By Cathy Higgins
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Tea Party movement came to a steep in Bay Minette Thursday night in the form of a rally deemed the “Common Sense Campaign.”
A near-capacity crowd filled into the Bay Minette Civic Center for the conservative political rally. The focus of the rally was summed up by event co-organizer John Lews of Bay Minette in his address to the crowd.
“We, the people, must step up and elect those who will stand up for the Constitution before it’s too late,” he said.
Common Sense Campaign President Mike Matthews expanded on that statement in his address.
“We’re here saying we want conservatives in office,” he said.
But according to Matthews, that goal does not include a third political party./
“We are not a political party,” he said. “We are a political movement.”
That movement, Matthews said, involves supporting conservative candidates, regardless of whether their affiliation is Democrat or Republican.
“We need to get into the Republican Party and make it the best party it can be,” he told the enthusiastic audience. “We need to get into the Democratic Party and make it the best party it can be.”
In conjunction with that challenge, Matthews pointed out several candidates for public office who were on hand for audience members to talk with or provided information about their campaigns, including Republican candidate for Baldwin County probate Judge, Harry D’Olive, and Republican Congressional candidate Dean Young.
