Richard Viguerie: The Tea Party Was the Big Winner of the GOP Presidential Debate

Contact: Bob Sturm, 703-396-6974; Ryan Rogge, 703-396-6971; after 6 PM Eastern & on weekends, Bob Sturm, 703-307-8176; Ryan Rogge, 703-674-6948

MANASSAS, Va., Aug. 11, 2011 -- Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, issued the following statement regarding the Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa:

"The Tea Party was the big winner of the GOP presidential debate.

"All eight of the Republican candidates who appeared on the stage at the Ames, Iowa debate sounded like charter members of the Tea Party.

"To win the general election, we must first win the debate. When all eight Republican candidates take their lead from the Tea Party, we know the Tea Party has become the dominant force in Republican politics."

NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation) and one of the "conservatives of the century" (Washington Times). He is the author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.