Club for Growth vs. Orrin Hatch

The Club for Growth evidently is hoping Sen. Orrin Hatch follows former Sen. Bob Bennett right off the cliff, like a lemming. This Washington Post blog says Hatch is trying to fight back against the Club’s new Utah ads that go after him for increasing government spending through the years.

The interesting thing, as the author notes, is that Utah’s “odd nominating process” makes it easier to unseat an incumbent by eliminating him from even participating in a primary.

That process “makes it a much cheaper state to play in, as pre-convention efforts involve only reaching out to 3,500 activists who will vote at the convention.” Also, the Club can take advantage of cheaper advertising rates in Utah than in many other markets.

Until last year, Utah had long gone without much political intrigue in major races. The Republican Party dominated most statewide contests, with the exception of one or two. Now, however, the tea party has made Republican politics alone as fun to watch as the robust two-party systems in other states.

Fun, but not necessarily representative or inclusive.