The statement is true to a certain extent, but the Southern states supported free trade as they were exporters of the raw products of cotton and tobacco.
One of the reasons I don’t think the Tea Party can be considered an actual party or anything more than an anti-tax movement, is that it (whatever the TP actually is) has not addressed this important issue.
It's much easier for a nation to have protectionist trade practices when it is doing business with other wealthier countries (as was the case for much of the early history of the U.S.). Having a somewhat lower standard of living than your trading partners makes it easier to be cost-competitive for products and services that can be obtained elsewhere.
That whole scenario falls apart in today's world, however. Because the U.S. pretty much has the highest standard of living among the major nations of the world, there's really nothing we can do to develop and maintain a competitive export-based economy. What exactly does the U.S. produce that can be sold competitively overseas these days?