Did the Tea Party Win the House for the Republicans in the 2010 House Elections?

Abstract
We test the hypothesis that the Tea Party won the House for Republicans in 2010. We find no support for this hypothesis. Instead, we find that variables long cited in the literature on congressional elections—in particular, the incumbent’s previous electoral performance, the normal party vote in the district, candidate spending, and challenger experience—best explain the results of the 2010 elections.