The incumbents are winning by embarrassingly small margins, but a win is a win. It doesn’t matter if they win by one vote or millions. So why are the incumbents winning?
#1 I personally think Republican voters in general are moderately satisfied with the incumbents. Mitch McConnell, for example, is despised here, but he actually has a reasonably conservative voting record. It’s not stellar of course, but it’s not nearly so bad—in the eyes of most Republicans—as some here think.
#2 The so-called Tea Party candidates were generally political newcomers. Here that’s considered a big plus, but most Republican voters do not want to elect people who haven’t paid their dues. We don’t put complete amateurs into the Oval Office (or a senator’s job) based on popularity, family name, or media propaganda. We don’t run elections like beauty pageants. We aren’t Democrats.
#3 Incumbents generally know how to win and have the resources necessary to wage winning campaigns. They have money, connections, and name recognition. If name recognition alone gives them a few percentage points, that’s enough to win a lot of elections.
That’s my two cents for what it’s worth.
See my post #19.
#4. Tea Party candidates are percieved as radicals