'Tea Party of Nevada' Is a Conspiracy, Says Tea Party

The Tea Party of Nevada’s most vocal opponents aren’t Democrats; they’re tea party activists. The Tea Party of Nevada has formed an official third party, and will be fielding its own candidate in the race to dislodge Harry Reid. But that’s drawn howls of protest from tea party groups that oppose officially forming a third party, with some even accusing the group of being a ruse cooked up by Democrats to split the conservative vote.

Tea Party Nation even sent out one message complaining that people were using its TPN acronym to refer to the “liberal-funded Tea Party of Nevada.” Those subscribing to the imposter argument point to the group’s secretary, Barry Levinson, who they accuse of being a registered Democrat and Bush critic. But the Tea Party of Nevada’s bylaws sure seem conservative, Talking Points Memo reports, and a recent Las Vegas Sun article argued that its candidate is “no stooge for Harry Reid.” (More Tea Party stories.)