GOP Could Face More Challenges From Right, After NY-23

Capitol Hill, Tea-Party Rally
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In the wake of the NY-23 right-wing revolt, could the GOP be on the verge of seeing even more challenges from the activist right? Some recent developments suggest that the natives are getting restless.

• NRCC chairman Pete Sessions is being challenged in the Republican primary by David Smith, a corporate financial analyst. Smith told us that the NY-23 mess was not a factor in his decision — but it should help him in attacking Sessions: “It’s nice to have my opponent in the national news for a bad reason at the same time I’m announcing my candidacy.”

• Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) is facing a Republican primary challenge from Jason Sager, a currently unemployed audio-visual engineer. Sager specifically cited Brown-Waite’s having campaigned for Dede Scozzafava, the moderate Republican nominee in NY-23 who ultimately dropped out of the race and endorsed Democrat Bill Owens, as a reason for his challenge.

• In WI-08, currently held by second-term Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen, former Niagara Mayor Joe Stern announced earlier this week that he’ll be running against Kagen — as a conservative independent: “Neither party is truly serving my interests at this point. I’m not going to run as a Republican, but I’ll be happy to take their money.” This is a historically Republican district — indeed, it was the home region of Joe McCarthy — but it has been moving to the Democrats in recent years, and Stern could potentially split the non-Democratic vote in a tight race.

A Republican strategist who requested anonymity gave us this comment, dismissing the right-wing challengers: “These are nominal challenges that will likely be unable to replicate what happened in NY-23 due to the lack of a credible third party line like the Conservative Party’s in New York. They will also lack ammunition since virtually every single Republican running for Congress will be further to the right of Scozzafava on the issues and they won’t have the undivided attention of the electorate and presidential candidates since these congressional races won’t be the only show in town.”

It’s hard to tell whether any of these challenges will gain traction. But if even one does, it would sure be entertaining.

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