Major tea party group backs Lugar challenger

By Paul Steinhauser, CNN

A leading national tea party group Thursday will endorse a conservative candidate who is primary challenging longtime Republican Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana.

CNN’s learned that the Tea Party Express will endorse state Treasurer Richard Mourdock at a news conference in Indiana.

“Over the years, Senator Lugar has repeatedly failed to address the fiscal crisis facing our country – voting for more wasteful spending and growth of government at every opportunity. At the same time, he has treated the Tea Party – one of the most impactful political movements in decades – with contempt and disdain,” says Tea Party Express chair Amy Kremer, in a statement obtained by CNN.

“Our decision to endorse Richard Mourdock for Senate was easy. Unlike Lugar, he believes in fiscal responsibility and accountability. He supports a government bound by the limits of the Constitution, and has an impressive record of fighting for conservative ideals.”

The endorsement from the Tea Party Express comes less than one week after Mourdock won the backing from 55 local tea party groups from across Indiana, at a convention held last weekend by an organization called Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate.

A spokesman for Lugar downplayed the influence the endorsement might have in the race.

“This is no news for the campaign that an outside-of-Indiana organization would like to come in and influence what the voters of Indiana think, and should think,” Lugar’s political director David Willkie said Wednesday.
“Dick Lugar is a Hoosier, he works hard, he shows up for work. He represents Indiana extremely well in the U.S. Senate and he has continued to do that throughout his career.”

To read more, visit: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/28/first-on-cnn-major-tea-party-group-backs-lugar-challenger/

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