Unease in GOP over Mississippi tea party anger

Perhaps more worrisome to Washington Republicans is that if conservative outrage in Mississippi spreads, some Tea Party voters in other states where the Republican establishment’s candidate has prevailed could stay home in November. That could bolster Democrats like Kay Hagan in North Carolina, Mark Pryor in Arkansas, Mark Begich in Alaska or Michelle Nunn in Georgia.

“Oh, we are watching. We are furious. The G.O.P. wants us to sit down, shut up and vote for their RINO,” Jane Bilello, chairwoman of the Asheville Tea Party in North Carolina, said, using the acronym for Republican in Name Only. “We are putting our foot down, and until the Republicans learn this lesson, they’re going to continue to lose elections.”…

Adam Brandon, executive vice president of the national Tea Party funder FreedomWorks, said Republican leaders like Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky may yet succeed in “smashing” Tea Party groups, but they are doing so at a great cost.

“The way activists feel treated by the party, they may stay home in November, and even if they do vote, I can tell you they’re not going door to door,” he said. “When Mitch McConnell says, ‘We’re going to stamp these guys out and smash them all over the country,’ how are Republicans going to win anywhere?”