Mike Connolly, a spokesman for the anti-tax Club for Growth, which spent hundreds of thousands of dollars targeting Bennett for defeat, noted that his group has been dealing with rogue Republicans for multiple cycles now. In 2008, the Club helped Maryland state Sen. Andy Harris beat Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in a GOP primary – only to see Gilchrest endorse Democrat Frank Kratovil, who ended up winning the general election.

“Conservatives are frequently chided for using terms like RINO [Republican in Name Only], but when the RINOs lose primaries they switch parties and go play for the other team,” he said. “They lost. They weren’t drummed out of the party. Hillary Clinton wasn’t drummed out of the Democratic Party. She got beat by Barack Obama.”

Pointing out that both Bennett and Murkowski hold Senate seats their fathers once occupied, Connolly argued: “
At bottom, they kind of resent that they work for the American people. They feel that they know better.”