ABSTRACT
The Tea Party was an elitist movement and was concerned with enhancing corporate political power, displaying little concern with inequality or aiding disadvantaged groups. Many Tea Partiers concealed their political affiliations, contributing to the normalization of far-right politics in political discourse. Tea Party boosters claimed it was independent of partisan politics, mainstream, populist, a reflection of economic insecurity, and a grassroots rebellion against political elites. Portrayals from the media and scholars depicted Tea Party supporters as frustrated due to mounting financial insecurity. Social attitudes were weaker or insignificant in predicting Tea Party support, including: disagreement with claims that the US is marred by racial inequality, opposition to same-sex marriage, and feelings that immigrants are a societal burden. Although movement supporters were more likely to hold negative perceptions of the economy, perceptions of the condition of respondents’ home state economies were not associated with Tea Party support in Pew’s February 2011 survey.
