FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe on Wednesday warned Republican incumbents facing re-election in 2014 that they won't necessarily have tea party support.
"It's utterly contrary to Republican philosophy. We believe in competition, we believe in open democratic processes, and I think that produces better candidates," he told Top Line hosts Rick Klein of ABC News and Olivier Knox of
Yahoo News.
Kibbe, CEO of the grassroots tea party group, said one of its targets is Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
"Were looking at upgrades in places like South Carolina, where we think Lindsey Graham could be replaced with someone who's worthy of that seat," he told Top Line.
Referring to Graham’s criticism of Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster of the White Houses' drone program, Kibbe said, "The way he lashed out against Rand Paul . . . he's begging for a primary."
Kibbe revealed that FreedomWorks is also looking at seats in Arkansas and Alaska, where sitting Democrats could be vulnerable. He also said he is not concerned about protecting the party's incumbents, as GOP strategist Karl Rove has often advocated.
"Maybe it's good if you're a sitting senator," he said, "but it's not good for the Republican Party and it's certainly not good for public policy."
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