As Tuesday's Kentucky Senate primary approaches, Republican strategist Phillip Stutts says tea party candidate Matt Bevin, who is challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, "has absolutely no chance whatsoever."
"All the polls have come in and McConnell is well above 50 percent, almost at 55 percent," Stutts told J.D. Hayworth and John Bachman on "America's Forum" on Newsmax TV, while appearing on a panel with Democratic strategist Bridget Todd.
"The real thing to watch here is does Bevin hurt McConnell enough where Allison Lundergan [Grimes] can come in in the general election — she's the Democratic nominee — and win the race," Stutts said Monday.
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Todd said that if Bevin won she would "be happy because it'll be a lot easier to win against" a tea party candidate than against McConnell.
Stutts says McConnell has benefited from the fight he has had to put up against Bevin, and as a result he is better prepared for Grimes.
"The best thing that ever happened to McConnell was Matt Bevin," the GOP strategist said. "It forced him to go out, spend money, define the race, put hard-earned money, hard-earned work behind the race."
As for the Georgia primary, which is also set for Tuesday, Stutts said "it's going to definitely go to a run-off" for the Republican Senate candidates seeking to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss.
Primary candidates have to win more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff in July.
"David Perdue is winning right now, Jack Kingston's in second. Some of the tea party candidates are below that," Stutts explained. "I tend to give the lean towards Perdue right now."
On the Democratic side, Todd says Michelle Nunn "is really poised to sort of win this without any real problems."
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