New Hampshire primary: Where’s the tea party?
New Hampshire might seem like ground zero for a tea party offensive.
But ahead of the Republican primary Tuesday, there’s no sign that the populist conservative movement is poised to shape the presidential results in the “Live Free or Die” state — or anywhere else, for that matter.
Instead, activists in the Granite State have divided their loyalties — and even seem resigned to seeing their sworn enemy Mitt Romney win his second straight victory.
The situation in New Hampshire and across the country has left some tea party organizers worried that their young movement’s foray into presidential politics could dilute its brand, disappoint its members or simply prove they were not quite ready for the big leagues.
“The tea party has not been around long enough to have a real impact on presidential politics because it hasn’t developed the mechanism to reach national agreements to back a candidate,” said Ned Ryun, president of a nonprofit group called American Majority that trains local activists in political organizing.