A Recap of Tea Party Victories

The tea party movement is gaining its ground and has been sending strong signals towards the U.S. political arena. The recent upset victory by Christine O'Donnell in the Delaware senate primary was not just a big blow to the GOP but it also showed America how capable Tea Party candidates are. O’Donnell’s opponent, Mike Castle, was nine-term representative of Delaware and was highly favored to win the Republican nomination race. O’Donnell was strongly backed by the Tea Party Express and Sarah Palin. Just recently, Vice Pres. Joe Biden warned Democrats that underestimating Tea Party candidates can result in very unfavorable consequences. Aside from the Delaware race, there are still other notable successes by the Tea Party.

For the Senate race, Lawyer and Tea Party candidate Joe Miller defeated Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Alaskan GOP primary. The win was so shocking that Murkowski has now been pondering on the idea of a write-in candidacy. In Nevada, influence from the Tea Party Express along with other endorsements from out-of-state groups propelled Sharron Angle to defeat former state Republican leader Sue Lowden. Angle is now looking forward in dethroning Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. GOP-backed businessman Ron Johnson easily won his primary in Wisconsin. It was reported that Johnson sought the help of Tea Party activists.

The Tea Party influence has also reached the race for U.S. House of Representatives. In Florida, with the help and support of the Tea Party, retired army officer Allen West won his GOP nomination in South Florida’s 22nd District. A marine veteran and Tea Party favorite, Jesse Kelly, also defeated state Sen. Jonathan Paton and two other GOP candidates in the race for the 8th District of Arizona. Also, Rep. Parker Griffith lost his job in the 5th Congressional District as Mo Brooks, a Madison Country Commissioner and Tea Party candidate, convincingly defeated him in the recent Alabama GOP primary.

Aside from the Senate and the House, the Tea Party is also sending waves in the race for governor. Paul LePage’s conservative fiscal agenda has touched the hearts of Tea Party activists and has helped him conquer the Republican primary in Maine. In South Carolina, Nikki Haley was able to win her GOP nomination despite trailing for a couple of months. She reportedly received massive Tea Party support along with Sarah Palin’s game-changing endorsement.

The victories by Tea Party-backed candidates are a clear indication that the Tea Party is slowly gaining influence and may in fact alter the expected results of the coming elections. Democrats most especially Vice Pres. Joe Biden has urged his fellow candidates to not take candidates from the Tea Party lightly. He added that a Tea Party victory this coming November will endanger the major accomplishments achieved by the present Obama administration.