A debate is heating up in the blogosphere on whether Sarah Steelman is a tea partier or not:

Bungalow Bill’s Conservative Wisdom:

“I keep reading these news stories about Sarah Steelman in the days since she announced her bid for the Senate. Many of them try to make the case that she is the establishment candidate, while making the case she is tea party. I have been to many Tea Party rallies in Southwest Missouri, and I can’t say I have seen Steelman at any of them. However, establishment seems to better fit her.” Read more…

Reboot Congress:

“I don’t understand why Sarah Steelman is being referred to as the Tea Party favorite. She’s not. She may be by the time the election is here, but she’s not the favorite yet.

There are basically two paths to becoming a Tea Party candidate. The first path is to show up, maybe speak at events, maybe lead a local Tea Party group, recruit others, and just generally participate in the Tea Party….Those are the paths to becoming a Tea Party favorite. As of today, there are no Tea Party favorites for US Senate in Missouri.” Read more…

***An aside to this story. Sources close to Mr. Talent are telling us that the chances of him entering the race in January are now down to 50/50. The unflattering piece from the Club for Growth and the revelation that the National Republican Senatorial Committee reached out to Steelman in November has cooled the heels of the former senator. DEVELOPING

Related:

Hotline on Call: Steelman Under Scrutiny From Tea Party

Matt Lewis & The News: Politico’s David Catanese on Sarah Steelman vs. Jim Talent (podcast)

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