"This could be a seminal year for the Republican Party, in Kentucky and around the nation. The rise of the Tea Party movement has produced a tug of war for the GOP's soul, a contest that already has prompted Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to drop his R label and launch an independent campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.
Tugging from one side are the establishment Republicans who have guided the party in recent years. Pulling in the opposite direction are those who think the party has strayed from its roots on such issues as deficit spending and the size and reach of the federal government.
Kentucky's Republican primary for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning offers a perfect example of this struggle
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