Posted on 07/10/2013 6:19:30 AM PDT by cotton1706
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) would back Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) if he faces a primary challenge from Liz Cheney, a committee spokesman told The Hill.
“The NRSC's main responsibility is to ensure the reelection of Republican senators on the way to the majority. We would obviously support Sen. Enzi if a challenge arises,” NRSC Communications Director Brad Dayspring said Tuesday.
Cheney, a Fox News commentator, former State Department official and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is said to be seriously considering a Senate bid against Enzi.
The New York Times reported last weekend that Cheney telephoned the GOP senator and told him “she’s looking at” challenging him.
She has been highly active in local Republican politics since moving to Wyoming with her family about a year ago, attending a number of events around the state, sometimes with her father by her side.
While Cheney grew up in Virginia and has spent most of her life there, Dick Cheney long represented Wyoming in Congress and remains popular with the state’s Republicans.
Enzi has said he’s likely to run for a fourth Senate term but hasn’t made an official announcement.
“He’s focused on representing the state and people of Wyoming,” said Enzi spokesman Daniel Head.
“He loves his job, feels he's making a difference, finally has the committees he wants to be on, knows seniority counts, and knows how to use it. He is doing everything he can to continue to earn the respect of the people of Wyoming by working hard for them and representing them well.”
While the NRSC has said it’ll back Enzi, party committees are loath to spend money on contested primaries — especially in states like Wyoming where whoever wins the primary is a virtual lock to win the general election.
It’s unlikely Enzi would receive much monetary support from the committee if he does face Cheney in a primary.
If she runs, Cheney will likely have no problem raising money for the race.
She is well-known in national GOP donor circles, particularly with those focused on national security. Cheney, along with conservative commentator Bill Kristol, run a national security organization called Keep America Safe. She would also clearly benefit from her father’s national profile and connections.
Enzi has less than $400,000 cash on hand for a possible campaign, a low amount for a longtime senator but a good start in an inexpensive state to campaign in.
Wyoming Republicans sought to downplay concerns about a potentially divisive primary fight.
“Nobody's announced anything. There's no story right now,” said Wyoming Republican Party Chairwoman Tammy Hooper, who declined to discuss the race in detail.
“As far as I know, Liz Cheney hasn't said, 'Yes, I'm running,’ and Sen. Enzi hasn't actually officially confirmed that he's running either.”
The potential primary could break as much on a generational divide as an ideological one.
Both are known as strong conservatives — Enzi is 69, closer to Dick Cheney’s age, while Liz Cheney is 46. Enzi boasts strong lifetime scores from a number of conservative groups.
One area where Enzi could be vulnerable in a primary comes from his strong support for a law that would allow states to collect sales tax on out-of-state Internet purchases.
Enzi was the lead Senate Republican pushing the bill, which was strongly opposed by Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform as well as the conservative Heritage Foundation.
THE SENATE SHOULD NOT BE CHOOSING ITS OWN MEMBERS!!!!
The NRSC backed Arlen Specter over Toomey, Bennett over Lee, Crist over Rubio, Murkowski over Miller, Greyson over Paul, Lugar over Mourdock, etc. Always the incumbemtn, or always the more moderate-liberal candidate.
We need to get rid of the people that are comfortable with the way things work in Washington, and Mike Enzi is one of them. We need fighters. No matter what republican gets nominated in Wyoming, the republican will win. So we might as well go for broke, stop supporting the incumbent because it's safe, and get somebody in there that fights, be it Cheney or somebody else!
If the republicans take back the senate, Enzi will be the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee chairman. He's an old Kennedy buddy and will do nothing to undermine or repeal Obamacare or gut the education establishment. He will go along with all the powers that be. The people of Wyoming need to replace him with somebody else.
Protecting the old guard much? I’m glad she’s going to shake things up.
Yes, the Pubs will back their incumbents nearly always. Incumbents are reelected at a 90+ percent rate - on both sides. Until incumbents are routinely voted out - on both sides too - little will change with this system.
After 2010..and the Charlie Crist fiasco ( along with a few others) didn’t the NRSC promise NOT to intervene in primaries..
I’m not a huge Cheney fan (anymore) but I also think three terms is enough or, in fact, one too many so I’d vote for Liz if I lived there.
Ah, the NRSC - “Our goal is to never make the correct choice.”
Join the NRSC “Where IQ does not matter and morals are relative.”
“After 2010..and the Charlie Crist fiasco ( along with a few others) didn’t the NRSC promise NOT to intervene in primaries..”
They didn’t like the fact that Lugar was thrown out. And they didn’t like the fact that the people supported Cruz over their select candidate. No matter what they say in public, they will back people of like mind, and will work to undermine any conservative and will work to elect more worthless moderates like Hatch, Corker, Graham, etc.
No more Bushes and no more Cheneys.
I get ill from all this infernal nepotism and whatever we call it that the Clinton animals have done.
The goal of the Republican Party should be restoring a government that follows the Constitution.
I don’t give the national committee a penny.
Enzi has a 92 ACU rating.
Source: http://www.thenewamerican.com/freedomindex/
Hell, even Angus King I(liberal) from Maine got a 22%
NRSC shouldn’t be supporting anyone in the primary. Let the citizens make their selection and THEN support the winner in the general. That’s what the NRSC should be doing!
Go, Liz!!!!!!!!!
BTW..are you gonna change your screen name to "cotton 2014?" (He's gonna beat Pryor like a drum, and make a GREAT senator..
I’d rather see Liz Cheney as UN Ambassador in the Palin/West Administration.
“Enzi has a 92 ACU rating.”
Those ACU ratings mean nothing. The dirty little secret is that the senate does a ton by unanimous consent. And nobody objects (Lee, Paul and Cruz have started to object). And republican senators can hide behind their high ACU ratings while liberal legislation still goes through. Look at the below two links. Enzi’s Club for Growth rating is 71%.
http://www.redstate.com/2013/02/22/the-problem-with-the-afp-scorecard/
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/projects/scorecard/?year=2012&chamber=1&state=Any&party=Any&memberName=
The RNSC always supports an incumbent senator, no matter how bad he is. They should stay out of the race until after the primary, then get involved.
I stopped contributing to them, and the RNC, years ago because they wouldn’t know a conservative if one looked them in the face.
Save your money and give it to known conservatives.
Haha. My screen name has to do with Cotton Mather, not Tom Cotton. But I’d love to see Cotton as senator.
No good has come from having Republicans who were born into the Republican Party. Has any one of them EVER been a constitutional conservative?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.