Most of those thought to be running for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination have not given financially to Tea Party backed candidates during the 2010 midterm elections.

The Hill reports that six Tea Party candidates, including Mike Lee, who knocked off Republican incumbents have only received $38,000 from the PAC’s of 2012 Republican hopefuls.

Most of the donations to the Tea Party six has come from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.

Romney has donated the maximum $5,000 to (Christine) O’Donnell, (Mike) Lee, (Ken) Buck and (Sharron) Angle, while Palin’s PAC distributed $9,500 to the six candidates, according to an analysis of campaign donations conducted by The Hill. 

By comparison, Republican incumbents and candidates recruited by the Republican establishment have raked in nearly $250,000 this cycle.

So, even though the Republican establishment is, in some cases reluctantly, rallying behind insurgent candidates, many of the party standard bearers have yet to put their money where their mouths are.