Tea Party groups that offered Dave Brat zero support sure are thrilled he defeated Eric Cantor

Washington Examiner ^ | 06/11/2014 | BY T. BECKET ADAMS

[SeekAndFind]

A Tea Party candidate soundly defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., on Tuesday, sending shockwaves through the Republican establishment and the Democratic Party.

And Dave Brat, the 52-year-old chairman of the Randolph-Macon College Department of Economics and Business in Ashland, Va., staged the huge upset without any help from major Tea Party organizations.

But this troublesome fact hasn't stopped certain so-called Tea Party groups from capitalizing on Brat's victory, declaring enthusiastically that Cantor’s defeat equals a Tea Party insurgency.

FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe wrote: “Congratulations to Dave Brat on his huge upset. The statement from the grassroots could not be any clearer. It doesn't matter what office you hold or how powerful you are. If you lose touch with activists on the ground, then your seat is in danger.”

“The grassroots are taking their seat back at the table and returning accountability to Washington. Votes on Capitol Hill will be heard back in the district,” he added. “We are proud to stand with Dave Brat in his election and look forward to working with him to reform Washington, D.C.”

FreedomWorks has so far backed two losing primary candidates in 2014 and switched its endorsement in the Nebraska primary to Ben Sasse two weeks before the primary election. FreedomWorks later took credit for Sasse's victory.

Neither Club for Growth nor Heritage Action, two groups that "aim to pick off Republicans who stray from strict party orthodoxy," as the Wall Street Journal puts it, got involved with Brat's campaign.

[3D-JOY]

I have less to give but I did send what I could and YES, we need to do it again!

One donation to RNC is now split and given directly! It even encourages me to find out about candidates that are not local.

[kidd]

Summary of article:

The voting block that purposely avoids organization
did not organize fundraising

The voting block’s guy didn’t get much money from the voting block to get the votes that he got from the voting block.

Do I have this right?

[CodeToad]

It’s a very rhythmic spelling. The most fun you can have when spelling any state.

[RetSignman]

She draws a salary as president of the Tea Party Patriots’ nonprofit arm — getting more than $272,000 in the 2012 fiscal year, according to the group’s most recent tax filing.
++++++++
Sounds like another ‘nonprofit’ group president who makes big bucks.... The Wounded Warrior Project.

[VTenigma]

The tea party is an idea, not an organization. Beware of groups co-opting the name.

[Coleus]

I never heard of him until today, meaning that the dozens of conservative sites to which I belong did not bother to support him...not even in printed word.

[PhiloBedo]

I think the grass-roots, who identify with the TEA party, has more sway than the so-called TEA party organizations.

We need to be wary. Some organized TEA party groups are set up by the opposition as “stalking-horses”.

[dead]

Make that Mississippi. Can’t believed I misspelled it. To excited I guess.

You misspelled "too" too.

[Amagi]

I have NEVER believed the “Tea Party Patriots” or any affiliated like-named group would function as anything other than siphoners and thieves of TP contributions.

I'll second that.

[conservative98]

I heard on Mark Levin last night that Jenny Beth Martin did take Brat’s calls and met with him a month ago. He also says without naming Laura Ingraham that she is trying to take credit for the win when it was Brat who should being getting credit for the win.