Thread: IN: Tea party formulates strategy to unseat Lugar

Tea party formulates strategy to unseat Lugar

About 200 activists meeting today think veteran Republican senator is too liberal

10:02 AM, Jan. 22, 2011 | 133Comments

Written by
Mary Beth Schneider

At the same time that Sen. Richard Lugar will be honored today for supporting a program to put the children of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, tea party activists will be organizing a campaign to beat him in 2012.

For them, the immigration issue earning awards for the Indiana Republican is just one more reason why they think he should be forced into retirement.

A couple of hundred activists from about 80 tea party organizations across the state will meet at a church in Tipton County to discuss how they could coalesce around a candidate to defeat Lugar in 2012's Republican primary.

"We are hoping for unity," said Monica Boyer, a Kosciusko County tea party leader and one of the organizers of the meeting.

The reason, she and others say, is simple: Lugar has poked them in the eye once too often by voting in ways they view as too liberal. They cite votes to ratify a nuclear weapons treaty with Russia and to confirm Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. More recently, they were alarmed by his statement that he would again support an assault-weapons ban -- even though no one, including Lugar, thinks such a ban will come up for a vote.

And then there's his support of the DREAM Act to help children of illegal immigrants.

Tea party activists held a sign-waving protest outside Lugar's Indianapolis office in November over that bill, which failed in Congress.

But his support of it is why he is being honored today by La Plaza, an Indianapolis-based civic organization focused on the Hispanic and Latino communities, along with the Latino Youth Collective and the Indiana Latino Scholarship Fund.

Miriam Acevedo Davis, executive director of La Plaza, said the group doesn't get involved in politics. It isn't endorsing Lugar, or any other candidate, but is endorsing his actions as a senator in backing the DREAM Act.

"We feel it's a matter of justice and equality," Davis said. "Here is a group of students who have come here through no decision of their own, who want nothing better than to go to college, join the military, who have grown up here."

They are, she said, "very American, if you will, and want to give back, be members of the community and pay taxes."

To try to defuse a challenge from those who see his support for such things as the DREAM Act to be antithetical to conservatism, Lugar met with Boyer and other tea party leaders in December. That meeting, though, only convinced them that they want a change.

"We already know what our mission is," Boyer said. "Now we're going to put boots on the ground and find out if unity is possible."

That may not be easy, as the tea party remains a loosely organized network of like-minded conservatives. In 2010, tea party members split their vote in the Senate election, resulting in the one candidate many of them didn't want -- Dan Coats -- winning the Republican primary and, ultimately, the election. Despite the chagrin of some over that outcome, some tea party groups remain opposed to endorsing candidates, seeing their role instead as simply to inform voters to make their own choices.

Boyer said this meeting -- which will be conducted partly behind closed doors -- is meant as a first, organizational move. The next step, if they decide to take it, would be to find their candidate.

At least two Republicans frequently have been mentioned as possibilities: State Treasurer Richard Mourdock and state Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel.
Neither will attend today's event. Candidates, Mourdock said, weren't invited.

Delph said he's staying focused for now on the legislature, and he denies any involvement in the new "draft Delph" website that's been anonymously created.

Mourdock, though, confirmed he is "very, very seriously considering" challenging Lugar and expects to make a decision "sooner rather than later."

He's paid for a poll, which he wouldn't disclose, and had "a lot of discussions" with Republicans, including Gov. Mitch Daniels, and tea party activists.

Daniels, at least, told him he'd be backing Lugar -- the man who gave Daniels his start in politics. But the net sum of his polling and other conversations led Mourdock to one conclusion.

"It is winnable," he said, then added with a laugh: "Oh, yeah. Yeah."

Now, he said, he is weighing whether he wants to be a senator and, perhaps most important, whether he could raise enough cash to compete.

Lugar had more than $2.3 million in campaign funds as of September, with more fundraising events planned, including one held Friday in Carmel.
Mark Helmke, a spokesman for Lugar, said the senator's campaign raised nearly $400,000 at that event, with more than 400 people attending.

"Compare that to the number of people they get," he said of the tea party event, which is expected to draw fewer than half as many.

And, he said, as part of a fundraising letter sent out recently, Lugar's campaign solicited petition signatures to get him on the 2012 ballot.

Candidates must get the signatures of 500 registered voters in each of the nine congressional districts. So far, Helmke said, the campaign has collected more than 8,000 signatures from all 92 counties.

"If they think there's a groundswell of people against Lugar, they're wrong," he said.

Mourdock said that for him, it's not a question of being against Lugar personally.

"I have absolutely the greatest respect for Dick Lugar. I will never say anything harsh about Dick Lugar," he said. "But there is certainly the sense among party folks that it's time -- it's time."

http://oneoldvet.com/

www.indystar.com

Now that's a cause I can donate too ... go get'm Tea Party ... Put his broke ass in the Unemployment line

Sen. Richard Lugar RINO "Oh my what a Broke Ass you turned out to be" Jump on out of the RINO Closet and lets see what ya got in 2012

Sen. John McCain - RINO "oh we tried ta get ya didn't we John"

Sen. Lindsey Gramnn - RINO "We see ya Lindsey" as broke as John Amnesty McCain is.. you put your mentor to shame ... 2014 is coming up quick.. my guess is your scared of losing your seat you have been warming for a Patriot

Sen. Mike Castle RINO (Retired) by the Tea Party "Got Ya"
Gov. Charlie Christ RINO (Retired) by the Tea Party "Got Ya"