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In the Senate races, Tea Party-endorsed candidates fared even worse in 2012 than they did in 2010. This year, national Tea Party groups and their PACs endorsed thirteen candidates. Eleven lost. Only Jeff Flake in Arizona and Ted Cruz in Texas won, giving them a 15% winning percentage in 2012. By contrast, in 2010 10 of 16 Tea Party endorsed candidates won – a 62.5% winning percentage.

 

 Tea Party Endorsed Candidates – Senate 2012

First
Name
Last
Name
State

Freedom
Works for America

FreedomWorks PAC

Tea Party Express

Patriot Super PAC

Result
JoshMandelOhio

1

1

1

1

Loss
RichardMourdockIndiana

1

1

1

 
Loss
JohnRaeseWest Virginia

1

1

1

 
Loss
TomSmithPennsylvania

1

1

1

 
Loss
PeteHoekstraMichigan
 
 

1

 
Loss
GeorgeAllenVirginia

1

1

 
 
Loss
KurtBillsMinnesota

1

1

 
 
Loss
DanielBonginoMaryland

1

1

 
 
Loss
BarryHinckleyRhode Island

1

1

 
 
Loss
WendyLongNew York

1

1

 
 
Loss
ConnieMack IVFlorida

1

1

 
 
Loss
TedCruzTexas

1

1

1

1

Win
JeffFlakeArizona

1

1

 
 
Win

 

Tea Party endorsed candidates had more trouble in statewide races this year, but did very well in gerrymandered House districts. This year national Tea Party groups endorsed 83 candidates, 67 won, 15 lost, and one race goes to a December run-off. The 2012 winning percentage in the House of over 80% is even higher than the 2010 winning percentage of 63%, when 85 of the 135 endorsed candidates won.

Incumbency was extremely helpful to Tea Party endorsed candidates this year, where 44 of the 67 winning candidates were incumbents. Only four Tea Party-endorsed incumbents lost in 2012, Ann Marie Buerkle, Bobby Shilling, Joe Walsh, and Allen West. (In Louisiana, Jeff Landry will face off against another Republican in a December run-off election).

The FreedomWorks for America Super PAC endorsed 86 candidates, 66 won, 19 lost, with 1 going to a run-off – a nearly 77% winning percentage. The FreedomWorks Inc. PAC endorsed the same candidates as the Super PAC, plus Trey Gowdy in South Carolina (who also won). Their winning percentage was 77%.

The Tea Party Express (officially known as Our Country Deserves Better – TeaPartyExpress.org PAC) did not fare as well. The PAC endorsed twenty candidates, but only eight won – a 40% winning percentage.

Patriot Action Network’s political action committee, the Patriot Super PAC endorsed just five candidates. Three of the five endorsed candidates won, giving them a 60% winning percentage.

Tea Party Endorsed Candidates – US House of Representatives 2012

 

First
Name
Last
Name
State

District

Freedom
Works for America

Freedom
Works PAC

Tea Party Express

Patriot Super PAC

Result
JeffLandryLouisiana

3

1

1

 
 
Runoff
KarenHarringtonFlorida

23

1

1

1

 
Loss
BobbySchillingIllinois

17

 
 

1

 
Loss
LeeAndersonGeorgia

12

 
 

1

 
Loss
HansLessmannPennsylvania

14

 
 

1

 
Loss
ToddLongFlorida

9

 
 

1

 
Loss
JonathanPatonArizona

1

 
 

1

 
Loss
DaveRouzerNorth Carolina

7

 
 

1

 
Loss
Ann MarieBuerkleNew York

24

1

1

 
 
Loss
JoeWalshIllinois

8

1

1

 
 
Loss
AllenWestFlorida

18

1

1

 
 
Loss
MattDohenyNew York

21

1

1

 
 
Loss
AdamHasnerFlorida

22

1

1

 
 
Loss
JasonPlummerIllinois

12

1

1

 
 
Loss
DannyTarkanianNevada

4

1

1

 
 
Loss
MiaLoveUtah

4

1

1

 

1

Loss
KerryBentivolioMichigan

11

1

1

1

 
Win
TomCottonArkansas

4

1

1

1

 
Win
RonDeSantisFlorida

6

1

1

1

 
Win
RichardHudsonNorth Carolina

8

1

1

1

 
Win
MarkMeadowsNorth Carolina

11

1

1

1

 
Win
KeithRothfusPennsylvania

12

1

1

1

 
Win
TedYohoFlorida

3

 
 

