A group of conservative candidates backed by the Tea Party movement recently won several  Republican primaries in some crucial states.

It might not be easy to predict how this will affect the outcome of the general elections in 2012, but it has made clear the confusion of many Americans regarding just what the Tea Party is all about.

 For many who thought the Tea Party movement was just a group of very misinformed, Glenn Beck-loving conspiracy theorists, the news of Tea Party candidates beating traditional Republican candidates in the primaries truly comes as a surprise.  

Whether this marks the beginning of the Republican Party’s end or simply the formation of a third and far more conservative party is hard to predict. What has become clear is that the movement’s surge in support will not go unrecognized.

Throughout this year, the Tea Party movement has been fueled by political allies.  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the seriously confused Fox News personality Glenn Beck are attempting to assert themselves as Tea Party leaders in the famously leaderless movement. This could lead many to believe that some Republicans are rebranding themselves as Tea Party candidates at the cost of the Republican Party’s key players.

This turn of events may actually benefit the Democratic Party. It is well known that President Barack Obama and the Democrats are currently struggling to maintain their majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Obama currently has approval ratings in the mid-to-high 40s among the American people, according to Gallup. Those numbers are not bad for a Democratic president in recent history.  However, the statistic still has some shaking in their boots.

Tea Party candidates may have won against other Republicans in the primaries, but once voting opens up to entire state populations, Democrats probably still have a fighting chance.

It cannot be assumed that the Tea Party candidates will indeed lose once the voter group is expanded. However, it does spur the discussion of whether the displayed irrationality of some in the Tea Party movement will prove detrimental against the unified Democrats.

Although Tea Party candidates may be strong and popular amongst Republicans, they may not garner the same support from Democrats and ever-important Independents once the polls open.  As expected, the growing number of Independent voters in this country will be the ones to either propel the Tea Party movement forward or put it to rest.

With Senate Republicans’ efforts to block the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the slow or apparent lack of economic recovery and continuing war in the Middle East, Democrats need to not just retain, but win over as many seats as possible in November to keep the Obama administration’s agenda on track.

Without the Tea Party’s involvement, traditional Democrat and Republican candidates would have a relatively even chance of winning.  Yet Democrats could gain an advantage if the Tea Party divides the Republican Party on ideological lines