A political movement that came into existence in 2009 as a grass-roots reaction to the unpopularity of the mainstream political parties. It took its name from the famous Boston Tea Party in 1783, when colonists dumped British tea, which was taxed by the British parliament, in Boston Harbor rather than pay taxes without representation. Today's Tea Party supporters oppose excessive government spending and taxpayer-funded bailouts, which they associate with both the Obama and George W. Bush administrations. They also support lower taxes. Tea Party members are conservative and predominantly Republican in orientation but do not support mainstream Republicans, many of whom they nickname RINOs, meaning Republicans in Name Only.

A number of Republican candidates supported by the Republican Party were defeated by Tea Party candidates in primary elections in 2010, and Tea Party candidates were successful in winning some Senate and House races in the 2010 midterm elections. These included Rand Paul from Kentucky, who won election to the Senate, as did Marco Rubio in Florida. The main concern of the Tea Party is the federal deficit, which they want to reduce primarily by reducing government spending. In addition to their support of lower taxes, they favor a strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution.