Mitch McConnell Had Previously Floated Karl Rove Idea To Target Weak Tea Party Candidates

[underpants]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/09/mitch-mcconnell-karl-rove_n_2652927.html?ref=topbar

That’s not surprising: The model for the new super PAC, dubbed the Conservative Victory Project, is akin to one that McConnell has touted the need for at GOP events in recent years, two GOP fundraisers with good ties to the senator told Huffington Post. Both asked for anonymity to speak candidly about private events and discussions.

The two fundraisers explained that McConnell has several times lamented that, in the last two elections, weaker and unelectable Tea Party candidates have been winning more GOP primary battles, often with hefty financing from right-leaning groups like the Club for Growth. In some cases, the weaker candidates have also been backed by Democratic groups seeking to boost their own party’s prospects in the fall elections.

And the result wasn’t pretty for the GOP in either cycle. In 2012, two GOP Senate candidates with Tea Party backing lost their races last fall in Missouri and Indiana, helping Democrats expand their Senate majority. In the case of Missouri, McConnell strongly condemned Tea Party favorite Todd Akin for his incendiary comments about “legitimate rape,” and sent signals that Akin should consider dropping out before a candidate deadline passed last fall to avoid a debacle on Election Day. In 2010, Tea Party candidates in Delaware and Nevada lost races that more moderate Republicans may have been able to take.


One GOP fundraiser close to the Crossroads groups says he expects both Adelson and Simmons will support the new effort, adding that it seems to be “popular and getting traction” with some Wall Street donors. But the fundraiser added a strong caveat: “People in the New York financial world tend to be very results-oriented. They look at return on investment and the $300 million that was spent by the Crossroads groups did not get a good return on investment.”