The repubs in heavy Dem states could do the same to unwanted Dem candidates....but then again getting a lot of Pubbies to think outside the box is akin to herding cats!
It was done in Michigan a few years ago. Jeffrey Feiger ran against John Engler for governor, Feiger was the attorney for Jack Kevorkian. Lots of people went to the Dem primary and voted Feiger in just for the entertainment value. The guy he was running against in the primary actually had a chance against Engler, he was a decent guy.