Tea Party of Nevada

The Tea Party of Nevada was a minor political party in Nevada.[1][2][3] It fielded Scott Ashjian in the United States Senate election in Nevada, 2010.[4][3][5]

Tea Party of Nevada
FounderScott Ashjian
FoundedJanuary 27, 2010 (2010-01-27)
DissolvedNovember 2, 2010 (2010-11-02)
IdeologyTea Party Conservatism
Fiscal conservatism
Popular constitutionalism
Right-wing populism
Libertarianism

2010 Election

The Tea Party of Nevada qualified as a minor political party with the Nevada Secretary of State on January 27, 2010.[1] Ashjian's supporters created the party by filing more than the 250 signatures needed.[6] The Tea Party of Nevada's stated goals include striving to "promote this nation's founding principles of freedom, liberty and a small representative government."[7] The party stated in its preamble that both major political parties were responsible for a "massive national debt" in the United States, and that the "great conservative majority in America" should not believe that the Democrats and Republicans would support their views.[8]

Ashjian filed his candidacy on March 2, 2010, and became the candidate of the Tea Party of Nevada for United States Senate in the 2010 Nevada general election.[9] Ashjian's candidacy was the only one which appears as the "Tea Party" on the November 2010 ballot.[10] In April 2010, Ashjian faced a legal challenge which attempted to remove his name from the ballot.[11] Carson City, Nevada district judge James Todd Russell heard arguments on whether Ashjian could remain on the ballot starting on April 14.[11] Judge Russell ultimately ruled that Ashjian complied with the intent of the law and he could remain on the ballot.[11] The American Independent Party, which brought the suit against Ashjian,[11] filed an appeal of the case to the Nevada Supreme Court.[9][12] On October 6, 2010, the Nevada Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling that Ashjian's candidacy would remain on the November 2010 ballot.[13][14]

Ashjian did not fair well in the election, garnering less than 1% of the vote (0.81%). However, his candidacy likely split or demoralized the Republican voting bloc as Sharron Angle, who was polled as the likely winner in nine of the ten polls before the election, was upset by incumbent Democrat Harry Reid. A key contributor to the failure of the party in the 2010 election was the Tea Party Express endorsing Angle over Ashjian in a failed effort to prevent this splitting of the ballot.[15]

The party was a single issue party for Ashjian's candidacy. Following his defeat the party has ceased to exist, and there have been no efforts to revive it. However, there was never an official declaration of the party dissolving.

Election results
2010 United States Senate elections[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Harry Reid (Incumbent) 362,785 50.29% −10.84%
Republican Sharron Angle 321,361 44.55% +9.45%
None of These Candidates 16,174 2.25% +0.65%
Tea Party Scott Ashjian 5,811 0.81% N/A
Independent Michael L. Haines 4,261 0.59% N/A
Independent American Timothy Fasano 3,185 0.44% N/A
Independent Jesse Holland 3,175 0.44% N/A
Independent Jeffery C. Reeves 2,510 0.35% N/A
Independent Wil Stand 2,119 0.29% N/A
Majority 41,424 5.74%
Total votes 721,381 100.00% −11.14%
Democratic hold

References
  1. Nevada Secretary of State. "Qualified Political Parties". Election Center. www.nvsos.gov. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
  2. Nevada Secretary of State. "2010 Filed Candidates". Election Center. www.nvsos.gov. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
  3. Tetreault, Steve (2010-03-08). "GOP Senate campaign chief downplays Tea Party impact in Nevada". Las Vegas Review Journal.
  4. J. Patrick Coolican, "Tea Party candidate could siphon GOP votes in bid to remove Harry Reid," Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 5, 2010.
  5. Kristi Jordan, "Tea Party hopeful Ashjian gives voters third choice," Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 8, 2010.
  6. Vogel, Ed (April 15, 2010). "Ashjian admits GOP status". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 1B.
  7. Jourdan, Kristi; Benjamin Spi (February 22, 2010). "Skeptics question Tea Party of Nevada". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 2B.
  8. Vogel, Ed (March 23, 2010). "Tea Party candidate is sued". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 1B.
  9. Dornan, Geoff (April 15, 2010). "Ashjian stays on the ballot". Nevada Appeal. Carson City, Nevada.
  10. Myers, Laura (October 1, 2010). "Ashjian not leaving race". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 1B.
  11. Vogel, Ed (April 15, 2010). "Tea Party of Nevada candidate Ashjian to remain on ballot". Las Vegas Review-Journal. www.lvrj.com. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  12. Vogel, Ed (May 14, 2010). "Party announces appeal over Ashjian's candidacy". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 2B.
  13. "Nev. Supreme Court: Ashjian 's name stays on ballot". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Spartanburg, South Carolina: The New York Times Company. October 6, 2010.
  14. Vogel, Ed; Steve Tetreault (October 7, 2010). "Conservatives lose bid to ax Ashjian from Nov. 2 ballot". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 6A.
  15. "Tea Party to Back Republican Dark Horse in Race to Challenge Reid". Fox News. April 15, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  16. "GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS – News". Lvrj.com. November 4, 2010. Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  17. "2010 Nevada Senate Race". realclearpolitics.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
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