Senator Richard Lugar, the third longest-serving member of the Senate, was defeated on Tuesday evening to his Tea Party-backed opponent in the Republican primary. With votes counted in more than three quarters of Indiana counties, State Treasurer Richard Mourdock led 61 percent to 39 percent. The Senate has reportedly loss one of its few remaining members with a habit of bipartisanship. In his concession speech, Lugar said, “I hope that Richard Mourdock prevails in November so that he can contribute to that Republican majority in the Senate. We are experiencing deep political divisions in our society right now. And these divisions have stalemated progress in critical areas. These divisions have stalemated progress in critical areas. But these divisions are not insurmountable. I agree that people of good will, regardless of party, can work together for the benefit of country.”
Mourdock began his acceptance speech with a round of applause for Lugar. He said, “When I began this campaign, Sen. Lugar was not my enemy. He is not now my enemy; he will never be my enemy. He was, simply, over the last 15 months, my opponent. Hoosiers want to see Republicans inside the U.S. Senate take a more conservative track.” In November, Mourdock will compete with Democratic Representative Joe Donnelly.
