FreedomWorks and ATR spar on Twitter over Wisconsin senate candidate

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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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.”

My guess is this race is about to garner a lot of attention, and unlike Texas, this won’t be a uniting event…

Matt K. Lewis