Sen. Scott Brown rankles the right, again

Conservatives continue to lob criticism at Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), the man defined by many as the first tea party candidate elected to Congress, over his not-so-conservative voting record.

The latest scathing condemnation comes from Scott Wheeler of the National Republican Trust PAC, which helped elect Brown to the Senate in the Jan. 2010 special election.

Wheeler writes for the Daily Caller Friday that his group is turning on Brown because "there is no difference between him and a Democrat":

An organization I run, The National Republican Trust PAC, raised and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Scott Brown win the Massachusetts special election to fill the seat vacated upon the death of Ted Kennedy. That organization will now do everything possible to see that Brown is defeated by a primary opponent when he faces re-election in 2012.

Talk of a Brown primary challenge from the right has increased this year as the tea party took off and appeared to leave Brown behind. Just one month after the Nov. 2 election (when electioneering is virtually silent and with the next contest two years away), Brown was hit with an attack ad from the right over his support for the tax-cut compromise.

In December, Brown further angered conservatives by supporting the repeal of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy and the nuclear START treaty.

Challengers have yet to step forward in this race, but a December survey from Public Policy Polling showed Brown earning favorable poll numbers at this early stage in the cycle.

(Photo of Brown: AP/Alex Brandon)