Posted on 10/26/2013 9:26:57 AM PDT by Viennacon
Tuesday, 79-year old Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), now serving his seventh term in the Senate, signaled that he and other members of the Republican establishment are likely to encourage a primary challenge to first term Senator Mike Lee (R-UT).
Lee upset former Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) in the 2010 Utah Republican primary convention in the Tea Party's first major primary win over a Republican establishment politician.
Hatch told the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio that "[i]t's time now... for Lee and other tea party Republicans to be 'rehabilitated' for refusing to pass a budget bill needed to keep the government operating unless money for the act better known as Obamacare was removed."
Hatch pointedly refused to endorse Lee for re-election to the Senate in 2016. "I'm not going to get into endorsements at this point in any way," he said. "The tactics were not the right tactics. It takes experience sometimes to make sure you can use the right tactics," he stated.
Former Utah Governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman has also joined the establishment crowd attacking Lee. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Huntsman "said Lee has bucked a trend of senators who work to grow this small state in a way that makes people proud." According to Huntsman, in Utah "[y]ou don’t have ideological wack-jobs... For all of its labeling as a red state, underneath it all Utah is a pretty pragmatic Western state, a just-get-it-done ethos.”
Spencer Zwick, a Utah resident who was a key member of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign's leadership team, also criticized Lee. "Business leaders that I talk to, many of whom supported him, would never support his reelection and in fact will work against him, myself included," Zwick told the Post. According to Zwick, Lee is just a "showhorse."
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Unfortunately, he’s not up until 2018.
Yes I know. It’s a shame his 2012 foe, Lillianquist (sp?) was a worthless dud.
He’ll be a tough out, need a strong candidate to get going early, maybe he could be scared into retirement.
Forget it. He’s not running again. He’s already declared he’ll retire. Good riddance.
As for a replacement. If Mia Love wins her House race against Jim Matheson in 2014 (very likely since he won by a hair in an Obama wave year 2012). I’d definitely like to see her run for this safe Republican senate seat.
I missed that news (I guess he said it before his last reelection), excellent, if he keeps his word.
So I guess he feels free now to be as a big a b*tch as he wants.
Yep, just like Taxby Chambliss.
Never heard of him. I’m not a republican. He certainly sounds like he can be bought. There’s an old profession with a great deal of similarity ...
I did financially support Mike Lee and Mia Love last go around, and will again this coming election.
Off topic but a Survey USA poll has Sam Brownback trailing 43-39 in the Kansas gubernatorial race. Surprising.
Until I see a poll that corroborates that, I’ll call it a rigged poll or an outlier.
The mystery for this poll is solved:
“Cell-phone and home-phone respondents included in this research. SurveyUSA interviewed 600 state of Kansas adults 10/23/13 and 10/24/14. Of the adults, 511 were registered to vote and were asked the questions in the survey. This research was conducted using blended sample, mixed mode. Respondents reachable on a home telephone (76% of registered voters) were interviewed on their home telephone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents not reachable on a home telephone were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet or other electronic device.”
“In a poll conducted Wednesday, SurveyUSA concluded that 34 percent of Kansans approved of the governor’s job performance compared to 59 percent who disapproved.
Republicans surely will complain about the sample which came in at 41 percent Republican, 30 percent Democratic and 27 percent independent. The Democratic number is slightly outsized.”
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/23/4573021/two-new-polls-offer-less-than.html#storylink=cpy
Adults and registered voters. Useless poll. If you’re not polling LIKELY voters, it can be dismissed out of hand.
I’m done with this poll. Thanks for doing the research.
SurveyUSA, what clowns.
Hatch hasn't realized it but Lee is more popular than Hatch at this point.
They’re outing themselves. Carry on!
Does Utah have a provision to recall pols?
When are you GOP guys going to stop dragging out the “Tea Party = Ross Perot” crap.
If you were paying attention back then, you just might recall old Ross was a one trick phoney pony with zip, zero, nada, ground troops and fielded (IIRC) no local candidates. Quite the opposite of the Tea Party involvement which only continues to grow as we fight and learn.
Take that harum-scarum talking point flyer back to Rove, the entire f’n Bush clan, and the RNC leadership and tell them it ain’t working now and it ain’t ever going to work.
GOP needs to be swept away and put in the dust bin of history.
Norway had only one puppet, Quisling, we have an infestation at every level.
Scazzafava(sp?) ring a bell? Malacious ignorance by the GOP that revealed the depth of the GOP’s degenerate core.
But it’s helpful to us that you all stand out revealed so that we can watch our six.
What in the world are you talking about? I’m a proud Tea Party Patriot. The GOP has taken the pub party left of center. Only we can bring it back to restore balance but if we split the pub party now we won’t have a chance to do that. Better to win more seats in both houses first with TeaPublicans; then move it right.
Sounds like you either didn’t read what I wrote or didn’t understand it.
Jon Huntsman Made a real impression up here in NH, NOT, Rat light.
Politics » Legislator says move would be “positive” for Utah.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56411734-90/swallow-recall-utah-attorney.html.csp
The Geriatric Old Party must die.
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