His come-from-behind victory remains fresh in the minds of Tea Party-aligned forces in Kentucky, whose antipathy for their senior senator increased after his role negotiating the New Year’s Day fiscal cliff deal. Their problem, however, is that no potential candidate with Paul’s pedigree and political skill set appears to be waiting in the wings…

“McConnell has consolidated conservative support in the state, as well as Republican members of the legislature and the entire GOP delegation in Congress, including the support of Sen. Ran Paul,” said McConnell’s campaign manager, Jessie Benton. “We continue our outreach, and we continue to talk to Tea Party folks — just as we talk to every single constituent — to let Tea Party folks know we respect them and have shared values and goals. It does not appear that there is a serious challenger.”

McConnell’s hiring of Benton last year was seen as a major coup, since the campaign operative had run Paul’s Senate campaign and continues to have deep roots within the Tea Party in Kentucky. But Benton’s decision to jump aboard the McConnell ship has not eliminated dissent on the right.

In a Courier-Journal Bluegrass poll conducted weeks after the fiscal cliff deal, just 34 percent of Republicans polled said that they would vote for McConnell, regardless of his opponent. Among the overall electorate, 34 percent of those polled said that they planned to vote against him, while just 17 percent said that they intended to support the incumbent (44 percent intended to wait until a challenger emerges before deciding).