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Tea Time: A Comparative Analysis of the Tea Party Caucus and House Republican Conference in the One Hundred Twelfth Congress

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Date Issued:
2014
Abstract/Description:
Following the historic election of Barack Obama, the largest overhaul of the nation's health care system since the Great Society, and with the country still reeling from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, a group of disenchanted conservative Republicans and elected leaders wary of government policy gave rise to a new political movement (-) the Tea Party. Since taking the American political system by storm in 2010, considerable research has focused on the electoral consequences of the Tea Party. Using an original dataset and the American National Election Study, I study the Tea Party Caucus at the elite level by analyzing roll call votes, incumbency, and endorsements, and at the mass level through an examination of congressional districts and constituencies. Findings show that members of the Tea Party Caucus and their Republican House colleagues are largely homogeneous. Exceptions to this include economic final passage votes, legislation receiving presidential support, district lean, census region, and presidential vote in congressional districts. Furthermore, evidence is seen that economic factors in members' districts affected the election of freshmen representatives in 2010, and that district variables strongly influence legislative voting behavior. Finally, discontinuity is discovered between the Tea Party movement at the mass level and the Tea Party Caucus at the elite level.
Title: Tea Time: A Comparative Analysis of the Tea Party Caucus and House Republican Conference in the One Hundred Twelfth Congress.
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Name(s): Phillips, Stephen, Author
Pollock, Philip, Committee Chair
Ilderton, Nathan, Committee Member
Schafer, Mark, Committee Member
, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2014
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Following the historic election of Barack Obama, the largest overhaul of the nation's health care system since the Great Society, and with the country still reeling from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, a group of disenchanted conservative Republicans and elected leaders wary of government policy gave rise to a new political movement (-) the Tea Party. Since taking the American political system by storm in 2010, considerable research has focused on the electoral consequences of the Tea Party. Using an original dataset and the American National Election Study, I study the Tea Party Caucus at the elite level by analyzing roll call votes, incumbency, and endorsements, and at the mass level through an examination of congressional districts and constituencies. Findings show that members of the Tea Party Caucus and their Republican House colleagues are largely homogeneous. Exceptions to this include economic final passage votes, legislation receiving presidential support, district lean, census region, and presidential vote in congressional districts. Furthermore, evidence is seen that economic factors in members' districts affected the election of freshmen representatives in 2010, and that district variables strongly influence legislative voting behavior. Finally, discontinuity is discovered between the Tea Party movement at the mass level and the Tea Party Caucus at the elite level.
Identifier: CFE0005229 (IID), ucf:50574 (fedora)
Note(s): 2014-05-01
M.A.
Sciences, Political Science
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Tea Party -- Tea Party Movement -- Tea Party Caucus -- Caucus -- Republican -- Republican Conference -- Elite Level -- Mass Level -- ANES -- American National Election Study -- 112th Congress -- One Hundred Twelfth Congress -- 113th Congress -- One Hundred Thirteenth Congress -- United States Congress -- Congress -- House -- House of Representatives -- Boehner -- Bachmann -- GOP -- Bush -- Obama -- PVI -- Partisan Voting Index -- Roll Call Voting -- Legislative Voting Behavior -- Incumbency -- Endorsements -- Redistricting -- 2010 election -- 2012 election
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005229
Restrictions on Access: public 2014-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

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