Donnelly's strong showing in polls - he's a solid No. 2 in a primary where the top two finishers advance - has brought warnings from the GOP establishment that a Brown-Donnelly face-off in November would be a disaster for California Republicans. Top-tier Republicans like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney and former Gov. Pete Wilson have lined up behind a more moderate candidate, former Treasury official Neel Kashkari, to be the GOP choice.
Being more popular with California's conservatives and the Tea Party grass roots than withRepublican Party leaders is not a problem for Donnelly.
"I could care less about parties," he told the room full of cheering supporters in San Jose. "They're not the answer, they're part of the problem. We the people are the answer."This line points out something important about the race. If Donnelly faces Brown in November, he could drag a lot of Republicans down with him.
BUT HE DOES NOT CARE.
