WASHINGTON — Though the 2014 primary season is still in its infancy, the main lesson so far appears to be that, even in an era of deep dissatisfaction with Washington, political fundamentals — candidate quality, fund-raising and incumbency — remain paramount.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, leveraged all three in his effort to beat back what was once thought to be a serious primary challenge from a conservative opponent, Matt Bevin. Mr. McConnell, the minority leader, has spent more than $11 million to date, attacking Mr. Bevin and emphasizing what his 30 years in the Senate and potential to serve as majority leader in the next Congress could mean for Kentucky.
Mr. McConnell is expected to cruise to victory on Tuesday, which would set a general election contest against Alison Lundergan Grimes, the likely Democratic candidate.
The power of incumbency has also been on display across the country in another primary challenge of a sitting Republican that had been seen as representative of the Tea Party-versus-establishment battle.
Mike Simpson, an eight-term congressman from Idaho, was the House Republican that the Club for Growth, the most potent of the conservative groups, seemed to want to defeat the most. But after spending about $500,000 against Mr. Simpson and in support of his challenger, Bryan Smith, the group went off the airwaves in Idaho last m! onth. It was an indication that Mr. Simpson, a close ally of S! peaker John A. Boehner, was well positioned to win.
Mr. Simpson seemed assured of victory on Monday, leaving Idaho and returning to Washington for votes just a day before the primary. He owed his confidence in no small part to the fact that a who's who of Washington groups spent about $2 million on his behalf in the district, the kind of support longtime incumbents count on in hotly contested races. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Realtors and the American Hospital Association all spent money in Idaho to support Mr. Simpson, along with a corporate-backed group, Defending Main Street SuperPAC, that backs center-right Republicans.
There is no incumbent in the Georgia Senate race; Senator Saxby Chambliss, a Republican, is retir! ing. But Democrats had hoped that either Representative Phil Gingrey or Representative Paul Broun, both hard-line conservatives, would capture the nomination to face Michelle Nunn in the fall. It appears all but certain, however, that neither will even make the runoff scheduled for this summer.
David Perdue, a businessman; Representative Jack Kingston; and Karen Handel, a former secretary of state, lead in the polls and have turned their fire on one another, largely ignoring the two congressmen who Democrats believed would be the easiest to beat. Money is a significant factor in this state, where there are six media markets and others across state lines that reach Georgia, and Mr. Perdue and Mr. Kingston have spent the most of any of the candidates on television ads.
Oregon's Senate race may be competitive only if 2014 ! turns into a wave year for Republicans, but party leaders think they at least have a chance to unseat Senator Jeff Merkley, a first-term Democrat, if Monica Wehby, a pediatric neurosurgeon, emerges as the Republican nominee.
Ms. Wehby has run a strong campaign and is well positioned to beat a more conservative Republican, State Representative Jason Conger, in Tuesday's primary. Ms. Wehby raised $1.2 million for the contest, much more than her opponent, and received an additional $500,000 in support from a "super PAC" called NewRepublican.org that is backed by Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist.
Source : http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/us/politics/gop-finds-old-toolbox-is-useful-against-hard-liners.html
