Indiana GOP Sen. Dick Lugar and Richard Mourdock, the man who unseated him in a rancorous Republican primary two months ago, have overcome their differences.
On Tuesday, the six-term Senator introduced the star tea partyer at a meeting of Senate Republicans,
Politico reports. But Lugar’s attitude was a bit different on the night he lost.
“If Mr. Mourdock is elected, I want him to be a good senator,” Lugar wrote in a concession statement. “But that will require him to revise his stated goal of bringing more partisanship to Washington. This is not conducive to problem solving and governance. And he will find that unless he modifies his approach, he will achieve little as a legislator.”
Still, it was Lugar who asked National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn if he could personally introduce the Indiana state Treasurer when he learned that Mourdock would be attending Tuesday’s GOP lunch. Mourdock was highly complimentary of Lugar when he spoke at the gathering.
And what of Lugar’s words on election night? “My own comments on the night of the election were that I asked Hoosiers to support Treasurer Mourdock,” Lugar told Politico after the lunch. “I indicated I would be very pleased to have the opportunity to introduce him.”
Lugar’s enthusiasm for Mourdock shows the party is united behind him, as he battles Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly in the general election.
Mourdock appreciates Lugar’s support. He was “incredibly, incredibly gracious,” Mourdock told reporters after the lunch. “Being a Hoosier means you always have great hospitality, you have an enormity of grace about you, and you’re always looking to the future with a sense of optimism. [Lugar] displayed all those things today.”
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