Tea Party. It is a term that can ignite a mix of emotions, ranging from praise to scorn. Since its beginning in 2009, it has promoted conservative policies of low taxes and small government. Because of those stances, it has become very controversial among Americans. However, what do we really know about the Tea Party? Many Prairie Ridge students will be voting in the upcoming 2016 election, and as there will be several Tea Party candidates in the election, like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, we should make a good, informed decision.

So, what exactly is the Tea Party, and what do they stand for? According to Senior Travis Poole, “they stand against taxes,” and “they are a third party, so they don’t get a lot of votes from the public.” Senior Connor Smith thinks the same thing, saying that “[the Tea Party] is a political party.”

However, is this really true? Is the Tea Party a political party that does not receive many votes? Instead, according to Adam Liptak of the New York Times, it is “a loose confederation of groups with no central leadership,” and, according to Gallup, the Tea Party is primarily a movement within the Republican Party, even though other political parties, like the Constitution Party, embrace the Tea Party movement.

Several different groups, with some conflicting views, support the Tea Party, like libertarians, Evangelical Christians and other members of the “religious right,” and conservative populists who formerly had little interest in politics.

Despite the differences in the views of Tea Party movement supporters, they are all united together by their opposition to big government, and the belief that the government is spending too much and involving itself too much in the affairs of businesses and individuals.

The Tea Party has been influential in U.S. politics, as, according to Lara Brown, an assistant professor of political science at Villanova University, it has “forced the Republican Party to reaffirm its past principles,” such as smaller government and less spending, and it has shifted the party, as well as the nation as a whole, to the right. Additionally, hundreds of Tea Party candidates have won elections, most notably Ted Cruz as Texas Senator in 2012 and Matt Bevin as Kentucky Governor just a few weeks ago in 2015.

But what about in Illinois?

Compared to the U.S. as a whole, Illinois is a Democratic-leaning state, where politics tend to be left-of-center. Even the state’s Republican Party leadership is very moderate-leaning. Despite this, in rural and suburban Illinois, including McHenry County, which is generally Republican, there is an active Tea Party movement.

Speaking about the Tea Party, senior John Williams says “I think [it] is just another sign of the political times we live in. I think what the tea party movement does is it represents a section of the populace that is anti-establishment and is fed up with the Obama administration.” John thinks that the Tea Party movement has been influential in Illinois, pointing out that Illinois has its own chapter of the Tea Party movement.

Senior Neal Kleptisch disagrees, saying “I don’t think they are very influential in Illinois. Illinois is pretty Democratic.” However, Neal does admit that “there are probably some Tea Party supporters in McHenry County though.”

In fact, the Tea Party does have some strength in McHenry County. In April, 2014, several Tea Party friendly officials were elected to the McHenry County Republican Party leadership, replacing more moderate leaders, such as State Representative Mike Tryon.

However, the only successful major Tea Party candidate in Illinois was Joe Walsh, a Chicago area activist and venture capitalist who was elected U.S. Representative in a surprise victory in 2010. Although Walsh was lost his reelection bid in 2012 due to redistricting, he remains active in politics and is a talk radio host.

The Tea Party movement has been influential in several different ways across the United States, and it will likely play a large role in the upcoming presidential election. It has even affected Illinois and McHenry County to an extent. Objectively knowing the movement and its views could be helpful as we watch the news or make our decisions at the ballot box.