Tea party wins Warren Co. GOP leadership

LEBANON - House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's stunning defeat to a tea party challenger in Virginia's Republican primary wasn't the only tea party win Tuesday night.

An "unlikely alliance" between tea party candidates and more moderate Warren County conservatives blazed the path for tea partiers to win control of the county's Republican Party. Tea partiers won 12 of 13 leadership spots.

In all, seven tea partiers were elected to the executive, central and at-large executive committees. Five other tea party-backed candidates also won leadership positions, said Ray Warrick, the party's new chairman.

"I don't think anyone, including us, expected us to do that well," said the Hamilton Township business consultant. "Obviously some people were not happy with the results, but that's to be expected."

Veteran party activist and party vice chairwoman Lori Viars withdrew her nomination for chair shortly before the election in support of Warrick, who handily defeated Warren County Republican Women's Club President Linda Burke.

Members elected Warren County Recorder Linda Oda vice chairwoman. Randy Kuvin and Staci Morris retained their respective positions of treasurer and secretary.

The heavily GOP county is important to Republicans in gubernatorial and presidential races.