Who Are the Tea Partiers?

The Sam Adams Alliance has some interesting numbers:

● Tea Party momentum is building: 74.5 percent of Next Wavers said the movement is “gaining active supporters” and 66 percent indicated that the movement is “more enthusiastic.”

● There was a nearly 30-point drop among Tea Party activists in their affiliation with the Republican brand.

● There is a decrease in Republican sources of entrants to the Tea Parties and an increase in independents: 20 percent of Next Wavers were independents prior to the Tea Parties (compared with 12.6 percent of Early Adopters that were independents) and 74 percent of Next Wavers were Republicans prior, compared to 81 percent of Early Adopters.

● The longer a Tea Party activist is in the movement, the more likely they are to be optimistic about the political landscape.

● Of those who were inspired by an individual to join the Tea Party movement, 63.6 percent—the largest number—cited a friend as being instrumental in their involvement. Only 37.5 percent of Early Adopters were recruited by friends. Rather, media personalities brought the highest number into the movement.

● 89.3 percent of Tea Party activists have been active in introducing new people into the movement.

● Both Early Adopters and Next Wave activists were new to politics; 40.5 percent of Early Adopters and 43.6 percent of Next Wave activists said they were uninvolved/rarely involved with politics prior to their Tea Party involvement.

That second item should scare the pants off the old line country club Republicans.