Map of the Day: Tea Party Caucus Officially More Southern and Western

Michele Bachmann might hail from the Land of the North Star, but most of the members of the Tea Party Caucus that she formed last week represent the southern and western wing of the Republican House delegation.

The geographic center of gravity for the Tea Party Caucus -- or the average geographical location of the hometowns of its members -- is in Stigler, Oklahoma, which is hundreds of miles south and west of the center for the whole House.

The map below shows the centers of gravity for the Tea Party Caucus (yellow), the Republican caucus (red), the Blue Dog Caucus (purple), and the Democratic caucus (blue).

However, there's a caveat: The Republican location includes the Tea Party data while the Democratic location excludes the Blue Dogs. This wasn't by choice; I originally made a map about the Blue Dogs and have since lost that data, so the Tea Party location is in a sense an addendum to an old map.

If the Tea Party Caucus members were excluded from the full Republican data, the non-Tea Party Republican center of gravity would shift significantly, perhaps even past the Blue Dogs.

From southwest to northeast, here are the respective centers of gravity:

Tea Party Caucus: Stigler, Oklahoma
(Represented by Dan Boren)

Republican Caucus, including the Tea Party Caucus: Just east of Branson, Missouri
(Represented by Roy Blunt)

Blue Dogs Caucus: Hartshorn, Missouri
(Represented by Jo Ann Emerson)

Democratic Caucus, excluding the Blue Dogs: Pevely, Missouri
(Represented by Russ Carnahan)

Here's an interactive map:

And a screen shot: