Tea party movement could split votes in Nevada
Republicans have their sights set on unseating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, but with a slew of conservative candidates, the Democrat has a good shot at reelection.
Reporting from Washington and Las Vegas - As the anti-establishment activists of the "tea party" movement rally in Nevada this week, a troublesome question will hang over the red-meat speeches and cheers:
Are the people most determined to oust Democrat Harry Reid the ones boosting his chances of reelection?
The movement that boasts of its decentralized structure is facing its most high-profile test in Nevada, where Republicans of all stripes have their sights on unseating the Senate majority leader. Like many voters nationwide, Nevada's conservatives have been energized by tea party rhetoric.
But they've not been unified.
The number of Republicans vying to challenge Reid could field a baseball team, and no one has emerged as the runaway favorite of the tea party crowd. One candidate has filed for the general election as a member of the "Tea Party of Nevada," fueling talk that he could split conservative votes and hand Reid a win. His candidacy was challenged in court this week.
After months of fretting over Reid's miserable poll numbers -- 33% of voters had a positive opinion of him last month -- Democrats are seeing his best chance of reelection in the conservative disarray.
Click for Full Text!
