"Conservative" is a philosophy of government, as is "Statist". "Democrat" is a Political Party, as is "Republican". Saying you can't tolerate Democrats is rather simplistic and painting with a broad brush, like saying you can't tolerate blacks.
You can have a "Conservative" Republican, and although they are rare, you can actually have a "Conservative" Democrat.
The vast majority of Democrats nowadays are Statists. Too high a number of Republicans in Washington are Statists, and they wield the reigns of power in the Party, although their influence is slowly waning. They infest Free Republic with posts trying to goad people into supporting their Statist candidates, when in fact what Conservatives of all stripes should be doing is firing all Statists.
Conservatives are in for the long haul, not short-term gains. Our efforts will probably take several election cycles. Trying to frighten us by saying things like "there won't be an America if we don't hold our noses and vote for...[fill in the Statist Republican Candidate]" won't work with us. Sorry, no sale - but hey, you go ahead and do it (we're for personal responsibility, so it's your choice - just don't tell us what to do; only Statists are into groupthink).
McConnell is a Statist Republican.
That may make things easier there for conservatives.
/johnny