Tea party favorite topples Lugar, Indiana’s 6-term senator

This race turned into the grassroots/Tea Party against the establishment led by Senator Mitch McConnell.  IMHO Lugar lost the race when the Indiana Election Board ruled he could not vote in the election as he was not a resident of Indiana:

Mr. Mourdock pounded his core message that the 80-year-old senator had turned into a Washington insider, slamming him for living away from Indiana for years, highlighting Mr. Lugar’s congenial relationship with Mr. Obama and criticizing the senator for voting to confirm Mr. Obama’s liberal Supreme Court nominees. 

About the only time that Lugar could find Indiana was during an election.  Mourdock was not only backed by the Tea Party of Indiana but also by conservatives and the grassroots who are not Tea Party members.  Then there were more moderate types who had supported Mourdock for Treasurer and knew that the establishment pushing him as a far right winger was not the truth.  His problem for the establishment Senate Republicans?  He honestly believes like the Republican nominee for Governor, Cong Mike Pence, in smaller government.  Because he is a conservative with core values, the McConnell faction didn't want him to win.

If you want a reason that so many were against Lugar many calling him Obama's Favorite Republican look no further:

After Tuesday’s results became clear, President Obama issued a statement on the career of his former Senate colleague. 

“Sen. Lugar comes from a tradition of strong, bipartisan leadership on national security that helped us prevail in the Cold War and sustain American leadership ever since,” Mr. Obama said. “He has served his constituents and his country well, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.” 

During the last few weeks Lugar kept appealing to Democrats to vote for him in the open primary.  That did not endear him to many Republicans and proved their case that he had been in the Senate way too long.  Mourdock has pledged to serve two terms and then retire just like Dr. Coburn from Oklahoma.

The funniest thing I saw last night was how fast Senator Cornyn who heads the NRSC came out to say they would back him 100%.  Today the establishment is saying he will have to moderate.  That's like telling Mike Pence to moderate -- not happening.  Even now the establishment refuses to admit they got shellacked in Indiana last night!

Thanks to the good people of Indiana who sent Lugar packing and elected Richard Mourdock as their nominee.  Now time to elect him to the Senate and Mike Pence as Governor in November.  Thanks also goes out to Governor Daniels for getting on board with Mourdock who he had praised earlier even though he endorsed Lugar because he was his mentor.  He never once had anything bad to say about Mourdock which says a lot about his class compared to the establishment today.

Tea party favorite topples Lugar, Indiana’s 6-term senator 

By Paige Winfield Cunningham

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The Washington Times

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 

Tea-party-backed candidate Richard Mourdock defeated longtime Sen. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana in Tuesday’s GOP primary, ending the career of one of the chamber’s two senior Republicans and giving Democrats a better chance at capturing the seat in November. 

The race was widely seen as a key test of tea party anger against incumbents two years after that same sentiment disrupted a number of Republican races and powered insurgent candidates to wins across the country. 

Already, a challenger in Utah said the race is a model for his bid to unseat Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, another veteran senator under fire for his record of trying to work with Democrats in the Senate. 

Democrats saw Mr. Lugar’s defeat as an unexpected opportunity. Polls show their candidate, Rep. Joe Donnelly, would have lost to Mr. Lugar, but is running neck-and-neck with Mr. Mourdock. 

Mr. Mourdock assured supporters that he’s ready to take on Mr. Donnelly and said he was grateful to hear earlier that evening from Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, that the national party is committed to his race. 

“Mr. Donnelly has been close to Mr. Obama for the last several years,” he told his supporters Tuesday night. “We’re going to make that clear, and it’s not going to be accepted by the voters of Indiana.” 

The race was called soon after polls closed at 7 p.m., underscoring the ease of Mr. Mourdock’s victory over Mr. Lugar, who entered the Senate in 1977. In early returns, Mr. Mourdock led 60 percent to 40 percent. 

Mr. Lugar’s desperation showed over the past week when he resorted to pleading for voters of all stripes — even Democrats — to support him in the state’s open primary. 

“I’m appealing to all of the people of Indiana — I emphasize all — to ask for a Republican ballot today and to vote for me,” Mr. Lugar told CNN’s “Starting Point” as polls opened Tuesday. 

(snip)

Suddenly, Mr. Lugar found himself struggling to defend things he once touted as accomplishments; among them, working with Democrats on foreign policy and earning the title of one of the two longest-serving Republicans in the Senate. Mr. Lugar and Mr. Hatch were both first elected in 1976. 

Excerpt:  Full Story at the Washington Times