To the Point
Will the Tea Party Find a Second Act?
In the 2010 midterm elections, members of the Tea Party swept into Congress with the fervor of true believers, vowing to cut spending and government regulation. But this year, voters sent some of them packing. Representatives Allen West and Joe Walsh -- two leading Tea Party figures -- lost re-election bids.
By Judy Muller • • 1 min readIn the 2010 midterm elections, members of the Tea Party swept into Congress with the fervor of true believers, vowing to cut spending and government regulation. But this year, voters sent some of them packing. Representatives Allen West and Joe Walsh -- two leading Tea Party figures -- lost re-election bids. Jim DeMint, a Tea Party leader, is resigning his Senate seat to take a job as the head of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank. Several who remain in Congress have been kicked off coveted committees after not going along with Republican leaders on key votes. The movement is still a force within the GOP, but the 2012 election has weakened their position. According to polls, the Tea Party is experiencing record lows in public opinion. We look at what’s next for the Tea Party. Can it remain an influential force in American politics?
Judy Muller
University of Southern California
Anna Scott
Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter
Frances Anderton
architecture critic and author
Christian Bordal
Managing Producer, Greater LA
Kate Zernike
New York Times reporter covering politics
E.J. Dionne
Senior fellow at Brookings Institution, Professor at Georgetown University, Columnist at Washington Post
Jeffrey Lord
American Spectator