Where the Tea Party Runs Strong

In a town with two mayors, a distrust of government — and the President

Lynsey Addario / VII For TIME

JOE KLEIN'S ROAD TRIP

They call the city Texarkana because the Texas-Arkansas state line runs right through the middle of town. So there are two of everything--two city halls, two mayors, two police and fire departments. The politics are pretty much the same on both sides of the line, though: the Tea Party runs strong here. "We have such great opportunities to affect the way government operates because we have so much government here," says Jeff Akin, a radio talk-show host who helped found the Bowie County Patriots a few years ago. "Our goal is to elect conservative Christians to office."

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