Tea Party PAC tallies regional wins

Pat Toomey’s successful bid for a U.S. Senate seat is the biggest prize, says Independence Tea Party Political Action Committee.

The Independence Tea Party Political Action Committee is crowing about how its candidates did this week. But candidates endorsed by the local PAC did far better in Pennsylvania than in New Jersey and Delaware.

Independence Hall Tea Party PAC President Don Adams said Thursday that of all the regional victories in Tuesday’s midterm election, the biggest win was Senator-elect Pat Toomey.

The group also endorsed the Republican winners in three suburban Philadelphia congressional races as well as Jon Runyan who won in New Jersey. While those candidates had the Tea Party organization’s backing, they also had support from the GOP establishment.

“I think the important point is that we find principled conservatives who will carry the day,” said Adams. “Obviously the Tea Party can’t win on its own, it doesn’t have the strength at this point. So we teamed up with Republicans when we found candidates that were deserving of our endorsement.”

Only one congressional candidate endorsed by the PAC lost in Pennsylvania, but three out of four proved unsuccessful in New Jersey. The group also backed Christine O’Donnell’s losing bid for the U.S. Senate in Delaware.