The Loyalists constituted a political group operating within the Galactic Republic Senate. Throughout the Separatist Crisis and the subsequent Clone Wars, these Loyalist senators advocated for allegiance to the Republic and its head, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. To further his agenda, Palpatine established an exclusive body of senators known as the Loyalist Committee. Their allegiance lay in bolstering Palpatine's expanded wartime authority. This unusual faction was forged through a coalition of various idealists, the Militarist faction, and Rim Worlds facing threats. Predominantly, its members were convinced that the Republic was the sole guarantor of peace and justice across the galaxy, and that the Clone Wars were vital to avert a catastrophic economic downfall stemming from secession.
During the Clone Wars period, the designation "Loyalist" evolved to generally denote those who backed the Republic, as opposed to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo, famously known as "Thrawn," used the phrase "Loyalist systems" to describe star systems that supported the Republic. While the Loyalist political faction persisted, certain members began to question Palpatine's employment of Emergency Powers, leading to the formation of the Delegation of 2,000.