Tea Party Is Taking Back Seat In Primary
Activism Monday, January 9th, 2012
By JANET HOOK And NEIL KING JR., The Wall Street Journal
The New Hampshire tea-party movement, which helped Republicans score major victories in 2010 elections, has taken a back seat in this year’s presidential primary amid deep divisions over whom to support.
Second-tier candidates Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have each had some allure for tea partiers reluctant to back GOP front-runner Mitt Romney, but none has galvanized and unified the decentralized movement.
“It is split,” said Ken Eyring, founder of the Southern New Hampshire 9.12 Project, who has compiled an online guide to the candidates’ positions on major issues. “There’s an awful lot of research being done by everyone I know.
“Gov. Romney is not one of the favorites of the tea party,” said Mr. Eyring, who hasn’t said whom he will support.
But just as the former Massachusetts governor benefited from a fractured social-conservative electorate in Iowa, he appears likely to be helped by a fractured tea-party vote Tuesday in New Hampshire.
The latest survey by the University of New Hampshire, taken from Thursday to Sunday, shows Mr. Romney doing about as well among voters who say they are active in or supportive of the tea party as he does among all voters: He drew 36% of tea-party backers, followed by Mr. Paul (19%), Mr. Santorum (19%), Mr. Gingrich (14%) and Mr. Huntsman (4%).
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Short URL: https://reteaparty.com/?p=5434
Much of the tea party has forgotten its roots and is only laser-focused on beating Obama. They’ve lost their attention to detail when it comes to picking a candidate who will deliver on his promises of smaller government, otherwise why would they even look twice at Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, or Perry?
Fortunately a number of NH tea party leaders have found a candidate who is a true fiscal conservative. Ten have reportedly now backed Congressman Ron Paul.
Agreed McClarinJ. It will be interesting to see the results tomorrow.
Here in WI we also have many who call themselves Tea Party, but in reality are Neocon establishment types. I no longer identify with the brand for that reason. There is ONLY ONE Real TEa Party candidate, and that is RON PAUL