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Before Democrats and Republicans can battle it out in November for Congressional seats across the nation, some incumbents are fighting fierce, and unexpected, opposition in the Primaries. Primary election season stretches from May through mid-September and in some districts, candidates have already spent millions campaigning. In Pennsylvania and North Carolina the establishment candidates of the Democratic party are polling neck-in-neck with challengers that don’t have Obama’s endorsement. But the biggest surprises have come in the challenges to incumbent Republicans from far-right members of the GOP. Moderate and even Conservative Republicans are being called “Republican In Name Only”. Candidates are shifting their positions to keep pace with their grassroots members’ right-ward march toward ultra-conservatism. In Florida the popular Incumbent Governor Charlie Crist actually left the Republican party rather than risk losing to his challenger Marco Rubio in the primaries. Crist will now run as an Independent. Facing a serious challenge in Arizona’s primary, former presidential candidate Senator John McCain is attempting a total image makeover, denying that he was ever a Maverick, enlisting Sarah Palin to vouch for his conservative credentials, and, unlike his earlier slightly moderate stand on immigration, now endorsing only harsh, punitive immigration policies.

GUEST: Jon Walker, writer for FireDogLake.com

Read Jon Walker’s articles here: http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/author/jon-walker/.