Citizen Activism and Party Politics from the Tea Party to the Anti-Trump Resistance

• In Event: Parties, Activists, and Other Groups in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Abstract

Both the grassroots spread of more than a thousand local Tea Parties starting in 2009 and the current spread of as many as two thousand anti-Trump resistance groups are instances of an electorally sparked citizen movement. Ordinary citizens horrified at the election of a president and Congress at the opposite end of the partisan spectrum mobilized to “save America” as they believe it should be. Both times, participants sought to foster civic engagement and redirect public agendas and party politics. Drawing from current research on local resistors in multiple states, this chapter makes comparisons to earlier Tea Partiers – considering their characteristics and views as well as the structure, activities, and party relations of local groups.

Authors

• Theda Skocpol, Harvard University

• Vanessa Williamson, Brookings Institution

• Caroline Tervo, Harvard University