It is quite unusual for a sitting Republican congressman to receive a primary challenger unless their name starts with Ron and ends with Paul. But these are unusual times. Two incumbent Republican representatives with strong Harris County ties have drawn primary challengers.

In Congressional District 8, Rep. Kevin Brady is being challenged by political newcomer Tyler Russell. Mr. Russell is part of the Glenn Beck 9/12 movement which wants to refocus the country on the principles it was founded on. Although Rep. Brady is a six-term incumbent with a leadership role, he has transformed himself over the past few months into a full fledged Tea Party supporter. As best as I can tell from observing him at several Tea Party type functions, he has been embraced and they have forgotten his role in the mess we are in.

For more info on the CD-8 race, click here.

In Congressional District 10, three-term Rep. Michael McCaul is being challenged by another political newcomer, Joe Petronis. Mr. Petronis is basing his campaign on a "RINO" attack, that is, removing all Republican officeholders that do not vote Republican values. Those values are, of course, debatable, but in Mr. Petronis' case, his issues page focuses on Rep. McCaul's votes to increase spending and debt, as well as remove some of the constitutional protections that citizens are granted.

For more info on the CD-10 race, click here.

The Texas Tribune has an audio interview discussing the "RINO" hunt, and it has a short clip of Mr. Petronis. Click here for that interview.

All in all, the various "liberty movement" groups, including Tea Parties, 9/12 Groups and others, have already made an impact on the nation's political scene. It remains to be seen how powerful this impact will be but it is a great start. Obviously, both of these men are longshot candidates and will inevitably be overrun by the power of incumbency and by the massive amount of money that the incumbents will raise.

At least they are stepping up and trying.

Have you filed yet to be a Precinct Chair? If you are in Harris County, click here for an application. If you are in Montgomery County, click here. If you are in any other county, simply go to your county's Republican headquarters and file. There is NO FEE and you will be making a difference. The filing deadline is Jan. 4th, so hurry!