The tea party unity was fun while it lasted.
Unlike Texas — where prominent conservative outside groups were generally united on a candidate — conservatives are divided over the August primary in Wisconsin.
Former Rep. Mark Neumann has an impressive conservative track record, and might be the obvious conservative nominee — had he not angered Gov. Scott Walker’s loyalists during a bitter 2010 gubernatorial primary battle (apparently you’re not allowed to run against Walker?).
Enter Eric Hovde, a flashy ex-hedge-fund manager who is being quietly pushed by some members of Team Walker (and now backed by FreedomWorks). Hovde holds a narrow lead over Neumann and Thompson, but some conservatives are beginning to question Hovde’s bona fides. And it’s playing out on Twitter.
This screen shot below (just a taste of the back-and-forth conversation) shows American’s for Tax Reform’s (ATR) Ryan Ellis asking FreedomWorks vice president Dean Clancy why Hovde won’t sign ATR’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge.”
@deanclancy and why is hovde the only guy who hasn’t signed the Pledge if he’s so safe on taxes?— Ryan Ellis (@taxplaya) August 1, 2012
My guess is this race is about to garner a lot of attention, and unlike Texas, this won’t be a uniting event…