The Wall Street Journal characterizes the inability of incumbent Robert Bennett to secure the GOP nomination for the Utah Senate seat as “an early, if imperfect, test of the tea-party movement’s power … The remaining candidates, businessman Tim Bridgewater and lawyer Mike Lee, will compete in a June 22 primary. Running on populist platforms, they both have backing from tea-party supporters and have pledged to reduce the federal government’s size if elected.”
Many delegates, who tend to be more ideological than the average GOP voter, said they felt Mr. Bennett had been in Washington for too long. Populist candidates criticized the senator for trying to increase the scope of government by voting for TARP to provide funds to rescue strapped banks and by co-authoring a health-care plan with a Democratic colleague that included a requirement that individuals buy insurance for themselves.
Mr. Bennett lost his nomination despite his efforts earlier in the day. He had 2008 GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, one of Utah’s most-popular figures, introduce him before a speech to state delegates. The senator told delegates that his seniority in Washington made him the best candidate to represent Utah. “I understand how to do it,” he said. “Don’t take a chance on a newcomer. Keep the veteran on the floor when you’re playing a championship game.”
That still wasn’t enough to woo delegates such as Carol Jeppson.
Here in Arizona we have John McCain who opposed the Bush tax cuts, wrote the bill granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, co-authored the McCain-Lieberman Cap & Trade bill, authored the McCain-Feingold legislation that violated the First Amendment rights of every American and voted to confirm this far-left activist as Attorney General of the United States.
With a little luck we can accomplish the same thing.