1

 
Win
TomMcClintockCalifornia

4

1

1

 
 
Win
DavidSchweikertArizona

6

1

1

 
 
Win
SteveSoutherlandFlorida

2

1

1

 
 
Win
JustinAmashMichigan

3

1

1

 

1

Win
KevinBradyTexas

8

1

1

 
 
Win
PaulBrounGeorgia

10

1

1

 
 
Win
MichaelBurgessTexas

26

1

1

 
 
Win
JohnCampbellCalifornia

45

1

1

 
 
Win
SteveChabotOhio

1

1

1

 
 
Win
JasonChaffetzUtah

3

1

1

 
 
Win
MikeCoffmanColorado

6

1

1

 
 
Win
JeffDuncanSouth Carolina

3

1

1

 
 
Win
ChuckFleischmannTennessee

3

1

1

 
 
Win
JohnFlemingLouisiana

4

1

1

 
 
Win
TrentFranksArizona

8

1

1

 
 
Win
ScottGarrettNew Jersey

5

1

1

 
 
Win
PhilGingreyGeorgia

11

1

1

 
 
Win
LouieGohmertTexas

1

1

1

 
 
Win
TomGravesGeorgia

14

1

1

 
 
Win
AndrewHarrisMaryland

1

1

1

 
 
Win
JebHensarlingTexas

5

1

1

 
 
Win
TimHuelskampKansas

1

1

1

 
 
Win
BillHuizengaMichigan

2

1

1

 
 
Win
JimJordanOhio

4

1

1

 
 
Win
SteveKingIowa

4

1

1

 
 
Win
RaulLabradorIdaho

1

1

1

 
 
Win
DougLambornColorado

5

1

1

 
 
Win
JeffMillerFlorida

1

1

1

 
 
Win
MickMulvaneySouth Carolina

5

1

1

 
 
Win
RandyNeugebauerTexas

19

1

1

 
 
Win
StevePearceNew Mexico

2

1

1

 
 
Win
TedPoeTexas

2

1

1

 
 
Win
MikePompeoKansas

4

1

1

 
 
Win
BillPoseyFlorida

8

1

1

 
 
Win
TomPriceGeorgia

6

1

1

 
 
Win
ReidRibbleWisconsin

8

1

1

 
 
Win
ToddRokitaIndiana

4

1

1

 
 
Win
EdRoyceCalifornia

39

1

1

 
 
Win
SteveScaliseLouisiana

1

1

1

 
 
Win
TimScottSouth Carolina

1

1

1

 
 
Win
AustinScottGeorgia

8

1

1

 
 
Win
MarlinStutzmanIndiana

3

1

1

 
 
Win
LynnWestmorelandGeorgia

3

1

1

 
 
Win
JoeWilsonSouth Carolina

2

1

1

 
 
Win
KevinYoderKansas

3

1

1

 
 
Win
AndyBarrKentucky

6

1

1

 
 
Win
KevinCramerNorth Dakota

at-large

1

1

 
 
Win
SteveDainesMontana

at-large

1

1

 
 
Win
GeorgeHoldingNorth Carolina

13

1

1

 
 
Win
ThomasMassieKentucky

4

1

1

 
 
Win
RobertPittengerNorth Carolina

9

1

1

 
 
Win
TreyRadelFlorida

19

1

1

 
 
Win
MattSalmonArizona

5

1

1

 
 
Win
SteveStockmanTexas

36

1

1

 
 
Win
AnnWagnerMissouri

2

1

1

 
 
Win
JackieWalorskiIndiana

2

1

1

 
 
Win
RandyWeberTexas

14

1

1

 
 
Win
BradWenstrupOhio

2

1

1

 
 
Win
TreyGowdySouth Carolina

4

 

1

 
 
Win
DanBenishekMichigan

1

 
 
 

1

Win
Devin Burghart

is president and executive director of IREHR. He has researched, written, and organized on virtually all facets of contemporary white nationalism since 1992, and is internationally recognized for this effort. Devin is frequently quoted as an expert by print, broadcast, and online media outlets. In 2007, he was awarded a Petra Foundation fellowship.