The Charm Offensive

Senator Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) is 42 points ahead of his challenger, former state senator Dan Liljenquist, 62–20, in the latest poll for the Salt Lake Tribune. Senator Dick Lugar (R., Ind.), on the other hand, is five points behind his opponent, state treasurer Richard Mourdock, 39–44, in a poll commissioned by Citizens United, which is supporting Mourdock.

Tea partiers’ lists of grievances against the two grandees read largely the same: Both men have been in the Senate since 1977; both voted for TARP; both fostered friendly relations with Democrats. But Hatch has a firmer grasp on his party’s nomination than Lugar because he reached out to tea-party groups earlier in the election cycle.

Keep reading this post . . .