The Tea Party Is Losing Support — Even Among Conservative Republicans

[Purveyor]

Results from last week’s elections and national polling show the Tea Party has seen a major drop in popularity since 2010

It was just three years ago that the Tea Party was flying high. Riding a wave of anti-establishment and anti-Obama anger, Tea Party candidates knocked off Democrats and Republicans alike. Three years later, the Tea Party’s light seems to have faded.

One can look at the results of last week’s election in which the Tea Party underperformed. Ken Cuccinelli became the first Virginia major party candidate to lose a gubernatorial election when his party did not control the White House in 40 years. He lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who is about as popular in Virginia as the Dallas Cowboys.


Cuccinelli’s even more Tea Party aligned running-mate E W Jackson got crushed. Jackson lost by over 10pt compared to just 2.5pt for Cuccinelli. One could take this as a sign that Cuccinelli would have lost by even more, if he had run further to the right.

The only member of the statewide Virginia ticket to come close was Attorney General candidate Mark Obenshain. Obenshain, who at this moment is involved in a race that is almost certainly heading towards a recount, was the least extreme of the three Republicans. He had some Tea Party ties, but went to much further lengths to distance himself from the brand. It showed in the results.

Indeed, the most successful Republican on election night 2013 was non-Tea Party member Chris Christie. Christie became the first Republican to win a majority of the vote in a statewide New Jersey election since 1988. He became the first Republican gubernatorial candidate outside of Florida to take more than 50% of the vote of the Latino vote in the last decade.

MORE...

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/12/the-tea-party-is-losing-support-even-among-conservative-republicans/

[AlinPA]

1. Right. But they still control the U.S. House of Representatives and will continue to do so

because of gerrymandering.

[lastlib]

2. .

because of gerrymandering.

...

Because Dems in 2010 were too lazy to get off their collective arse and VOTE, let alone work to put Dems in the state legislatures.....

Don't make the mistake twice folks--2014 HAS to be our year! Get out there and make it happen! It ain't gonna happen if we sit on our keisters!

[libdem4life]

3. Now we have the Purity Tests...looking for Mr./Ms Perfect in a politician...with Fainting Hankies at

the ready.

[marble falls]

4. Exactly right. Dems no-showed, no-called in November 2010 and the Teabillies came to polls in buses.

[MFrohike]

5. Oh bullshit

In NC at least, Democrats showed up in 2010 at a higher than average rate. The problem was that the right showed up in a much higher than average rate. There was no dropoff, there was a massive upsurge in GOP turnout. It's complete bullshit to pretend that Democratic voters didn't show up to the polls in that case. This particular argument makes me think of the damn birthers. No matter how many times you stamp it out by using actual facts, it keeps coming back. It's moronic and it's time it stopped.

[Jamaal510]

6. I'm going to take this

with a grain of salt. The TP may be losing support even among RWers, but they'll still probably vote for a TPer out of a "lesser of 2 evils" perspective because they hate Democrats more.