My must read of the day is "In Mississippi, It’s G.O.P. vs. Tea Party," in the New York Times:
Primary challengers to Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have gotten little traction because they won over all of the elected Republican officials in their state. Representative Steve Stockman’s campaign challenging Senator John Cornyn of Texas fizzled. Tea Party defiance to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas flared hot, but has since cooled.
That has left Mississippi as the last major battlefield in the feud between the Tea Party and the Republican establishment. The state has become a well-funded proxy war — the exception that may be proving the rule: The Tea Party movement is in retreat, at least on the campaign trail.
I disagree with the notion that that the Tea Party is in retreat. Look at the House: In 2010, the Tea Party was the reason Republicans held the most seats they’ve had since 1946, and most of those people are still there. Look at Sens. Mike Lee (R., Utah), Rand Paul (R., Ky.), and Ted Cruz (R., Texas)—the Tea Party seems to be trucking along just fine, and their influence over the last four years is undeniable.
But regardless of the party or candidates involved, this race drags up an old, unspoken rule that says you’re not supposed to challenge incumbents in your own party. You have to wait your turn.
When Chris McDaniel first announced he was challenging Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi, a Senate staffer told me he was surprised. When I asked why, he explained that Cochran is a good senator, a good person, and he’d been there for a long time. "He probably would have announced his retirement," the staffer said, "but now he kind of has to run." It was like there was some antiquated code of honor. If you challenge me to a duel as I’m leaving, I must stay to participate because, well, I must defend my honor.
The same sentiment was expressed when Liz Cheney decided to challenge Sen. Mike Enzi in Wyoming.
The implication is that there’s a line everyone needs to patiently wait in if they want to run for office, particularly in the Senate. It’s preposterous. Maybe from a strategic standpoint it’s better to know who’s representing the party early so money and resources can be put in place, but for the sake of democracy, it’s better to have challengers. No one should have a safe seat simply because they’ve been there for a while. Congressional seats aren’t owned and it’s good to remind everyone of that. If you’re good at your job and should keep it, great—prove it and defend your record.