But Michigan's actual tea party groups are crying foul, alleging that the quiet petition drive is actually an effort by desperate Democrats to pull votes from Republicans in November:
Secretary of State Office spokeswoman Kelly Chesney said the petitions now will be checked to see if they contain the required 38,013 signatures from Michigan registered voters and that a minimum 100 signatures came from at least eight of the state's Congressional districts.
Once it is certified by the state's board of canvassers, the group, known as The Tea Party, must hold a nominating convention no later than Aug. 3 and submit to state election officials the names of its candidates for the November ballot.
The stakes in Michigan's political drama are spelled out in a recent national study that concluded candidates running under a Tea Party banner could pull enough votes from Republicans to deliver wins to Democrats in close contests in November.