Tea party organizations began in 2009 after the election of President Barack Obama, ostensibly to oppose tax increases and government deficits. The movement was quickly adopted by the Republican Party, with many GOP candidates running during the 2010 midterm elections with tea party endorsements. Several tea party organizations turned out to be astroturfed or fundraising scams. Fox News was a major promoter of tea party events, even endorsing some of them as “FNC Tax Day Tea Parties.”