SIMPSON EASILY SURVIVES TEA PARTY CHALLENGE

House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) handily won yesterday the Republican primary for the Idaho House 2nd District, an election that had gained national attention due to a strong challenge by the Tea Party. Pundits had declared the race “ground zero” for the ideological battle between the establishment of the Republican party and the more conservative-leaning Tea Party, but Simpson, through the help of some national figures like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), was able to retain the ability to run for re-election in November. Challenger Bryan Smith, a local attorney in the 2nd District, accused the eight-term incumbent of excessive earmarking and spending in his role on the House Appropriations Committee, but Simpson was able to brush off the hyper-conservative attacks. Unofficial tallies had Simpson taking somewhere in the range of 60 percent of the vote, according to local reports. Simpson will face Democrat candidate Richard Stallings, a former U.S. Rep. for the 2nd District from 1984 to 1992, in the November election.