The US midterm elections saw the Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives and add to their numbers in the Senate. The Tea Party movement has pushed the party rightwards and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is widely tipped as a 2012 presidential candidate. Healthcare reform and the other measures pursued by the Obama administration over the last two years now appear to be under threat. Dr Edward Ashbee will discuss this phenomenon and look at how and why the Tea Party emerged, its impact on the Republican party, and the consequences of this for the Obama administration and the coming presidential election. Dr Ashbee is an associate professor at the International Center for Business and Politics at Copenhagen Business School, and has written extensively about US political processes, elections, interest groups, and public opinion. His books include The US Economy Today and The Bush Administration, Sex and the Moral Agenda and US Politics Today.