Tea Party excels at choosing conservative winners

Leading this American renewal is the increasingly brilliant Tea Party movement, which is rapidly disproving all the fears regarding its emergence of a year ago. Rather than dividing the conservative, free market vote, or chasing the Republican Party off an extremist cliff, in race after race it has demonstrated an uncanny ability to coalesce around the most conservative candidate that can win. In this, it has served as a Club for Growth on steroids, knocking the RINOs where they belong, all the way to the Democrat party. What I love most about the Tea Party is the way it has remained a thoroughly decentralized movement without the emergence of an identifiable national leadership, yet in a classic free market way that very decentralization has operated all the more effectively.

Here are some of the genuine, grassroots leaders that the American people aided by the Tea Party movement have now called forth in the new emerging leadership of the GOP.

Sharron Angle
Sharron Angle took on the political establishment in Nevada and won. I am not talking about her recent, stirring, come from behind primary victory over 10 other candidates to win the GOP nomination to oppose Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Despite the kerfuffle, Rand Paul still leads Conway by 25 points

A lot of the handwringing over Rand Paul's electability in November is overdone. A Rasmussen poll was released today that showed Paul leading Democratic nominee Jack Conway by 25 points, 59 percent to 34 percent. Kentucky Democrats nominated the more liberal candidate who supports Obamacare and will not be able to exploit Paul's "heterodox" social views -- which are also overblown -- in the general election.

That said, Paul's comments about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were an example of what not to do. Throughout the primary campaign, Trey Grayson tried to bait Paul into theoretical discussions of libertarianism and controversial theories with which many libertarians agree. Ron Paul relishes such discussions and sees his professorial role as an important part of why he is in politics. The younger Paul is trying to bring serious constitutionalism back into the mainstream and has wisely avoided etting the focus drift into things that are not live issues -- until now.

Sestak beats Specter in PA,; Paul beats Grayson in KY

Upstart Senate candidates claimed two stunning victories in primary elections Tuesday night as Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak denied incumbent Democrat Arlen Specter renomination to a sixth term and Kentucky insurgent Rand Paul easily bested establishment favorite Trey Grayson for the Republican Party's Senate nod.

In the evening's third key Senate race, Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln clung to a slim lead of a few thousand votes over Lt. Gov. Bill Halter with nearly 85 percent of the vote counted in the state's Democratic primary, but will face an expensive and potentially dangerous June 8 runoff since neither candidate will reach 50 percent of the vote.

Insurgents didn't completely rule the night, however. Democrat Mark Critz, a former Hill aide, defeated Republican Tim Burns in the special election for the Pennsylvania congressional seat of the late Rep. John Murtha. Both parties invested millions in the race — viewed as a bellwether election for the fall campaign.

Rand Paul up 52% to 34% over Trey Grayson in nuanced Kentucky Senate primary

Raleigh, N.C. – Fueled by a high level of unhappiness with the direction of the
Republican Party, Rand Paul appears to be poised for an easy victory over Trey Grayson
in Tuesday's Kentucky Senate primary. He leads PPP's final poll 52-34.

There are more Republicans planning to vote on Tuesday (41%) who are unhappy with
the current direction of their party than ones who are happy with it (36%). Among those
discontented folks Paul has a staggering 59-28 lead which more than offsets the 47-45
lead Grayson has with the voters who think the party's current course is fine.

A Paul victory will be a clear signal that Kentucky Republicans want the party to move
further to the right. 32% of likely primary voters think that the party is too liberal and
Paul has a 71-21 advantage with them that accounts for almost his entirely polling lead.

With the other 68% of voters who don't think the party's too liberal Paul is ahead only 45-
41.

What a Paul victory will not be is a sign that Kentucky Republicans want Mitch
McConnell to go. 64% of voters think the winner of the primary should vote for
McConnell as the GOP leader in the Senate to only 18% who say no. Even among Paul
voters there is 58/22 support for keeping the state's senior Senator in his current
leadership position.

In Kentucky, the Tea Party candidate is whipping the Republican by 16 points

It's the Senate race the entire nation is watching -- as Trey Grayson -- the choice of some of the biggest names in the Republican party is trying to overcome a tidal wave of tea - as Rand Paul is coasting on that tea party wave.
The Rand Paul phenomenon in Kentucky shows no signs of ebbing tonight - as the Bowling Green opthamologist's double digit lead continues over Secretary of State Trey Grayson. He says his message is behind his 16 point lead.

Paul 49%

Grayson 33%

Stephenson 3%

Martin 3%

Scribner 1%

Undecided 11%

"I come from the Tea Party movement," Paul said Wednesday, "and the tea party movement really feels like government is out of control, that we're being consumed by this debt."