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Tea Party Fizzles Out at Polls

Grassroots movement lacks money, skills to get votes

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 8, 2010 7:25 AM CST
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(Newser) – However good the tea party movement may be at organizing rallies, a recent slew of primary defeats for tea party candidates shows the movement still has plenty to learn about translating grass-roots energy into votes. In Texas, Illinois, and New York, tea party-affiliated candidates have been soundly trounced at the polls—and the problem may be a lack of both money and skills.

“The movement has more, ‘This is what we believe,’ than, ‘This is what we are going to do about it,’” one defeated candidate told Politico. Tea partiers still need to learn how to communicate with mainstream voters about policy, and they also need far more money than they're currently raising if they hope to launch strong challenges to well-funded incumbents, critics say.


Patrick Will of Eaton, N.Y., holds an American flag during a tax day tea party rally in Albany, N.Y., Wednesday, April 15, 2009.
Patrick Will of Eaton, N.Y., holds an American flag during a tax day tea party rally in Albany, N.Y., Wednesday, April 15, 2009.   (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
Evelyn Medlock cheers along with several hundred Tea Party Express protesters Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, in Las Vegas.
Evelyn Medlock cheers along with several hundred "Tea Party Express" protesters Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/David Becker)
Susan Thomas of Reno, NV., lower left, raises her arm during a Tea Party Express rally Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, in Las Vegas.
Susan Thomas of Reno, NV., lower left, raises her arm during a "Tea Party Express" rally Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/David Becker)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 91 comments
principacia
Mar 15, 2010 8:53 PM CDT
For one thing they got me awakened to the fact that I must do something in hopes of finding and supporting good honest local people to go into politics at the local level. It makes me feel better to know we will have a better future if we have more involvement in our government. We see what we get by electing people and expecting they will do what is best for us
principacia
Mar 8, 2010 10:21 PM CST
Thanks Don't like you. I was mocking a liberal response They honestly think conservatives are stupid. They also don't know the tea party has some wonderful thing going . They don't know the tea party has already had big results
cornelison
Mar 8, 2010 9:33 PM CST
They were created by Fox & "Friends." I rest my case.

 
conservatives • Tea Party Patriots • Tea Party • Republican primary

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