The Tea Party is Dead (Again). What Will its Legacy Be?

Before there was a MAGA republicanism, there was the Tea Party. Founded in 2009, the movement organized around fiscal conservatism and opposition to the Affordable Care Act and government bailouts of the banking industry. But the Tea Party’s influence has waned. Only half of congressional Republicans voted for a limited government position on tax and fiscal issues in 2023, according to a study by the Institute for Legislative Analysis. And the movement has lost financial support following the recent closure of the conservative political group Freedom Works. We look at the history of the Tea Party movement and how it shaped today’s GOP.

Guests:

Vanessa Williamson, senior fellow, Brookings Institute - co-author of "The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism"

Fred McGrath, president, Institute for Legislative Analysis - an organization that collects data for advocates of Limited Government

Duncan Braid, coalition director, American Compass - a conservative economic policy advocacy organization