[BushCountry]

Hmmm... if the establishment candidate wanted to demoralize the Tea Party and had a large campaign chest. Why not set up a straw man Tea Party candidate and encourage him to not actively campaign. Have him make a little noise for free publicity sake and let the media destroy the Tea Party after the primary.

[AuH2ORepublican]

“Hmmm... if the establishment candidate wanted to demoralize the Tea Party and had a large campaign chest. Why not set up a straw man Tea Party candidate and encourage him to not actively campaign. Have him make a little noise for free publicity sake and let the media destroy the Tea Party after the primary.”

---

That certainly would be possible in theory, and I wouldn’t put it past someone like Lamar Alexander, but it certainly is not the case that Joe Carr is some sort of straw man candidate propped up by Alexander—Carr is a proven conservative, and jumped into the Senate race when it became clear that more prominent conservatives (such as Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn) were not going to run.

But I can’t speak for the six unknown and unfunded candidates (they have reported raising $200 between the six of them!) who filed for the seat ....