In the Senate races, Tea Party-endorsed candidates fared even worse in 2012 than they did in 2010. This year, national Tea Party groups and their PACs endorsed thirteen candidates. Eleven lost. Only Jeff Flake in Arizona and Ted Cruz in Texas won, giving them a 15% winning percentage in 2012. By contrast, in 2010 10 of 16 Tea Party endorsed candidates won – a 62.5% winning percentage.

 Tea Party Endorsed Candidates – Senate 2012

Tea Party endorsed candidates had more trouble in statewide races this year, but did very well in gerrymandered House districts. This year national Tea Party groups endorsed 83 candidates, 67 won, 15 lost, and one race goes to a December run-off. The 2012 winning percentage in the House of over 80% is even higher than the 2010 winning percentage of 63%, when 85 of the 135 endorsed candidates won.

Incumbency was extremely helpful to Tea Party endorsed candidates this year, where 44 of the 67 winning candidates were incumbents. Only four Tea Party-endorsed incumbents lost in 2012, Ann Marie Buerkle, Bobby Shilling, Joe Walsh, and Allen West. (In Louisiana, Jeff Landry will face off against another Republican in a December run-off election).

The FreedomWorks for America Super PAC endorsed 86 candidates, 66 won, 19 lost, with 1 going to a run-off – a nearly 77% winning percentage. The FreedomWorks Inc. PAC endorsed the same candidates as the Super PAC, plus Trey Gowdy in South Carolina (who also won). Their winning percentage was 77%.

The Tea Party Express (officially known as Our Country Deserves Better – TeaPartyExpress.org PAC) did not fare as well. The PAC endorsed twenty candidates, but only eight won – a 40% winning percentage.

Patriot Action Network’s political action committee, the Patriot Super PAC endorsed just five candidates. Three of the five endorsed candidates won, giving them a 60% winning percentage.

Tea Party Endorsed Candidates – US House of Representatives 2012