I see this as a case of the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise, Mitch McConnell, went back to his state, campaigned, brought home the pork-barrel, and did everything he could to reingratiate himself to Kentucky, a state where he was nonetheless widely despised, and pulled it off, winning his primary. Eric Cantor, the hare, eager to get to the top of the House GOP food chain and becoming the Washington insider par excellence, ignored his district and his mosquito of a primary opponent and lost.
Take a page from Mitch McConnell: sometimes it pays to be the tortoise.
Or it could be that Bevin's problems were simply far better known to voters than Brat's given that he recieved quite a bit of attention since he spoke at that one fair event shortly after announcing his candidacy.
