Because of the Tea Party’s strength and influence, candidates who call themselves conservative must prove their bona fides to successfully court any grassroots support at all.
When the Tea Party began in 2009, even those of us at the heart of the movement couldn’t have predicted how it would permanently alter America’s political landscape. Just six years later, it’s undeniably at the heart of American politics in spite of countless attacks from the political establishment and from the national media. Because of the Tea Party’s strength and influence, candidates who call themselves conservative must prove their bona fides to successfully court any grassroots support at all.
Sen. Ted Cruz is a great example. Clearly a Tea Party favorite, Cruz has stood strong in the Senate for the movement’s values. He took the heat when others wouldn’t when it came to defunding ObamaCare and holding the congressional GOP leadership accountable for repeatedly caving to President Obama.
Cruz is often criticized for his Tea Party boldness but that’s precisely what makes him attractive. The movement views him as a smart, principled, constitutionally grounded conservative.
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