Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell defeated Tea Party challenger Matt Bevin today in the Republican senate primary.
Wall Street Journal reported:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) easily dispatched a conservative primary challenger Tuesday, dealing his tea-party detractors a major blow that should help GOP leaders strengthen their still-tenuous grip on the party.
With 27% of precincts reporting, Mr. McConnell had 61% of the vote, compared with 36% for businessman Matt Bevin in Kentucky’s GOP primary. In the November general election, Mr. McConnell will face Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who easily won the Democratic primary.
By beating back the conservative rebellion, Mr. McConnell, a three-decade member of the Senate who relishes his stature as a power broker, delivered a setback to the tea-party activists.
Bevin stopped short of a McConnell endorsement but urged supporters to continue working in the confines of the Republican Party. #kysen
— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) May 21, 2014