Wickham: Tea Party launches second civil war

Wickham: Tea Party launches second civil war

Welcome to the Republican civil war, Mississippi division.

Tea Party linked activist groups have already fired the first salvo in the fight for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Thad Cochran. By campaigning to unseat Cochran, the Senate’s second-longest serving Republican, they threaten to turn the skirmishes with the GOP mainstream into full-fledged combat.

So far, Cochran hasn’t announced whether he will seek re-election in a state in which the GOP nomination for a U.S. Senate seat is tantamount to being elected. But if he decides to run for a seventh term, the fight for the GOP nomination could shape up to be the Republican’s Party’s Battle of Bull Run. The early GOP Senate primary warring in Indiana, Delaware and Colorado took place on the fringe of the Republican heartland. The fight unfolding in Mississippi is at its core.

USA Today
11/19/13