Brown: ‘I’m not a Tea Party Member’

Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown hasn’t endeared himself to conservatives with his moderate votes since taking office last year. And he’s certainly not doing it with his rhetoric, The Hill reports.

He says he’s not a tea partyer, though he agrees with some of the movement’s stances. And he says he’d welcome a challenge in the Republican primary next year.

"I'm a Republican from Massachusetts. I'm not a tea party member," Brown told Fox News Tuesday. And on MSNBC he said, “Hey, nothing wrong with a primary. I welcome all challengers."

Brown added on MSNBC, "I have a lot of respect for the Tea Party and what they stand for … I'm not a social crusader; I'm going to keep an open mind on each and every issue. You're talking about being an ideologue? If you're looking for one, I'm not it."