Mike Lee, Republican candidate for Senate in Utah, is a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito who describes himself today as a constitutional lawyer.
His path to a Senate seat opened up in May, when incumbent Sen. Robert Bennett was defeated for reelection to a fourth term at the Utah state GOP convention. Mr. Lee then beat a candidate backed by the GOP establishment in a state primary. He did so with the endorsements of Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina, who is something of a godfather to tea party groups, and FreedomWorks.
Utah is a safe Republican state, and Lee is thus a good bet to be house-hunting soon in Washington.
