By Scott LaBove ’11, News Columnist

The British are coming! The British are coming!

One might think so in light of the recent victories of the Tea Party Movement heading into the mid-term elections. However, this tea party emerged in 2009, after growing resentment towards the stimulus bill of 2008, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the recent healthcare reform bill. The two most discussed victories of tea party members clinching Republican primary bids have been close to home in Delaware and New York State.

Delaware’s Christine O’Donnell defeated veteran Mike Castle in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. O’Donnell comes from New Jersey, where she studied at Farleigh Dickenson University.  Like most Tea Party candidates, O’Donnell holds traditional conservative views.  She is against raising taxes, and seeks to block Cap-and-Trade measures.  She is pro-life and a firm supporter of the Second Amendment of the Constitution.  However, while some have embraced her conservative views on sex and marriage, many others deem her views old-fashioned.

Meanwhile, New York’s Carl Paladino emerged victorious in his bid to be the Republican Party’s candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial election.  Though not an official member of the Tea Party, his election has been reported as a Tea Party victory.  Paladino is pledging to cut the state budget by an upwards of 20%, reduce welfare benefits for those who cannot claim New York residency, and cut the Medicaid budget by nearly 30% if he is elected.  While many of his views may appear befitting of a Tea Party candidate, Paladino has stayed away from claiming ties to the group, and is instead focusing the attention of his candidacy on New York’s fiscal crisis.

Although O’Donnell and Paladino have drawn the most attention, there have been numerous other Tea Party victories as well, even in traditionally democratic states. Rand Paul, son of Congressman Ron Paul, won the Super Tuesday Republican senate primary in Kentucky, and Paul Page won the Republican primary for governor in Maine.  In total there have been almost fifteen victories by other Tea Party affiliated candidates.

Although no Tea Party candidates hold seats in Congress yet, they have certainly made progress in their goal for national recognition.  Two years ago, it would have been hard to imagine the extent to which the Tea Party has become part of modern political vocabulary, and to which its members have begun knocking on the doors of Congress. The November elections will demonstrate just how much steam the Tea Party has generated, and will prove if the party is able to integrate itself into national politics.