They were elected on a populist mandate to cut government spending, cut taxes and reduce the national debt. Still in 2012, with Republicans like Richard Mourdock in Indiana, they promise to be the "anti-establishment" Republicans.
But are the tea party Republicans really that different from the so-called establishment? According to a report from Club for Growth, an organization advocating conservative economic principles, there's not much of a difference.
Club for Growth's report studied 37 key issues and looked at the freshmen's votes. They compared the votes with the club's official position and determined their "club score" as a measure of how faithful the freshmen have been to the principles they advocated during their campaigns.
Their results? "Establishment" Republicans scored an average of 69 percent. The freshmen scored an average of 71 percent.
"We're not interested in the rhetoric of elected officials," said Barney Keller, a spokesman for the club. "We're interested in the actions they take as members of Congress."
Calling it "disappointing," Keller added, "There's essentially no difference in the voting patterns."
