The Tea Party Movement, founded in 2009, is an American political movement that advocates strict adherence to the United States Constitution, reduced U.S. government spending, taxes,Gallup: Tea Party's top concerns are debt, size of government The Hill, July 5, 2010Somashekhar, Sandhya (September 12, 2010). Tea Party DC March: "Tea party activists march on Capitol Hill". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 5, 2011. reducing the U.S. national debt and the federal budget deficit.
In the 2010 midterm elections, The New York Times identified 138 candidates for Congress with significant Tea Party support and reported that all of them were running as Republicans. According to a calculation on an NBC blog, 50% of the candidates backed by a Tea Party group, or who identified themselves as Tea Party members, were elected to the Senate, while 31% were elected to the House. In addition, research by economists Andreas Madestam of Stockholm University, Daniel Shoag and David Yanagizawa-Drott of Harvard University, and Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute estimated that the Tea Party movement protests generated 2.7–5.5 million additional votes nationwide for the Republican Party in the 2010 House elections.
Founding of Tea Party movement On February 19, 2009, in a broadcast from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, CNBC Business News Network editor Rick Santelli loudly criticized the government plan to refinance mortgages as "promoting bad behavior" by "subsidizing losers' mortgages", and raised the possibility of putting together a "Chicago Tea Party in July".Rick Santelli: I Want to Set the Record Straight.CNBC. March 2, 2009 A number of the traders and brokers around him cheered on his proposal, to the apparent amusement of the hosts in the studio. It was called "the rant heard around the world". Santelli's remarks "set the fuse to the modern anti-Obama Tea Party movement", according to journalist Lee Fang.
The following day after Santelli's comments from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, 50 national conservative leaders, including Michael Johns, Amy Kremer, and Jenny Beth Martin, participated in a conference call that gave birth to the national Tea Party movement."The founding Mothers and Fathers of the Tea Party movement," by Michael Patrick Leahy , retrieved September 29, 2016. In response to Santelli, websites such as ChicagoTeaParty.com, registered in August 2008 by Chicago radio producer Zack Christenson, were live within twelve hours.A Growing "Tea Party" Movement?, Jonathan V. Last, Weekly Standard, March 4, 2009 About 10 hours after Santelli's remarks, reTeaParty.com was bought to coordinate Tea Parties scheduled for the 4th of July and within two weeks was reported to be receiving 11,000 visitors a day. However, many scholars are reluctant to label Santelli's remarks the "spark" of the Tea Party considering that a "Tea Party" protest had taken place 3 days before in Seattle, Washington.Tam Cho, Wendy K., James G. Gimpel, and Daron R. Shaw. "The Tea Party Movement and the Geography of Collective Action." Quarterly Journal of Political Science 7.2 (2012): 105–33. This had led many opponents of the Tea Party to define this movement as "astroturfed," but it seems as if Santelli's comments did not "fall on deaf ears" considering that, "the top 50 counties in foreclosure rates played host to over 910 Tea Party protests, about one-sixth of the total"
2010 election
In the 2010 midterm elections, The New York Times identified 138 candidates for Congress with significant Tea Party support and reported that all of them were running as Republicans—of whom 129 were running for the House and 9 for the Senate.Kate Zernike, "Tea Party Set to Win Enough Races for Wide Influence" The New York Times, October 14, 2010 The Wall Street Journal – NBC News poll in mid-October showed 35% of likely voters were Tea-party supporters, and they favored the Republicans by 84% to 10%.Jonathan Weisman, "GOP in Lead in Final Lap" The Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2010 The first Tea Party candidate to be elected into office is believed to be Dean Murray, a Long Island businessman, who won a special election for a New York State Assembly seat in February 2010.
