Tea Party Movement Takes Primary Season By Storm

By Samantha Hayes, CNN|News9.com Contributor

WASHINGTON -- From coast to coast, conservative Republicans are riding a wave of political momentum.

Kentucky, Nevada, Alaska, Utah and Delaware are just few of the states where the Tea Party movement has rolled in, armed with money, momentum and manpower.

With its roots planted in Republican frustration after the 2008 election, the Tea Party movement erupted in 2009.

"What the Tea Party has done is they've cemented themselves as this alternative to the establishment," said Mark Preston, CNN Political Editor.

They've zeroed in on incumbents they want out of Washington, and the conservative candidates they want to replace them.

Sharron Angle is perhaps the Tea Party's biggest gamble. She won the Republican primary in Nevada and is now locked in a bitter battle with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. 

So far, the movement has an impressive primary track record, but many of those victories cam at the expense of party unity within states, leaving some Republican voters feeling alienated.

In Oklahoma, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brogdon was perhaps the highest profile candidate to win the endorsement of the Tea Party, but it didn't guarantee his victory.

Brogdon received 39 percent of the vote in the July 27 primary. Meanwhile, Mary Fallin won the Republican nomination for governor with nearly 55 percent of the vote. Fallin will face Democrat Jari Askins on November 2.

Polls suggest the Tea Party Movement is deeply polarizing.

In a recent CNN/Opinion Research Poll, 40 percent of respondents said they had an unfavorable opinion of the movement.

"So while you might get the Tea Party's support to help you win the primary, you need to win the general election. What we've seen some candidates do is moderate their position a little bit," Preston said.

The mission now is to rally enough Republicans and key Independents to help the GOP take Congress in November.

"Perhaps they take back the House and perhaps they win the Senate or come close to winning the Senate," Preston said.

The CNN/Opinion Research Poll interviewed 1,024 adults by phone Sept. 1-2. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

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