GOP Leans on Big Donors to Beat Back Tea Party

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “recently delivered a direct pitch to one of America’s top defense contractors: Get off the sidelines and start backing Republicans who will protect military spending,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

McConnell’s message “was that if Republican lawmakers lose primary elections from challengers further to their right who have few qualms about trimming military budgets, the defense industry could expect dwindling support in Washington.”

“The effort to beat back challenges from the right goes beyond the defense industry. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have been stepping in to help business-friendly Republicans aligned with the GOP leadership, a reaction to the government shutdown in October, which the business groups opposed, and a sign of worries that tea party-aligned candidates might try to eliminate tax breaks and spending favored by businesses.”