According to a calculation on an NBC blog, 32% of the candidates who were backed by the Tea Party, or identified themselves as a Tea Party member, won the election. In the primaries for Colorado, Nevada, and Delaware the Tea Party-backed Senate Republican nominees defeated "establishment" Republicans who had been expected to win their respective Senate races, but went on to lose in the general election to their Democratic opponents.Barack Obama, the Tea Party, and the 2010 Midterm Elections; Gary C. Jacobson; University of California, San Diego. p. 3 The three Senate nominees were seen by many in America and the media as either too inexperienced or had positions that were viewed as too extreme to be electable. Several of the Tea Party-endorsed candidates won victories against established Republicans in primaries, such as Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Nevada, New York, South Carolina, and Utah.G.O.P. Braces for More Discontent in Primaries; The New York Times; September 13, 2010Stunning Primary Season Reaches A Stunning End; NPR, September 14, 2010
Republican Scott Brown, who received Tea Party support, was elected as the U.S. senator from Massachusetts, normally a solidly pro-Democratic state. L. Dean Murray, a Long Island businessman, won a special election for a New York State Assembly seat. He is believed to be the first Tea Party activist to be elected into office. In Utah attorney Mike Lee defeated establishment Republican U.S. Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) in the GOP senate primary on May 8, 2010. Lee's win is seen as a victory for the Tea Party Movement, whose supporters were against Bennett's return.Burr, Thomas (May 11, 2010). "Democrat Dodd says Bennett's defeat will be Senate's loss" . The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2011. Rand Paul, who gave a speech at the first tea party event held in December 2007 and who was subsequently endorsed by other Tea Party groups, won the Super Tuesday GOP Senate primary in Kentucky. Paul, the son of Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, comfortably beat Republican establishment favourite Secretary of State of Kentucky Trey Grayson with 60% of the vote, and subsequently won in the November general election. He was quoted saying, "The Tea Party Movement is about saving our country from a mountain of debt." In the South Carolina's 1st congressional district GOP Primary, Tea Party favourite State Rep. Tim Scott defeated two establishment Republicans with long family histories in Republican politics: Paul Thurmond, son of the former South Carolina U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond.Radnofsky, Louise GOP's Tim Scott Pulls Ahead in S.C. House Primary, The Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2010. and Carroll Campbell, son of former South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. Scott has spent one term in the South Carolina House, where the businessman became the first African American GOP representative in more than 100 years.Scott, Thurmond in GOP Runoff in SC's 1st District ABC News, June 8, 2010Weigel, David Black Republican headed for congressional runoff in South Carolina, The Washington Post, June 9, 2010.S. Carolina Candidate Shrugs Off History's Lure The New York Times, June 25, 2010If Republican Tim Scott Wins in South Carolina, We All Win The Root, June 22, 2010 Nikki Haley, a 38-year-old Indian-American state representative, beat out three prominent Republican rivals in the South Carolina primary race for governor, capturing 49% of the vote. She defeated the second-place finisher, U.S. Representative Gresham Barrett, in a run-off election on June 22.Haley, Scott win in S.C. Republican races NBC News, June 23, 2010 In California, Chuck DeVore, who had Tea Party backing, lost the GOP senate primary to Carly Fiorina, who had backing from Sarah Palin. But she lost on November 2, 2010, to Barbara Boxer. In Nevada, State Assemblywoman Sharron Angle won the U.S. Senate Republican primary race, defeating the GOP favourite and one-time front runner, State Sen. Sue Lowden.With Tea Party Support, Angle Scores in Nevada GOP Senate Primary. Fox News; June 9, 2010. Angle was defeated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In Alaska, attorney Joe Miller defeated current U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, in the GOP primary race on August 24, 2010. Murkowski had been appointed to the seat by her father, Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski, who had held the Senate seat for 30 years prior to becoming governor. Murkowski remained in the election as a write-in candidate, eventually beating Miller in the general election. In Delaware, Tea Party-backed candidate Christine O'Donnell defeated veteran U.S. Representative Mike Castle in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.Karen Tumulty. Christine O'Donnell's big win in Delaware sends message to Republican establishment The Washington Post; September 16, 2010Christine O'Donnell celebrates shock Tea Party triumph in Delaware. The Guardian; April 15, 2010. Her victory was a surprising upset and was seen as a sign of Tea Party movement strength, even though Castle and not O'Donnell was the Republican expected to easily win the seat. O'Donnell lost the election. In New York, Tea Party-backed candidate Carl Paladino defeated former Representative Rick Lazio in the Republican primary for governor;"Tea Party-backed GOP governor hopeful Carl Paladino fighting for $1.4 million tax break". Daily News (New York). September 20, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010."Long Islanders put Paladino to test as their cup of tea", The Buffalo News, September 12, 2010 in the November election he was defeated by Democrat Andrew Cuomo. In Florida, Tea Party favourite Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Marco Rubio defeated Independent and sitting governor Charlie Crist for the U.S. Senate seat."Marco Rubio, from exile to tea party hero" The Washington Post, November 4, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2011. In Colorado, Tea Party favourite Ken Buck won the GOP Senate primary, defeating Republican establishment candidate Lieutenant Governor of Colorado Jane Norton, which caused controversy especially over Buck's stance on abortion.Buck defeats Norton in bruising GOP primary for Senate seat The Denver Post, August 11, 2010Tea Party Pick Ken Buck Wins Colorado Republican Senate Primary Politics Daily, August 10, 2010 In the November general election, Buck was defeated by Senator Michael Bennet.
There were allegations of Democratic candidates planting "fake" Tea Party candidates in Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
2012 election For the 2012 election, four of the 16 Tea Party candidates won a seat in the Senate, and Tea Party Caucus founder Michele Bachmann was re-elected to the House. The media, such as ABC and Bloomberg, commented that Tea Party candidates had less success in 2012 than in 2010.
In February 2011, the Tea Party Patriots organized and hosted the American Policy Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. The 1,600 attendees were polled regarding their preference for a 2012 presidential candidate. Herman Cain, the first of the 2012 candidates to form a presidential exploratory committee, won the poll with 22%. Runners-up were Tim Pawlenty (16%), Ron Paul (15%) and Sarah Palin (10%). Ron Paul won the Summit's online poll.
In September 2011, CNN and Tea Party Express co-hosted a Republican primary debate among presidential candidates that featured questions from various Tea Party groups.
In March 2012, incumbent Rep. Jean Schmidt was defeated in the primary for Ohio's 2nd congressional district by tea-party backed Brad Wenstrup, an Iraq Veteran and podiatrist. Wenstrup went on to win the general election.Pittman, David. Obama Re-Elected, Congress Stays Divided. MedPage Today. November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.