Tea Party Groups Raise Huge Sums Of Money For Next Election Cycle

Most people are well aware that the allegedly grassroots tea party movement has significant backing from big money. But how much will the tea partiers be able to influence upcoming elections? Based on recently released financial reports for some of the largest tea party-affiliated groups, a whole lot. Politico reports:

The groups — Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, Club for Growth, Leadership Institute and Tea Party Express — raised $79 million last year. That’s a 61 percent increase from their haul in 2009, when the tea party first started gaining traction, and an 88 percent increase over their tally in 2008, according to a POLITICO review of campaign reports and newly released tax filings.

And the two biggest groups — Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks — tell POLITICO they’re planning to raise and spend a whopping $156 million combined this year and next, laying the groundwork for what could be a massive tea party organizing push against Democrats and the occasional moderate Republican in 2012.

While local tea party affiliates are still relatively small grassroots efforts, the profitability of the large, national groups shows that the extreme right wing will no doubt play a role in upcoming elections. In some states, like North Carolina, Democratic candidates are already struggling against the tea party’s massive money machine, thanks to contributions from wealthy conservatives. And, unsurprisingly, electoral evidence shows that the large sums of campaign cash often yield success.

As tea party groups continue to fill their coffers, the impact on elections will certainly not be minimal.

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

How A Stuttering President Confronts A Right-Wing Bully

Donald Trump mocks Joe Biden’s stutter,” the headlines blare, and I am confronted (again) with (more) proof that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee hates people like me.

Keep reading...Show less
Trump at Trump Tower

Former President Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan

NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - Donald Trump faces a Monday deadline to post a bond to cover a $454 million civil fraud judgment or face the risk of New York state seizing some of his marquee properties.Trump, seeking to regain the presidency this year, must either pay the money out of his own pocket or post a bond while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron's February 16 judgment against him for manipulating his net worth and his family real estate company's property values to dupe lenders and insurers.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}