Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) appeared Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, with an important message for Republicans on Christmas: Don’t let the Tea Partiers — like the one challenging Lugar in his primary — cost the GOP in 2012.
Lugar, who was first elected to the Senate in 1976, is being challenged from the right in the Republican primary, by state Treasurer Richard Mourdock.
Notably, Lugar slammed Tea Party activists and candidates from the last cycle — for costing the Republicans the chance to win the majority in 2010.
“They were people who claimed that they wanted somebody who was more of their tea party aspect, but in doing so, they killed off the Republican chances for a majority,” said Lugar. “This is one of the reasons why we have a minority in the Senate right now.”
Lugar also predicted that Republicans will support him for renomination: “A Republican majority in the Senate is very important, and Republicans who are running for reelection ought to be supported by people who want to see that majority. I think the majority of tea party people understand that, too.”
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