20 Pages Posted: 20 Aug 2011

There are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 19, 2011

Abstract

We test the hypothesis that the Tea Party won the House for Republicans. We find no support for the hypothesis. Instead, we find that variables long cited in the congressional elections literature - in particular, the incumbent’s previous electoral performance, the normal party vote in the district, candidate spending, and challenger experience - best explain the results of the 2010 elections.