Republican Revolution

The GOP are planning to challenge Democratic and Republican incumbents in this year’s midterm elections even seeking to oust established members like John McCain. “Before the activists at this week’s Conservative Action Political Conference battle Democratic candidates in the fall election, they’re first helping challenge some Republican officeholders. Insurgents such as former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, former Representative J.D. Hayworth of Arizona and Utah lawyer Mike Lee — all running against well-established Republicans in party primaries — have found receptive audiences among those attending the annual gathering sponsored by the American Conservative Union in Washington. ‘I’d rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who believe in the principles of freedom than 60 who don’t believe in anything,’ Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina told the conference. ‘I believe in holding incumbent Republican senators accountable.’ CPAC is an irresistible draw for those wanting to do just that. ‘The conservatives are the base of the Republican Party,’ said Hayworth, who is trying to upend Senator John McCain in the Arizona Republican primary.”