Most Tea Parties are 501c4's - prohibited from endorsing candidates

The Greater Phoenix Tea Party issued this clarification after the mainstream media tried to make hay over the fact several Tea Parties hadn't endorsed JD Hayworth. Tea Parties that aren't 501c4's like TaxDayTeaParty, have endorsed Hayworth.

For Immediate Release: Friday, March 5, 2010

To whom it may concern:

Due to misleading press reports, many Tea Party and other fellow conservative activists have misconstrued the position of the Greater Phoenix Tea Party in the area of candidate endorsements. First of all, the initial news story was written without the approval of our organization and this paper represents the position of our Board.

The facts are simple and clear. The Greater Phoenix Tea Party was formed as a 501c-4, the same as the Center for Arizona Policy, the National Tea Party Organization and other Constitutional conservative organizations. As such, we are bound by certain IRS rules and regulations, including the prohibition of endorsing candidates. We can – and will - follow the lead of many others in stating our position on issues and the position of various candidates on those same issues. That is voter education and falls within the guidelines we are required to follow.

Since the news story specifically dealt with the contest for United States Senator from Arizona, our position was presented in a manner to lead the public to believe we were opposed to one of the candidates – JD Hayworth. We are all aware of the slanted stories that pervade the Main Stream Media, and find it to be in conflict with the profession of journalism. In this case, their bias is personally offensive.

Our organization supports the sovereignty of our country and our state, supports free speech, private property rights, and opposes a larger and more intrusive government. Our members are already hard at work in the fight to restore those basic Constitutional principles to the people of Arizona. The main goal of the Greater Phoenix Tea Party is to increase the numbers of informed voters in both the Primary and General elections.

Again, as an organization we are not endorsing any candidate, however, as individuals we will continue our efforts on a daily basis to elect those who share our values. In that vein, we are and will continue to oppose candidates who have a track record in opposition to these values.

The Greater Phoenix Tea Party