As election qualifying ended Friday, the dust settled with a dozen or
more tea party candidates challenging state lawmakers in contested
races.

Republicans see a conspiracy theory: a number of the tea party
candidates are former Democrats, some appear financially strapped to pay
the $1,800 filing and others are filing to run in districts far away
from their listed address. A number of the seats are also targeted by
Democrats for takeover.

"The recent flurry of last minute filings by so –called “tea party
candidates” looks awfully suspicious," said GOP Chairman John
Thrasher in a statement. "While a few tea-party candidates across
the state do have ties to the tea party movement, in the majority of
instances, it appears that the Democrats have coordinated a dishonest
attempt to hide phony candidates behind the name “tea party” and to
confuse voters who may be supportive of the tea party movement,
effectively stealing votes from true conservative candidates and
injuring the grassroots tea party movement as a whole."

(Sound familiar? Democrats sounded a similar alarm two years ago with
the mysterious emergence of "Green Party" candidates. Read more here
and here.)

A number of the tea party candidates we called referred us to Fred
O'Neal, the head of the party. (Though remember there is a dispute
about this, too.) O'Neal, a registered Democrat before becoming a
tea party member, said the GOP theory is ridiculous. He said he is just
following through on his promise to recruit challengers for Republican
lawmakers who supported the SunRail project in the December special
session.

One of the candidates is Victoria Torres, a 51-year-old
Orlando resident who filed to run in District 51, currently held by
Democrat Janet Long, who lives in Seminole in Pinellas County.

"It's not that we are out to help Democrats," he said. "We are out to
hurt Republicans who are for fiscal responsibility and who are not."

He said the party helped pay candidate's filing fees (one candidate
from the Orlando area lists a net worth of $4,500) and will help with
campaigning. "Republicans really need to worry about their own
business," he said. "A number of them will probably go to jail for tax
problems."

The Democratic party said something similar. "Despite their beliefs,
the black helicopters are not coming to get John Thrasher," said Eric
Jotkoff, a party spokesman. "Maybe they should spent more time
cleaning up their party."