the highly disciplined Freedom Caucus in 2015.

While ideological tea partiers practiced fiscal brinkmanship听to cut government spending听and pushed the country into a partial government shutdown to repeal Obamacare, Dent says the GOP governing wing worked to 鈥渒eep the wheels from falling off the wagon.鈥�

鈥淲e were often criticized as capitulators, surrenderers, sell-outs, compromisers, a number of disparaging terms,鈥� he says in the interview. 鈥淵et at the same time, many of those people who were criticizing us were also glad that we got the job done.鈥�

Dent says the听Tuesday听Group 鈥� whose 54 members were split on the GOP health-care plan 鈥� is not by its nature a 鈥渘o鈥� caucus. Through discussions among its ideologically diverse members, it tries to get to 鈥測es鈥� and work with the GOP leadership. On Monday,听a number of Tuesday Group members who had been willing to back the health-care bill met with Vice President Pence and other White House officials to discuss potential modifications, including the possibility of letting governors opt out of some aspects of Obamacare.

But as Dent points out, every major reform or big piece of legislation requires both parties to be involved. 鈥淥n health care, we feel like we鈥檝e got to move forward incrementally,鈥� he said at the press conference. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to do this in a bipartisan way, so that it鈥檚 a sustainable, durable reform.鈥�

While Ms. Birchmeier, the Democratic voter, applauded Dent for not being 鈥減arty-line,鈥� his bipartisan stance on health-care is a problem for Jean, a Republican at the town hall who did not want her last name used. 鈥淚 think Republicans need to stay strong, and together,鈥� she said.

Will Trump work with Democrats?

That certainly seems to be the sentiment of President Trump, with his threatening tweets against Freedom Caucus members and Democrats.

But there鈥檚 also the side of him that appears willing to work with Democrats, even as he excoriates them. That鈥檚 the side that some moderate Republicans hope will come to the fore, though it鈥檚 unclear when 鈥� or if 鈥� that might happen.

Carlos Curbelo (R) of Florida, a听Tuesday听Group member whose district was won by Hillary Clinton, appreciates Dent鈥檚 bipartisan outreach on fixing Obamacare. He adds that 鈥渋t seems like the president and his chief of staff have been sending similar messages, so we鈥檒l see. It could work.鈥�

Would Democrats go along? House and Senate Democratic leaders have made it clear they have no interest unless Republicans repudiate their efforts to repeal and undermine the Affordable Care Act.

鈥淚 hope they come to the table. They haven鈥檛 done so yet,鈥� says Rep. Leonard Lance (R) of New Jersey. A Tuesday Group member, he was a declared 鈥渘o鈥� vote against the GOP health care plan. Democrats are targeting his district, which also went for Mrs. Clinton.

Dent says that some members of the moderate New Democrat Coalition have expressed an interest in working with him on improving Obamacare. But he wishes that the GOP leadership would听recognize the necessity of bipartisanship.

Certainly on health care, Speaker Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin shows no interest. If Republicans can鈥檛 pass reforms on their own, 鈥渢hen [Mr. Trump will] just go work with Democrats to try and change Obamacare and that鈥檚 not, that鈥檚 hardly a conservative thing,鈥� the speaker said on 鈥淐BS This Morning鈥� last week.

Does that mean that pragmatists will have to flex more muscle 鈥� like hard-liners?

The Freedom Caucus鈥檚 30 or so members have the power to block anything not deemed conservative enough, since Republicans can afford to lose only 21 votes to pass a bill. But that is not because the right-wing caucus is听bigger than the听Tuesday听Group, but rather because it often acts听as a uniform bloc 鈥撎齬equiring an 80 percent consensus on many decisions. Dent's group is more about discussing. It doesn't take positions and vote as a bloc.

鈥淭he Freedom Caucus has strength because it understands the power of 21,鈥� says Dent. 鈥淚 think sometimes we as Tuesday听Group members have to understand the power of 21.鈥