Dr. Rand Paul, Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul’s son, is a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky who has become a poster child for the Tea Party movement, according to Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor for The Cook Political Report.
The Tea Party movement continues to makes headlines across the nation, and the focus is now landing on the eye-doctor from Kentucky who rose from the movement and is challenging the Establishment for his party’s nomination.
One of the stark differences between the Tea Party movement and the Establishment is the bottom-up approach demonstrated by the grassroots activists attracted to it. Dr. Rand Paul didn’t have to ask the Establishment for support - he asked the people!
USAToday.com reports:
USA TODAY’s Oren Dorell introduced us to the Tea Party Patriots in early April when they were organizing tax protests around the country.
The movement then gained national attention during summer town hall meetings on health care and a Sept. 12 march in Washington. It has grown from the original 22 people on a conference call in February to almost 900 groups around the country.
One person in Florida even registered a Tea Party with the Florida Division of Elections.
“Any group of citizens organized for the general purposes of electing to office qualified persons and determining public issues under the democratic processes of the United States may become a minor political party of this state,” says Jennifer Krell Davis, spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Elections.
Jenny Beth Martin, a national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, says her organization has no connection to the registered political party in Florida and has no aspirations to become a third party, but they expect candidates to align themselves with their group in the coming months.
Lately, several lawmakers have started to align themselves with the Tea Party movement.
Politico reports that Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga.; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.; all appeared on a panel at a screening of Tea Party: The Documentary Film on Wednesday night in D.C.
Read the rest here.
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