House Republicans Face Tea Party Primaries

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.

Other common challenger complaints include supporting the Wall Street bailout or climate change proposals. “On big issues, I don’t think you’re going to see much bipartisanship because our right wing has dug in so hard,” says South Carolina’s Mark Souder, whose primary opponent has even criticized him for bringing earmarks to his own district. “And there’s, quite frankly, panic among Democrats.” (More Tea Party stories.)