the primaries

Why the Tea Party Won

By Scottie Hughes

Tuesday’s primaries are just another round of the Republican Party trying to figure out how we are going to be defined for the next two
years going into the 2016 Presidential race. Many of the establishment
would like to show certain losses as reasons why the Tea Party -
Conservative wing of the Party should not be given a seat at the
table. However, we in the Tea Party see it differently. We don’t have
to win because, as of now, we are controlling the conversation. We are
making Republicans define themselves and be accountable for their votes.

Speaker John Boehner won in Ohio by 68.7%, which was down from his previous campaign
of 81%. While a win is still a win, this much of a drop should be very concerning to the
establishment and the Boehner camp considering his closest opponent only raised around $75K
in comparison to the millions in the Speaker’s campaign coffers. The real interesting part of this
election is now serious grumblings from his traditionally loyal supporters in the House are being
voiced over whether or not they will support him for Speaker again. Either Boehner not running
for Speaker or losing the vote would be considered a win for us.

In North Carolina, those in the Tea Party were hoping for a runoff between the establishment
Thom Tillis and the Tea Party’s Greg Brannon. The hope was that a runoff would give us more
time for more primaries, like the Chris McDaniel race in Mississippi, to show the strength of the Conservative movement. Momentum is the key to the grassroots. But let us not forget that North
Carolina is truly a purple state and not one we would consider a Conservative strong State.

We need to have good candidates represent the Conservative movement, hence why not all
Tea Party groups have backed Matt Bevin’s bid for Senate in Kentucky. In fact, the same group,
The Tea Party Leadership Fund, who had been working against Boehner in Ohio, endorsed
Mitch McConnell. We need to have candidates who have already been vetted and have the actual
means to win an election without sacrificing their integrity. 

We also need to make sure in future races, we only put one Conservative vs. an establishment
candidate as this is our common mistake and the main reason why we continue to have losses.
Candidates in our movement have to remember that they might be able go back to their lives
after a loss and, in some cases, might even be able to profit on their gained name notoriety however
the movement will always have a notch in the loss column thanks to their campaign. We need to be
smart, not discouraging the grassroots candidate. However, we need to make sure that we as
conservatives are honest enough to put our end goal of putting a true conservative in office as a
priority instead of offering numerous choices.

Remember, revolutions don’t just happen overnight. It takes strategy and planning. We are in a
long distant run to save our party, not a sprint. There are 100 Senators, however, think about the
power of one. One Senator who is willing to stand and fight against a bankrupting Healthcare
system. One Senator who is willing to speak out to protect personal liberties. One Senator who
is not afraid to point out corrupt and misleading proposed laws because of his in depth knowledge
of the supreme law. The light of one honest Senator in a hall of darkness and corruption can
save our country.

Truth be told, neither the establishment nor the Tea Party will ever win a majority of elections
again if we don’t unite under the disasters of Obamacare – eighteen trillion dollars in debt, IRS
Targeting, the Truth of Benghazi, etc.

The establishment will not survive without the passion and hard work of the grassroots or the
Tea Party. At the same time, the Tea Party cannot stand on its own without the structure and
fundraising of the establishment. The Democrats biggest wish is to continue this divide as they
know we are weak when separated.

Share: