http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/is-the-tea-party-afraid-of-john-mccain-116977.html?hp=t1_rIs the tea party afraid of John McCain?
The senator’s hardball tactics seem to spook would-be challengers.
By Manu Raju and Kyle Cheney
4/15/15 5:41 AM EDT
He’s served in the Senate three decades, cutting deals with Democrats, leading the charge on immigration reform — and infuriating the tea party along the way.
Yet as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) prepares to defend a Senate seat he has held since 1987, conservative forces are struggling to field a candidate to derail him. Stung by recent losses, the groups that typically finance upstart GOP challengers are gun-shy about bankrolling a sacrificial lamb. And McCain’s reputation as a fierce and aggressive campaigner appears to be giving pause to some of his would-be foes.
The lack of movement is a sharp contrast to the animus conservatives have directed at McCain over his long and colorful career. Conservative House members from Arizona have declined to endorse him, yet they aren’t eager to run against him, either. A little-known state senator is starting to lay the groundwork for a run, but conservative outside groups worry that bankrolling her campaign could be a waste of precious resources. And McCain allies have effectively purged the state party of troublemakers, booting foes who could shift the Arizona Republican Party dramatically to the right.
But McCain is still girding for an intense fight.
“Absolutely, there will be a tea party challenge,” McCain said in an interview about his race.
“I think they have to be ready,” McCain said of his potential opponents, with a smile. “Everybody knows it’s not beanbag.”
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