Like I've always said (even though no one believes me): JCL could win if the Federalist Party would develop a backbone, craft an actual policy agenda/platform and adhere to it - the latter two of which have never been done and the former has only manifested recently in a mediocre fashion. If you don't define yourselves, someone will always do it for you. If you stand for nothing, then it's very easy for voters to pick someone else. JCL's "radicalism" isn't the biggest issue he faces; rather, it's his party always wanting to throw him under the bus. If they truly wanted him to serve and were worried about competitiveness, then they would have let him grab the Mideast seat.
Oh yeah, I completely agree with this. If the Federalists showed JCL even a hint of support, he'd probably have a fairly good shot at winning. There's definitely a precedent for rigid ideologues getting elected and staying there, so long as they have the support of their comrades. (See: Me)