Government Shutdown Propelling GOP 2014 Primaries

Party split over recent fiscal stalemate

Political handicappers expect Republicans to keep the House in 2014. But plenty of GOP lawmakers will still be slugging it out in tough races next year — they'll just be hitting one another in a growing number of primaries propelled by the party's nasty split over the federal shutdown and debt crisis.

Nearly a dozen House Republican incumbents already have credible challengers, and conservative groups expect that number to grow in the coming months as races develop and deadlines approach to qualify for the ballot. The coming fiscal battles — there's now a Jan. 15 deadline for funding the government and a Feb. 7 deadline to raise the debt ceiling — could add fuel to the primary fires.