Indiana GOP lines up behind Richard Lugar's primary challenger

Washington Post ^ | 02/21/2011 | Aaron Blake

[SeekAndFind]

Indiana State Treasurer, Richard Mourdock will launch his primary challenge to Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) on Tuesday with the support of a majority of both the state's 92 Republican county chairmen and its state party executive committee, he told the Fix in a recent interview.

"I feel bad that he's going to be humiliated by this list," Mourdock said.

Mourdock added that he believes Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) and Rep. Mike Pence (R), the party's two leading figures in the Hoosier State, are going to stay neutral in the primary -- though Daniels, who was Lugar's campaign manager three different times, has already committed to voting for the senator.

That such a large contingent of the party establishment should come out against or withhold support from an incumbent senator is highly unusual and reflects the difficult path ahead for Lugar in advance of the May 8, 2012, primary fight. It also suggests there is a clear path to victory for Mourdock.

Mourdock will officially launch his campaign with a six-city tour.

He said that running for Senate is not necessarily anything that he wanted to do or planned to do, but that he felt he needed to. "I'm the best-poised person in Indiana to do it right now," Mourdock said. "I kind of wish somebody else was, but I'm it."

In launching his campaign, Mourdock becomes the latest conservative primary candidate to run against a Republican incumbent. Last cycle, three incumbent senators lost renomination; two of them lost to tea party-backed candidates.

But Mourdock is clear on one thing: he is not running as a tea party candidate. While he welcomes the support of tea party groups and says he expects them to coalesce around his campaign, he recognizes the limitations of being defined as a tea party candidate.

[Steve_Stifler]

Couldn’t happen to a nicer, more arrogant p$!@^.

[rj45mis]

Mourdock should bring his A-Team to town to take care of that arrogant RINO Lugar.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I would ask Lugar this question.

If you get beat in the primary, and you decide to run as an independent, would you be better off switching parties now so the people of Indiana get to see you for what you really are?

[Christian Engineer Mass]

"But Mourdock is clear on one thing: he is not running as a tea party candidate. While he welcomes the support of tea party groups and says he expects them to coalesce around his campaign, he recognizes the limitations of being defined as a tea party candidate."

Be clear on one thing: "this is the wapo, this is the wapo, this is the wapo".

When they write that sentence, they do so hoping to simultaneously denigrate the tea party, and split them from this guy.

Read MSM like that. Don't read the words. Read the intent.

(will I have made it before the 1st indignant reply?)

[icwhatudo]

This happened in Maryland’s 1st congressional district. Almost the entire state’s republican establishment went against the rino incumbent. (Except Mike Steele of course) When the conservative beat the rino in the primary, the rino endorsed the dem in the general election. The dem won that year, but this last election the conservative (Harris)won the rematch.

Beware of defeated and pissed rinos.

[RobbyS]

Suffers from the same disease as the new former senator from Pennsylvania, old age.

[Nextrush]

Is this the establishment’s way of pre-empting an authentic Tea Party candidate by putting up one of their own?

They can stop the outsiders from taking out insider Lugar by claiming the conservative grassroots tea party mantle with this guy who’s really an insider in drag.

[SatinDoll]

I have no idea what you’re saying: you’re talkin’ like a damned Democrat!

[org.whodat]

Lugar is currently 78 years old, why do these old farts want to die having their diapers changed in the peoples house.

[muawiyah]

And yet, there have never been any RINOs in Indiana. Just never been a need for either party to run a guy from the other party ~ after Henry F. Schricker anyway (who ran as a fusion candidate).

What's going on with Lugar has nothing to do with politics ~ he's just plain SENILE. Too many corks been popped in his presence or something.

[Christian Engineer Mass]

“I have no idea what you’re saying”

That’s a serious problem. If you read the words the MSM feeds you, without 1st determining the intent, then you are an easy dupe.

I’ve seen your posts on here for quite a while though, and I don’t think so.

A lot of posters, they read some setup line from the MSM, like the above, and run off reacting to it.

You do realize we’re not dealing with news any more, right? It’s purely citizen management. News disappeared a long time ago.

It’s pretty low of you to hit someone with a damn “democrat” attack like that.

[tennmountainman]

Bye Bye Lugar

[dforest]

I am from Indiana. Be very careful here. The source is the Washington Post. They are creating a situation where you would not vote for either.

Lugar must go. If we need someone other than this Mourdock fellow, stand up now.

[tennmountainman]

Bye Bye Lugar

[Venturer]

Dear Mr. Lugar.

Enjoy your retirement——and take Hatch with you.

[SatinDoll]

I apologize for the “damned Democrat” accusation.

But you are quite Byzantine in your post, and I’ve always considered engineering types to be, ahem, generally logical in their speech and thought processes.

[Tailback]

Is there a “sore loser” law in Indiana to prevent another Alaska write in debacle?

If not, time to pass one ASAP.

[Christian Engineer Mass]

I was trying to get in quick before a familiar sight appeared - comments purely reacting to the attempted MSM split/divide play. It didn’t happen this time, probably because the split/divide play was buried deep in the ~4th paragraph.

[Christian Engineer Mass]

What could possibly be more logical than my post?

Don't read the words. Read the intent.

It's a very important point. If everyone did that (even just FR types), we wouldn't have half the problems we do.