NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — As vaccine skeptics fight laws that would force more parents to inoculate their kids, they are finding unexpected allies in conservative Republicans.

The stereotype of a vaccine skeptic is a coastal, back-to-the-land type, but it’s generally been Democratic-controlled states that have tightened vaccination laws.

This week, Democrats in California and Washington state proposed eliminating laws that allow parents to opt out of vaccination for personal reasons after a measles outbreak was traced to Disneyland.

Republicans objected to a similar effort in Maine. In Colorado, it was largely Republicans who squashed a 2014 effort to force parents to get a physician’s approval if they chose not to inoculate their kids.

There are exceptions. Some Democrats have fought vaccine requirements, and some members of the GOP have sought to increase the shots.