Republican primaries: Mitch McConnell leads 'establishment' victories of Tea Party candidates
The "establishment" wing of the Republican Party is celebrating major victories over more conservative Tea Party candidates in United States primary elections.
Primaries have been held across the country as the GOP picks the candidates who will seek to recapture control of the Senate from president Barack Obama's Democrats in this year's mid-term congressional elections.
The most senior Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell, was among the pre-selection race victors, after overcoming the Tea Party-backed Matt Bevin in the Kentucky poll by 24 percentage points.
The US press says the Tea Party has been "tamed", with headlines including "The Establishment strikes back" and "Republicans pick electability over Tea Party purity".
Mr McConnell drew on his deep campaign pockets, heavily outspending Mr Bevin in the run-up to the primary and crucially secured the support of Kentucky's other US Senator, Rand Paul, who is a Tea Party favourite.
"To my opponent's supporters, I hope you'll join me in the months ahead and know your fight is my fight," Mr McConnell told a crowd of his jubilant supporters.
Other "establishment" winners were not as conciliatory.
"This election, not just mine but across the country, was about the heart and soul of the Republican Party," Idaho representative Mike Simpson said.
"Whether we were going to be a governing majority, a party that gets 75 or 80 per cent of what you want, or whether we're going to be an ideologically pure minority."
The current US Congress has been called the most dysfunctional on record, passing the least amount of legislation in modern history.
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Republican primaries: Mitch McConnell leads 'establishment' victories of Tea Party candidates