Newport-Mesa tea party chapter ends after 6 years with celebration of Trump’s election
After six years of monthly meetings, discussions and debates on issues facing the community, state and nation, the Newport-Mesa Tea Party Patriots gathered for the last time on Thursday night in Costa Mesa.
The final meeting came just two days after arguably the greatest triumph for a national movement that has long battled the political establishment: the election of Donald Trump as the country’s next president.
“We pretty much accomplished our goal — we have an outsider as the president,” local tea party leader and founder Tom Pollitt said Thursday. “So we feel pretty good about that.”
The national tea party movement touts conservative principles such as smaller government, lower taxes and policies opposed to illegal immigration.
Pollitt told the crowd of about 60 people in the Halecrest Park clubhouse that the local tea party chapter is disbanding partly because he has decided to focus his attention elsewhere — perhaps on starting a local Christian school.
It’s possible, he said, that the group could be re-formed at some point.
“It was the tea party and the tea party movement throughout the country that made people aware that there was a problem, and it got them stirred up,” Pollitt said. “The establishment was the problem, and now we’ve got somebody who is outside the establishment and we’re going to have some real changes.”
Several local, state and federal politicians spoke at the final meeting, including Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa), state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa), Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer, Newport Beach City Councilman Scott Peotter and Costa Mesa Councilman-elect Allan Mansoor.
The meeting was festive, with speakers and other attendees celebrating Republican Trump’s triumph over Democrat Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s presidential election.
“What we’ve got now is a great opportunity to reach out to our fellow Americans and say, ‘Give us a new chance in the Republican Party; give us a chance to show we are for working people in our country and we are first and foremost for the well-being of the United States,’” Rohrabacher said.
Peotter said the local tea party chapter “has been one of the few reliably conservative organizations in this area.” He praised its members for supporting like-minded candidates.
Noting that Clinton beat Trump in Orange County, usually a Republican stronghold, he said: “How we’re going to change and win back our county is to get out there and work. So keep up the good work, even though the tea party is no longer here.”
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
