Dear Commons Community,

The news media are all over the coverage of the Republican senate primary in Tennessee where incumbent and Republican establishment candidate Lamar Alexander easily won over Joe Carr, a state representative from Rutherford County.  Joe Scarborough on his morning MSNBC show had a segment questioning whether Alexander’s victory spelled the end of Tea Party influence in Republican primaries since incumbents/establishment candidate won every Senate primary election this year.

As reported in the New York Times:

“Tennessee voters backed Senator Lamar Alexander against a Tea Party challenge and turned down an aggressive bid by conservatives and business interests to oust three members of the State Supreme Court in primaries on Thursday.

Mr. Alexander’s victory in the Republican primary was another win for establishment Republicans against Tea Party challengers. And the decision to retain the justices was also a defeat for conservatives who hoped to gain a majority on Tennessee’s highest court.

With 99 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Alexander led six other candidates with 50 percent of the vote, The Associated Press said.

In addition to backing Mr. Alexander, Republicans, as expected, nominated another incumbent, Gov. Bill Haslam, who is running for re-election in November’s general election.

In securing a win, Mr. Alexander thwarted the final attempt by Tea Party supporters to oust a Republican senator this year after challenges in Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and South Carolina faltered. The year has proved a marked contrast from 2010 and 2012, when Tea Party candidates toppled Senators Robert F. Bennett of Utah and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, both Republicans.”

Good news for the Republicans and good news for our country.

Tony