Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) lost his bid for a fourth term today after being eliminated in the second ballot of Utah's Republican convention. Bennett came in third with 26% of the vote behind businessman Tim Bridgewater with 37% and lawyer Mike Lee with 36%.Teabaggers have burned a Utah Republican at the stake for not being wingnutty enough. That should tell you how crazy 2010 is going to be at the polls. The GOP is going to have to run so far to the know-nothing, fundie, anti-minority, corporate lackey right that those massive gains they are counting on simply won't materialize.
The strong showing for Bridgewater came as a surprise, as national conservatives -- including FreedomWorks -- have strongly supported Lee. But Cherilyn Eagar, a Republican activist who was knocked out on the first ballot, had vocally opposed Lee, and her votes largely went to Bridgewater. But Bennett was never able to overcome an anti-incumbent sentiment in the GOP base. In his speech after coming third in the first round, Bennett pleaded for delegates to consider which candidate had the most influence in Washington.
"Don't take a chance on a newcomer," said Bennett. "There's too much at stake."
That message fell flat with Utah Republicans, who now face a choice between two conservative activists who have never held elective office. Bennett's only option to continue his political career is, as he told the Associated Press, an unprecedented write-in campaign. At this hour, it's unclear if he'll proceed.
Bridgewater and Lee will battle it out at the convention for the right to a flat-out win. If one candidate gets 60% of the vote, he is the nominee. If neither candidate does, they will face each other in a June primary. Notably, Lee gave his one-minute time for a pre-ballot speech to a video from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who called Bennett a "friend who's made a difference" before endorsing the lawyer and first-time candidate.
And when that happens, they'll completely break down.
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