We need candidates like Brat. That's been our real problem, finding stellar candidates to primary these jerks. And they have to be stellar because they're fighting tons of money, spin, and opposition research.
Quality candidates are rare, but yes of course Graham did not have Brat against him. Brat was intellegent, not just rhetorical, and authentic. A competent economist!
So was Cruz, competent. Against highly positioned incumbents who are fat and funded, run of the mill in a hat just can not cut it.