Rand Paul Rejects Tea Party Challenge --Endorses Mitch McConnell

Senator Rand Paul a favorite of people who are part of the grass-roots tea party movement is putting the "kibosh" on a possible tea party effort to primary/replace Senate Mich McConnell as he runs for reelection in the 2014 midterm elections.  

According to the Daily Caller,  Senator Paul is endorsing his fellow Kentuckian in his upcoming reelection bid.

“Rand Paul has endorsed McConnell,” Jesse Benton, McConnell’s 2014 campaign manager, told The Daily Caller.

Benton, who has worked for both Rand Paul and his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, is credited by insiders with brokering Paul’s support for McConnell.

The move quashes a determined effort by Kentucky Republican Liberty Caucus chairman David Adams, who launched Paul’s Senate bid and served as Paul’s campaign manager through the 2010 primaries, and other tea party leaders to mount a primary challenge against McConnell.

Paul recently appeared in a Mitch McConnell advertisement with the slogan “Stand Up to Obama: Join Mitch & Rand,” prompting Adams to complain on Facebook, “Is anyone buying this, really?” 

“There’s no support at all at this point for a tea party challenge,” Benton said, in a statement confirmed by other Kentucky Republican insiders.

The bottom line is while McConnell is not ideal, but Obama's stated 2014 strategy for the Democrats to retake the House in 2014 so he can push through is progressive agenda. The only way to truly blunt President Obama's efforts to remake America is for the GOP to control both the Senate and the House. An internal battle over a safe and showcase seat like that of the Senate Minority Leader will only lead to the Democrats retaining the Senate.  There are plenty of open senate seats in 2014 the best strategy would be to fill them with tea party-type Republicans, then once the GOP has secured a majority in the upper house, to push through/block progressive legislation.

“There are behind-closed-doors meetings happening all over the state. Right now, we’re trying to gauge interest and viability for a generic candidate. We’re working to get down to one alternative to McConnell. The process will be completed by June 1,” Adams said.

Let's see how this develops but Senator Paul's endorsement may end up being the  best thing for the Tea Party since...Senator Paul.