Loose-knit tea party brewing influence

By Aaron Gould Sheinin

Atlanta Journal Constitution

The good news about the tea party movement, said Jack Pierce, of Woodstock, Ga., is that it's not organized in a conventional sense.

The bad, Pierce said, is that it's not organized in a conventional sense.

And therein lies the challenge for the burgeoning movement that has swept its way across the political landscape by tapping a huge vein of voter unrest with government at the state and federal levels.

Can a movement with supporters easily numbering in the tens of thousands in Georgia alone but no real central core focus its collective energy in a meaningful way, especially with seven Republicans -- the most likely recipients of tea party votes -- running for governor?

The answer isn't clear. There are more than 100 tea party groups in Georgia alone, and while they all seem to share the same passion for limited government, fiscal conservatism and immigration reform, they're not always on the same page when it comes to strategy, tactics or candidates.

In fact, some of the groups downright don't like each other.

Pierce, 48, a health insurance agent and tea party supporter, said that even without a central structure, the sheer number of tea party voters will force the candidates to "conform."

"Not because the tea party says you have to, but because they have so many conservative and right-centrists within the party, and that is so influential," Pierce said. "The conservative right, all conservatives for that matter, has no choice but to lean in that direction."

SHAPING THE DEBATE

That might be where the tea party is having its greatest impact. It has forced candidates to incorporate tea party rhetoric into their campaigns and actively to seek tea party support.

The gubernatorial candidates are no exception.

"One thing that's changed in the campaigning is that in addition to going to local Republican Party debates and monthly meetings, we're going to tea party gatherings all over the state," said Brian Robinson, a spokesman for Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Nathan Deal.

"Many of these are highly attended, with very enthusiastic attendees, many of whom have probably not been this politically active in the past."

Doug Grammer, the Republican Party chairman for the 9th Congressional District, said candidates are wise to reach out to tea party members.

"These people are going to vote, they are going to put up yard signs and they're going to talk to their friends about who they support."

Doug Brownlee, an organizer of the Heart of Georgia Tea Party Patriots in Dublin, said the members of his group are motivated.

"We're getting folks who have never been involved in politics, that have never cared, but they're scared," he said. "The nation's going down the tubes, and everybody's scared. They're tired of screaming at the TV, and they're ready to do something."

So they are holding their own candidate forums and organizing rallies. One group, the Georgia Tea Party, has created a voter guide that details each candidate's positions on issues such as state's rights and immigration, although it doesn't give each candidate a grade or a score.

Georgia's many tea party organizations appear unlikely to endorse any of the men and women running for governor.

"There is no consensus on who to endorse because there is not one candidate who can say I am the tea party candidate and be truthful," said Debbie Dooley, a co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party and a national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. "Support is divided among the candidates."

That's significant, too, because very recent history has shown a tea party endorsement can make a difference.

In May's special election for Georgia's 9th Congressional District, former state Rep. Tom Graves was endorsed by the Atlanta Tea Party (even though the group's territory is not in the 9th District). Graves' opponent in the June runoff, former state Sen. Lee Hawkins, was not.

Graves, a tea party follower from its conception in 2009, touted his tea party backing with stunning efficiency. Nearly every news release from his campaign mentioned it; he offered it as a credential on the trail. Hawkins went the other direction -- at one point Hawkins' spokesman said his candidate was "not really associated with it at all."

Graves swept the runoff.

NATIONAL IMPACT

Tea party endorsements also have had an impact in races around the country.

In Kentucky, tea party favorite Rand Paul beat an establishment GOP candidate for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination. In Nevada, Sharron Angle rode tea party support to a surprise win for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.

Still, it's difficult to predict what kind of impact tea party members will have on Georgia's upcoming primaries, especially in the race for governor.

A June poll of Georgia voters conducted by SurveyUSA found that 76 percent of Republican voters here have a favorable opinion of the tea party movement. But ask that 76 percent which candidate for governor they're supporting in the primary, and the results track with the overall Republican outcome.

Thirty-five percent of tea party backers said they were supporting Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine for governor. Thirty-four percent of GOP voters overall back Oxendine.

The results hold down the line:

* Former Secretary of State Karen Handel gets 19 percent of the tea party vote; 18 percent of GOP voters overall.

* Deal gets 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

* Former state Sen. Eric Johnson: 6 percent and 6 percent.

Those results suggest there's little separation between tea party adherents and more mainstream Republican voters.

Steve Anthony, a lecturer on politics at Georgia State University, said the tea party movement in Georgia could be minimized by the sheer strength of the Republican Party here.

It is, he said, "a tribute to the power of the Republican Party in this state. There's not as much dissatisfaction. "

Amanda Davis, 30, a real estate agent in Douglasville and a tea party supporter, agreed.

"I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for" for governor, she said. "I haven't necessarily been unhappy with how government in Georgia has been run, so I can't say, 'Oh, we need a huge change.'"

But tea party organizers here don't seem concerned about the candidate-picking business.

"The tea party is about conservative issues, not partisanship," said Mike Morton, co-founder of the Rome/Floyd GA Tea Party. "We won't endorse or support anyone, but we're going to -- as individuals -- support conservative candidates."

The movement's support, Morton said, goes beyond sign-waving.

"It's being involved in the process and getting results," he said. "We're about accomplishing things, and the tea party folks -- I promise you -- vote."

Contact Aaron Gould Sheinin at asheinin@ajc.com.