Tiahrt, Moran join Tea Party Caucus

Rep. Jerry Moran and Rep. Todd Tiahrt, the front-running Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate, have joined the newly formed Tea Party Caucus.

Tiahrt's congressional office issued a release on his decision late Tuesday.

Nothing official immediately came from Moran's camp. So Wednesday morning, Tiahrt's Twitter account had several tweets implying Moran couldn't make up his mind about joining.

But Dan Conston, Moran's campaign spokesman, said in an e-mail that Moran had joined the caucus Tuesday "before any comments from Tiahrt."

Conston said Moran's congressional office hadn't issued a release about Moran joining the caucus because Moran was attending his mother's funeral Wednesday morning in Plainville. Madeline Moran, 93, died Saturday.

The caucus was formed July 15 by House Republicans, led by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). The group's goal is to "promote Americans' call for fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution and limited government," Bachmann wrote in a letter to Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.), who chairs the House Administration Committee.

This story was originally published July 22, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Tiahrt, Moran join Tea Party Caucus."