The Hotline: NRSC Backing "Akin to the Mark of the Beast" With Conservative Activists

The Hotline has an interesting story today about the negative impact of NRSC support for Senate candidates in contested primaries. The NRSC has set up joint fundraising accounts with candidates across the country, including Rep. Roy Blunt. Internal critics say these accounts "show clear favoritism for one candidate over another."  

This clash between the establishment and tea party types – described in the Hotline as "the latest flare ups in an ongoing war between grassroots activists and the GOP's professional class" – is most evident in states like Florida. But there are clear similarities between the Florida and Missouri races; both GOP establishment picks have long, problematic records to defend in primaries against state legislators with rock-solid conservative credentials.

The NRSC has set up joint fundraising accounts with several candidates, generating attacks from others within the GOP who say DC should not be dictating who makes it through tough primaries. The committees, they say, show clear favoritism for one candidate over another...

Since when is an endorsement something to be shunned? GOP sources and those in the blogosphere point to the NRSC's early endorsement of [FL Gov. Charlie] Crist, which they said was more than activists could stomach. [NRSC Chairman Sen. John Cornyn's (R-TX) ] is no centrist, but backing Crist, who is disliked among most conservative activists in DC and FL, hurt his standing among the blogging class.

The joint accounts can help the non-establishment candidates too, according to one advisor to an outsider.

"If a candidate already is perceived as a creation of the DC Establishment, ... then becoming even more indebted to the DC powerbrokers by setting up a JFC is just going to energize the base for your anti-establishment opponent," the advisor wrote in an email.

Cornyn has promised not to "weigh in" on Blunt's primary against State Sen. Chuck Purgason, but clearly favors Blunt.  The NRSC has set up joint fundraising accounts for Blunt, like those described above, and has promoted other Blunt campaign fundraisers with their donors.