April 24, 2012

Utah Republicans denied U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch an outright nomination for re-election by a few dozen votes at a convention with nearly 4,000 delegates in attendance on April 21 in Sandy, Utah. He will face former state Senator Dan Liljenquist, a Tea Party favorite, in the primary election in June. The primary challenge is Hatch’s first in many years. He is Utah’s longest-serving senator, having been in the Senate for six terms.

Orrin Hatch (U.S. Senate)

Richard G. Lugar (U.S. Senate)

FreedomWorks, part of the Tea Party movement, spent more than $700,000 through a super PAC to defeat Hatch, who it claimed is insufficiently conservative. The Tea Party movement solidified its presence as a force with Utah’s Republican Party in 2010 when it helped orchestrate the defeat of three-term Senator Bob Bennett, who Tea Party activists claimed was too cooperative with Democrats.

Tea Party activists are also trying to unseat another long-time incumbent Republican–Richard Lugar of Indiana, who has also served six six-year terms. Considered an expert on foreign policy and international affairs, Lugar is accused of paying insufficient attention to his Indiana constituents.

Additional World Book articles:

• Republican Party 2010 (Back in Time article)
• Tempest in a Tea Party (a special report)