Primary Challenges Mount for GOP House Freshmen

Several GOP House freshmen, some of whom knocked out members of their own party on their way to Washington, may be facing another wave of insurgents themselves. At least a half-dozen challengers are considering primary runs, and there is talk about more, The New York Times reported.

Impatient and ideological voters now might view the freshmen as part of the establishment. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, who is likely to face a Republican challenger, said the 2012 primary started the day he took office. “There is this constant pressure for fundraising. I mean, you’re always worried about who is going to run against you, but I am willing to stand up for what I believe and on my record,” he told the Times.

Some groups aligned with the tea party movement are disappointed with some of the new members who helped the GOP take control of the House and are looking for way to challenge them. “I do think it is going to be more competitive,” Jenny Beth Martin, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, told the Times. “With the freshmen who claim to be tea party or claim to support the ideas of the tea party movement but haven’t kept their promise, I think it will be tough for them.”

Freshmen House members who voted for a spending agreement with President Barack Obama that fell short of the party’s budget-cutting goals have “broken their promises” and “people are dissatisfied,” the Times quoted Martin as saying.