Tea Party Nation

Florida Duo Claiming Rights To Tea Party Name Have History Of Alleged Political Dirty Tricks

Zachary Roth | January 15, 2010, 10:40AM

Tea Party protesters (inset: Doug Guetzloe)

The two-man team of Florida political activists who are claiming the rights to the "Tea Party" name have been accused in the past of engaging in political trickery for profit, including allegedly pressing opposing candidates to pay for the endorsement of their candidate.

In August, Orlando lawyer Fred O'Neal registered the "Tea Party of Florida" (TPOF) as an official political party. Since then, as we reported yesterday, he and his close ally, GOP political consultant Doug Guetzloe, have asserted rights to the Tea Party name, and tried to strong-arm some local groups to drop the well-known moniker.

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