GOP challengers fueled by Tea Party activists

The Texas House is Republican-led and about as conservative as any political body in the country. But for some in the state's GOP, it's not nearly conservative enough. A wave of anti-establishment fervor-first harnessed last year with the grassroots conservative "Tea Party" movement-has led to a surge of challenges to Republican state House incumbents in the March 2 primary elections. Challengers say the GOP veterans are too moderate and have repeatedly failed to meet conservative benchmarks. "From our perspective, the participation in the Texas Legislature is not nearly conservative enough," said Barry Walker, director and co-founder of the conservative grassroots group New Revolution Now, which is raising money and campaigning for legislative candidates. "We would like to see a much more conservative body for the next session."...read more