Tea Partiers Attack... Ron Paul?

Drama stars Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Ron Paul and the Tea Party

(NEWSER) - All eyes in the political world turn to Texas today, as the Lone Star State holds what should be a telling primary for the GOP. Center stage is the GOP gubernatorial race, a three-way slug-fest between current Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and tea partier—and momentary 9/11 truther —Debra Medina. The race is so heated, and early voting so strong, that turnout may eclipse that for the 2008 presidential primary, Politico reports. More»

Perry and KBH face off; Tea Party mounts challenge in Fla.

(NEWSER) - The 2010 primaries will see the GOP repairing its identity and soul-searching among Democrats. The 10 most important races, according to Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post :

1. Texas governor, R: Rick Perry is running for an unprecedented third term, and voters seem to approve. But Kay Bailey Hutchison is a popular, crafty, and well-funded opponent.
2. Florida Senate, R: The looming battle between Gov. Charlie Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio is being closely watched as a bellwether of the rift between GOP moderates and the insurgent Tea Party movement.

South Carolina senator throws weight behind conservative insurgents

(NEWSER) - Jim DeMint has thrown his lot in with the hyper-conservative tea party movement, backing far-right candidates against party favorites in several key 2010 races. In the process, the South Carolina senator’s picked up a pile of enemies in the party leadership, but he’s also grown his influence. Even moderate Republicans are now looking for DeMint’s endorsement, hoping to stave off primary challengers, and maybe tap into his fundraising prowess. More»

(NEWSER) - The so-called “tea party” movement has spawned a host of primary challengers for House Republicans, pressuring them to stay far to the right, CQ Politics reports. “I’ve got four primary challengers, and all of them hope to capitalize on the tea parties,” complains Bob Inglis of South Carolina, who has come under fire for backing a carbon tax and the resolution condemning Joe “You Lie” Wilson. More»

He rolls to easy victory over Newt Gingrich

(NEWSER) - The big news organizations couldn't call this one fast enough. The moment the last of the Florida polls closed at 8pm, AP , CNN , and all the usual suspects declared Mitt Romney the winner. It wasn't tough: With all precincts reporting, Romney had 46.4%, Newt Gingrich 31.9%, Rick Santorum 13.4%, and Ron Paul 7%. In their respective speeches, Gingrich made clear that he is in the race for the long run, while Romney put all his focus on President Obama. Click for that . More»