USA TODAY: Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana lost his re-election bid in the state’s Republican primary Tuesday, ending the 36-year career of a GOP elder statesman and handing the Tea Party movement its biggest upset victory so far in the 2012 elections.,,
Lugar was ousted by state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, whose campaign against the veteran lawmaker was backed by conservative groups including the Tea Party Express, the anti-tax Club for Growth, the National Rifle Association, the Tea Party-aligned Freedom Works, and former Republican Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
According to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks election spending, outside groups invested $4.5 million in the race… (more)
EDITOR: Senator Richard Lugar is one of the most highly regarded senators who have served in recent decades, noted especially for his foreign affairs acumen and leadership. No one the right wing of the Republican Party threw him out.
