Red-State Senators Face Activist Challengers From Within

Senate Minority Leader McConnell, 71, a five-term incumbent, won praise from establishment Republicans for forging a deal with Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., that ended the partial government shutdown and avoided a national debt default. He has collected endorsements from the National Right to Life Committee and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. And he has amassed a campaign war chest of about $10 million. But his approval ratings at home are anemic, and he's fighting off a primary challenge from conservative businessman Matt Bevin, endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund. The fund describes itself as "a political action committee dedicated to electing true conservatives to the United States Senate."

McConnell could emerge from the primary weakened as he goes into what is shaping up to be a tough challenge from Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. Surveys show a potentially close general election race, with Lundergan Grimes, the secretary of state, polling particularly strongly among women.

As Jennifer Duffy at the Cook Political Report wrote recently, "Roberts is not the most conservative member of his party, but he's hardly the most moderate." Roberts, 77, has been in Congress for more than three decades and would be seeking his fourth Senate term.

Primary challenger Milton Wolf, a diagnostic radiologist and distant cousin of President Obama's, has seized on Roberts' longevity and introduces himself as "a doctor, not a politician." He has characterized Obamacare as "immoral" and has referred to himself as "the next Ted Cruz." Kansas City Star political columnist Steve Kraske wrote recently: "Republicans are on such sure ground in Kansas that Wolf can compare himself to the controversial Cruz and get away with it. Wolf is eager to out-conservative Roberts, and this is his attempt to do it."

Cochran, who has served six terms, hasn't committed to running for re-election, but he already has a primary challenger. State Sen. Chris McDaniel, endorsed by the Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund, will seek his party's nomination. His announcement came a day after Cochran, 76, voted for the McConnell-Reid compromise that ended the shutdown and averted a debt default. "I've got 17 trillion reasons not to compromise," McDaniel said.

A pro-McDaniel ad released by the Club for Growth describes the candidate as a "constitutional conservative with backbone." At the end of June, Cochran had just over $773,000 on hand, one of the lowest amounts reported by senators up for re-election next year.

Three Republicans are challenging two-termer Graham, 58, who was flush with about $7 million in cash on hand at the end of September. The State newspaper reported that his war chest "is 17 times the $443,304" that Graham's three announced GOP challengers ... combined have to spend." The challengers are state Sen. Lee Bright, businessman Richard Cash and Nancy Mace, author of In The Company Of Men: A Woman At The Citadel. Graham is viewed approvingly by just over half of the state's Republican voters but is expected at this point to emerge with little problem from the primary.

Conservative state Rep. Joe Carr announced in August that he would abandon his effort to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais and instead challenge Alexander. He hasn't gotten much traction, despite Tea Party antipathy toward the two-term incumbent senator for his work with Democrats on issues including student loan rates. Alexander, 73, the state's former governor, also served as education secretary in the George H.W. Bush administration.

Enzi, 69, has stepped up his fundraising efforts after primary challenger Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, got in the race. She hauled in more than $1 million in the past reporting period. He trailed with $850,000 — but it was a far better showing than the $100,000 he raised in the previous reporting period.

Polls show that Enzi, a popular incumbent with a solid conservative record, continues to lead Cheney comfortably and has gotten strong support from state GOP leaders as well as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.