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GOP officials aren't happy about the influx, which could create a surplus of candidates -- threatening to split or dilute a Republican vote, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

"I think it's more likely than not to cause a major problem for Republicans", said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

GOP candidates who win crowded primaries are more likely to be conservative, reflecting the support of the most-motivated voters. But they're less likely to attract the moderate swing voters needed to win a general election, Sabato said.

"A crowded primary field helps liberals in the Democratic Party and conservatives in the Republican Party, but it doesn't necessarily help either in the fall", Sabato said.

Paul Lindsay, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, says a crowded primary "shows energy on the part of our party and our voters, which will in turn become a problem for Democrats."

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