TULSA, Okla. Down here in the buckle of the Bible Belt, conservatives might eat one of their own.
Tea party celebrities Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee descended here on Thursday night to anoint their candidate to replace retiring Republican Sen. Tom Coburn: Republican former state House Speaker T.W. Shannon.
By embracing Shannon, they are leaving behind Rep. James Lankford, the fifth-highest-ranking member of the House GOP leadership, who is also bidding for the last two years of Coburns term. Lankford could be forgiven for thinking he had a shot at such prominent endorsements, since he rode the tea party wave of 2010 to a seat in the House. But the conservative glitterati think Shannon is a true believer and that Lankford has disappointed them by voting to raise the debt ceiling and joining Speaker John Boehners team.
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Its a new strand of Republican civil war: not the typical insurgent-versus-establishment story in the Sooner State, but a battle on the right for the deepest conservative bona fides. And if Shannon pulls off an upset over Lankford, it would send a message to Republicans: Watch out, the tea party can still shake up a primary.
These are our warriors in the United States Senate, Palin said at a Liberty Rally for Shannon, pointing to Cruz and Lee. Weve got to send them some reinforcements. And Oklahomas contribution to that worthy effort is T.W. Shannon.
You can tell a lot about a man by the friends he keeps. What do you think of my friends? Shannon, flanked by his new allies, said to 15 seconds of applause from the hundreds in the audience.
The backing of his new pals certainly isnt hurting. A poll this week for a Shannon-aligned group showed him with a lead for the first time in the race.
We clearly have the momentum, said a beaming 36-year-old Shannon during a pre-rally interview.
(Also on POLITICO: How Lindsey Graham outmaneuvered the tea party)
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Tea party eats its own in Oklahoma