Indiana U.S. Senator Dick Lugar’s bid for re-election just got a lot tougher.
The Indiana Republican will reportedly not receive the endorsement of a key conservative group, a move that could lessen Mr. Lugar’s chances of re-election.
“Lugar is a good man, and in some ways he has served Indiana and our country well, but his 35-year career in Washington proves that he is no fiscal conservative,” the conservative Club for Growth said in a statement on Tuesday.
Chris Chocola, the group’s president, told The Associated Press that his organization is endorsing Mr. Lugar’s Republican challenge, Richard Mourdock, saying he is a strong conservative on economic issues and will further key Republican policies.
“It is always about a relative difference when you get involved in a race and we’re focused on a better alternative,” said Mr. Chocola. “We think Mourdock is a better alternative than Sen. Lugar. We believe the culture of the Senate must change.”
The endorsement comes as the Indiana Republican has faced criticism from Tea Party Republicans in the state, some of whom have publicly called for his resignation. Mr. Lugar has spent much of the 2012 campaign stockpiling funds in an effort to thwart a challenge, all the while continuing to make his case for his support of Republican policies.
While the Indiana Republican is likely to be well poised to win re-election, the Club for Growth has already been involved in the Senate race, running television advertisements in the summer attacking him. Fundraising and ads between the two candidates have increased recently ahead of the May Republican primary. Mr. Mourdock has attacked Mr. Lugar’s conservative credentials and support of earmarks while the Mr. Lugar has sought to distance himself from President Barack Obama.
