Hartford, CT – After national Republicans like John Boehner and Paul Ryan recently disavowed the Tea Party, Connecticut Republicans appear to remain cozy with the extremist group.  The Quiet Corner Tea Party Patriots hosted Connecticut Citizens Defense League counsel Martha Dean and Mark Boughton at their recent meetings, and now they’ve invited Tom Foley to speak at their January meeting.

The Connecticut Democratic Party asks, will Tom Foley stay true to his Tea Party roots and accept the Quiet Corner Tea Party Patriots’ invitation?

Background:

Boughton Attended Tea Party Meeting. [Quiet Corner Tea Party Patriots, 12/1/13]

CT Politics Blog: Foley “Stood With The House GOP” On The Government Shutdown. According to the CT Politics blog, “The congressional impasse over Obamacare that brought the federal government to a screeching halt Tuesday has created a schism among some of the Republican contenders for governor. Tom Foley, who is eyeing a rematch with Democrat Dannel P. Malloy in 2014, stood with the House GOP caucus and Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio,  on their attempt to force Congress to delay the start of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. ‘I blame the president and I blame Harry Reid,’ Foley, the 2010 GOP nominee for governor, said of the controversial shutdown.” [Hearst Media, CT Politics Blog, 10/1/13]

Foley Attended 2010 Tea Party Event. In April 2010, Foley participated in a New Haven Tea Party event on the day tax returns were due.  Foley was one of over 25 candidates to participate in “Candidates Alley,” which gave candidates for public office at all levels the opportunity to speak with voters about their platforms.  (CT News Blog Web Site, “Tax Day Tea Party,” April 13, 2010)

Foley Praised “Tea Party People;” Acknowledged Importance of Movement (2010). On February 9, 2010, Foley praised the “tea party people” and acknowledged the importance of their movement.  Foley spoke at a candidates’ forum in Canton, Connecticut, when he said that he had noticed a shift in voters’ attitudes in the summer of 2009 from one of confusion to one of anger over “big government and big spending.”  (YouTube Web Site, “**Tom Foley in Canton** Candidates Forum Feb. 9, 2010.wmv,” www.youtube.com)

Foley Marched With A Tea Party Group At A Veterans Day Parade. According to the Hartford Courant, “Candidates in Connecticut are taking notice, especially after Tea Party volunteers helped propel Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate. Tom Foley, a Republican running for governor, marched alongside a Tea Party contingent at the Veterans Day parade in Hartford last year. And Simmons, who has boasted that he carried a tea bag in his pocket, attended Tea Party rallies in New Haven and Norwich.” [Hartford Courant, 2/9/10]

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