Here we go again.
The overarching theme of Jim Morrill’s rundown of the Tim D’Annunzio-Harold Johnson GOP runoff caught my eye:
In the district that stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville, the two face off in a June 22 runoff that could test the strength of tea party voters pushing for major change in Washington. … A low-turnout runoff could swing on whose voters are the most motivated. D’Annunzio is backed by tea party groups. Johnson is supported by GOP stalwarts such as former Gov. Jim Martin.
The tea party groups Morrill is referring to are actually two chapters of the We The People effort, one in Cabarrus and one in the Sandhills. They have been active in various tea party efforts, along with many other groups. As such they are part of a much broader tea party tent and it seems a stretch to suggest they represent a bulk of tea party voters in the 8th district. (One point of emphasis for the Sandhills group is “Un-Christian – Immoral laws and direction.”)
For comparison, I believe the Ayn Rand Institute handed out literature at the tea party event in Uptown several weeks back. Were that group to endorse a candidate in a race, it would be a tad simplistic to say that endorsement “could test the strength of tea party voters.”
Moreover, Matt Ridenhour — the organizer of the Charlotte Tax Day Tea Party effort — confirms that he and his group have not endorsed a candidate in the race, nor do they plan to. Ridenhour also notes that staffers from Harold Johnson’s campaign and Johnson supporters have been very active in the tea party effort as well.
What we are left with then is an on-the-ground reality much more complex than the D’Annunzio (Tea Party) vs. Johnson (Establishment) framing suggests.
