Senator Lugar vs. The GOP Goon Squad

Senator Richard Lugar is one of the smartest foreign policy minds in Washington. He's a respected Senator who gets things done. When a President in either party wants to get things done in the Senate, he's one of the Republicans they go to.

Well, that means he's in trouble.

Like Mike Castle from the House side, Lugar is about to learn how unpopular being a consensus-maker in the Congress is with the Tea Party. Now, Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock is apparently going to challenge Senator Lugar in 2012's GOP Primary. He will be backed by the Tea Party forces who are unhappy with Lugar's voting record.

It's a sad tale for the GOP that they'd challenge Lugar in a primary, but Democrats need to react. Inevitably, any candidate in the primary against the Senator will be to his political right. This is not someone you want in the Senate. Democrats need to find a strong candidate who is ready to run. Remember, President Obama won this state in 2008. Indiana is a fairly independent, right-of-center state. A strong candidate may have a chance against a far-right candidate in 2012, even if the President lost Indiana.