The Club for Growth, those wacky guys who brought us about a dozen Democratic congressmen, are now setting their sights on Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah.
The Club announced an advertising and letter-writing campaign targeted at the 3,200 likely delegates to the state Republican convention. Those delegates will have a big say in who the party’s 2010 Senate nominee is.
It is sending a letter to each of the delegates and running an ad hitting Bennett for advocating "government-run health care" – a reference to the health care bill he authored with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
The ad says Bennett is teaming with "liberal Democrats" and features a mock Bennett website detailing the costs of the plan.
The ad says the proposal "pushes you out of your current plan" and that will result in job-killing tax increases [...]
Bennett is facing a primary challenge from state Attorney General Mark Shurtleff (R). Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has also said he might challenge to longtime senator in the primary.
Delegates to the state party convention participate in a multi-ballot nominating process where, if 60 percent agree on the final ballot between two candidates, that candidate receives the party’s nomination.
If the delegates don’t give one candidate 60 percent, the race goes to a primary.
Utah indeed has a bizarre nominating process, but several of my sources in Utah seem convinced that the GOP's delegates are wingnutty enough to ditch Bennett for the imaginary slight of supporting Democratic health care reform efforts. He's not, of course. We wish he was a supporter of a robust public option. But in the land of death books and death panels and Obama's circumcised (or not) penis, reality has no bearing on matters.
Still, this contest will be fun to watch. Democrats won't seriously contest this seat in this crimson red state. The drama will revolve around whether conservative activists in this conservative state will oust one of the Senate's most conservative members for not being conservative enough.
Pass the popcorn.