Carmichael, Nye, Thodey lead Tea Party & 9/12 charge against establishment Republicans

Republican candidates Bart Carmichael, Matt Nye and Clyde Thodey will find out tomorrow if the Tea Party and 9/12 movement’s anger and energy will translate into votes. Carmichael is running for the District 24 Senate seat currently held by incumbent Republican Thad Altman, Nye is running for the District 4 County Commission seat currently held by incumbent Republican Mary Bolin and Thodey is running for the District 2 seat held by incumbent Republican Chuck Nelson. All three men are newcomers to politics and have never run for office before.

Impact of Tea Party Movement felt by Republican Party

I’ve been a Republican my entire voting life. I believe in the principles my father taught me about government, taxes and what government should and, maybe more importantly, should not be doing. There was no doubt that when it came to the two major political parties in the USA that I made the correct selection for my core beliefs. Sadly, not everyone made that distinction when they selected their party affiliation and the Republican Party suffered as a result.

While the party itself still claimed those values and espoused their virtues, the candidates that the party began nominating in primaries were not so closely tied to them. Oh sure, they would talk conservatism on the campaign trail and tout family values and fiscal responsibility. Then they would get elected to office and we found ourselves wondering how government continued to grow apparently unchecked. Something was not quite right. Read more