THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

When Karl "Turdblossom" Rove formed his superPAC American Crossroads, he probably had visions of being the penultimate source for the Republican/Teabaggers. He then proceeded to fall flat on his face in the '12 election and all the ganstermachers in the GOP now seeking his crown and funding.

At least a dozen “super PACs” are setting up to back individual Republican candidates for the United States Senate, challenging the strategic and financial dominance that Karl Rove and the group he co-founded, American Crossroads, have enjoyed ever since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010 cleared the way for unlimited independent spending.

In wooing donors, the new groups — in states like Texas, Iowa, West Virginia and Louisiana — are exploiting Crossroads’ poor showing in 2012, when $300 million spent by the super PAC and a sister nonprofit group yielded few victories. Some are suggesting that Crossroads’ deep ties to the Republican establishment and recent clashes with conservative activists are a potential liability for Republican incumbents facing Tea Party challengers.

“Certainly I think there’s a level of frustration with the state of things in D.C.,” said Randy Cubriel, an Austin lobbyist who formed Texans for a Conservative Majority, a new super PAC, to back Senator John Cornyn...

In response, Steven J. Law, the president of Crossroads, and others have urged donors and other supporters to commit to Crossroads, according to Republicans involved in the discussions, emphasizing that the group will move more aggressively in this election cycle to establish local footprints in the states with big Senate races. The profusion of super PACs, they have argued, risks wasting advertising dollars and endangering Republican efforts to win control of the Senate.

The conflicts echo broader unease within Republican circles, as establishment figures like Mr. Rove seek to reassert their authority and expand the party’s appeal amid a searing internal assault from Tea Party-inspired conservatives.

Let the games begin! And make sure you have enough popcorn & beer.