Who should be backed in primary challenges to incumbents?

The default position in both political parties is to discourage primary challenges to incumbent senators. In the 2004 election cycle President Bush and Sen. Santorum supported Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania in his primary battle with Pat Toomey even though Toomey is considered a much more reliable conservative. Since then, Specter has performed as most of us expected and been more in line with Ted Kennedy than with Bill Frist. In 2006 we have a chance to see if Republicans learned anything from that mistake. Cranston, R.I., Mayor Stephen Laffey is expected to announce this week that he will challenge Sen. Lincoln Chafee in the GOP primary. Chafee is no more a Republican than I'm a Olympic track star. He went as far as publicly stating he wasn't voting for President Bush for reelection last year. However, the old boys club from DC is attempting to discourage Laffey from challenging Chafee.

Republicans in Washington for the past several months have sought to keep Laffey from challenging Chafee. Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) attended a fundraiser earlier this year for the Rhode Island senator. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have consistently made it clear they would do everything possible to help Chafee win a second term.

Better to lose the seat to a declared Democrat than leaving the seat in the hands of one hiding his true self in our closet.