March 16, 2011
Reading the tea leaves of the tea party, the populist movement that gained notoriety with its effect in the November midterm elections, the grass-roots political organization could carry its stance on reduced government spending and lower taxes to local elections in the next campaign cycle.
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Larry Mayer, political scientist at Texas Tech University and an author of a book on emerging populist politics, said local political involvement by the nearly 2,400 Tea Party Patriot chapters nationally will vary by community.