Bachmann Has Momentum With Phila Tea Party
Rep. Michelle Bachmann, a Republican candidate for president, won the Independence Hall Tea Party Association's straw poll handily.
Bachmann Has Momentum With Phila Tea Party
Thomas Fitzgerald, Inquirer Politics Writer
The presidential preferences of tea party activists in the Philadelphia region have shifted dramatically to Rep. Michele Bachmann in the past year, according to a comparison of straw polls of attendees at separate rallies on Independence Mall.
Bachmann, a Republican candidate from Minnesota, won 23.5 percent of the 533 votes cast at an energy independence event held July 4 by the Independence Hall Tea Party Association, a grassroots group with members from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
(In the association’s 2010 straw poll, Bachmann got just a handful of votes.)
This year, businessman Herman Cain – who spoke at the rally – finished second with 14 percent of the vote. Ron Paul, the libertarian from Texas, won 13 percent, after some of his votes were disallowed, because of ballot irregularities.
“Clearly, some of Ron Paul’s voters tried to vote three, four, and five times – providing erroneous email addresses or no email address at all,” said association board member Don Adams. Participants were asked to provide email to have their votes count. Results were released July 8.
The fraud “delayed our tabulation,” Adams said.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has said he may seek the Republican nomination, finished fourth with 11 percent of the straw poll vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has sworn on his life that he will not run for president in 2012, received 10 percent of the vote.
Sarah Palin got 7 percent, Mitt Romney, the frontrunner in national polls, took 5 percent.
Former PA Sen. Rick Santorum and former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton tied for eighth with 3 percent each. (Bolton spoke at the rally.)
In last year’s Independence Tea Party straw poll, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a GOP leader on budget issues who has proposed privatizing Medicare to reduce costs, won with 15 percent of the 500 votes cast. Palin was second with 13 percent. Romney had 11 percent. Santorum had 8 percent.
I like her positions on most areas, but she is un-electable in a general election. It is funny to watch left wing loonies obsess over her now instead of Sarah Palin...Romney will be the nominee and will win fairly easily if the economy is still in the tank.— kelprod2- Once you discount the various GOP voter fraud efforts on these ballots, you find that nine out of ten tea partiers agree that Bachmann's husband is a real swell dancer! — ahab
- Bachman is unelectable for the same reasons that Palin and Rummy are unelectable.— bronski
- Bachman is unelectable for the same reasons that Palin and Rummy are unelectable.— bronski
- You are a lame excuse of a "journalist". Bachman got a whopping 125 votes from a Tea Party group and the's news worthy? The Independance Tea Party group is about as far as you can get from a "grass roots" group. They are a front for the Koch borthers and their John Birch Society agenda. They really support these politicians? I'm shocked since they are ALL alumni of the Koch created ALEC organziation. The gola of these people is to destroy public education so that it is in private hands so they can dictate what is taught. Are you a member of one of these Koch brother organizations, Mr. Fitzgerald? You sure act like one.— MikeP
LOLOL! Romney will win fairly easily? Really? The Romney with the record of woeful economic incompetence (like the rest of the GOP)? The Mormon Romney who the party-controlling religious base hates and will reject? The Romney who has obsessively and inexplicably flip-flopped on every single major issue? The Romney who created Romney-care? Oh yes, he'll "win" fairly easily. BTW, clueless fool: 80% of the public rightfully blames the Republicans for the economy. Polls consistently show that voters do not view the GOP as competent on the economy. And the past few weeks have only magnified the plain truth: that Republicans are not fit to govern.— Herbert2- Bachmann is a perfect candidate for Philadelphia. We have a long history of voting for and electing idiots.— AreaMan
- What bothers me is that somehow 533 people probably stopped by a table set up in Independence hall on July 4th, and 123 of them marked down Bachmann as their presidential choice, and this somehow is a national referendum. Mickey Mouse might have been chosen by 3 or 4 percent if his name was on the "ballot". Ridiculous piece of reporting.
As to bachmann, she is unelectable because she is a lunatic and will eventually have to talk to American people.— Owatagoofiam - Bachman is an intellectual powerhouse for the Tea Party. Her nomination will guarantee a second term for Obama and so will Romney's or Paul's. Romney is really the best shot the Republicans have and TP voters will stay home instead of vote for him.— amg
- Fitz... you should be embarrased to sign your name to this article.— tdoc
- Owa. To the contrary, the writer made it clear, several times, that this was a regional poll (PHL Tea Party) of a portion of one party, and not a national referendum. And it's telling that some of you are angry that there was even an article written on this. The headline makes it clear that it's about the Philadelphia Tea Party and Michele Bachmann. If those two topics turn your stomach, why click on it?— Roger Podacter
- kelprod 2 likes Bachman's positions! What is that really mean?— bronski
- Here they come out of the woodwork, the usual bunch of left wing lemmings marching in step behind the Pied Piper (be it Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz, Daily Kos or whatever other partisan news source/talking head that has misrepresented the record of Bachmann.) She is not insignificant, but I am quite happy that people such as the majority of commenters on this board (who seem to have a problem with a journalist like Mr. Fitzgerald actually doing his job) The more you underestimate an individual, the better chance they have at becoming a stealth candidate. Obama became Senator because he was able to exploit Illinois voters upset at the challengers' family problms (and the unelectability of Alan Keyes) He then went on to parlay an interesting speech at the DNC to four years in office. If only the Democrats hadn't underestimated his ability to get people who live in their parents' basements to donate money online, Hillary Clinton might be gearing up for her re-election. So keep chuckling, people. It's a welcome sound.— Christine
- Misrepresented the record of Bachman? It's hard to misrepresent something when you have a near endless supply of video and audio clips. At this point, PolitiFact has an entire page of her comments with the overwhelming majority of them rated as "False" or "Pants on Fire" (19 out of 28 statements rated). It's really hard to misrepresent someone like her when she provides ample misrepresentations on an almost daily basis.
Here's the link: http://www.politifact.com/personalities/michele-bachmann/
— amg - Name the Democrat equivalent of all the Koch brother front organizations? All these new Republican govenors, Canter, Bachman and Boehner are alumni of the Koch's ALEC organization. Take a look at what this group is about. 80% of Republicans are against what these guys are trying to do but you vote for these candidates. The Koch brothers manufactured the Tea Party "grass roots" movement. Bachman is a pupppet for the Koch brothers. Every one of her speaches were written by others. If she was so brilliant, she could speak for herself. — MikeP
- And on the rare occasion when she does speak on her own (Faux News), she, like her doppelganger Palin, makes outrageous blunders with simple questions of policy substance. — Herbert2
- It means that you botched an easy, lay-up joke with a typo.— Roger Podacter
- Must have been special needs day...
-not bob levy— remyy - I'm thinking of getting behind Michelle Bachmann in a big way.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- This "rally" drew only about 100 people where tens of thousands were anticipated, so any polling done there is meaningless. The Tea Party is increasingly a big-money political marketing juggernaut with fewer actual voters participating in its activities every day.— Jeff West
- Whoops, meant to say "about 1000 people." Sorry.— Jeff West
- That's alright, Jeff. No one was really reading your post anyway.— Roger Podacter
- Need a real "independent minded" third party in this country. The tea party had a chance to become that party but moved inside the republican party. I'm talking about a party with fiscal / monetary conservatism on the economic side based on the foundation of libertarian ideas and philosophy on living in a free society.— Northcountry
- Tea Party=party of "no"
Bachmann=Know nothing— krammar
You can reach Tom Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
Reach Thomas at tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
