U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions won't be staying up late wondering if his opponent in the March primary will knock him off.

Despite the rare intraparty challenge from corporate accountant David Smith, Sessions is heavily favored for re-election.

But Smith's candidacy does raise some questions about Sessions and how he handles the increasingly disgruntled right wing of his party.

Smith is a veteran of the growing Tea Party movement. It has targeted candidates across the country in an effort to unmask and purge Republicans who don't share its conservative values.

"Rep. Sessions has escaped this accountability for fiscal and ethical practices due to having never been challenged in the Republican primary," Smith told me. "That ends in 2010. It is time to shed sufficient light on the record of a 14-year incumbent."

Sessions has not had a Republican challenger since 2002, when the 32nd Congressional District was created.

His team doesn't seem too worried about Smith.

"The Texas voters that Congressman Sessions has been hearing from are most interested in his priorities for creating jobs, growing the economy and fighting against the radical agendas of President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi," spokeswoman Emily Davis said.

Smith officially announced his candidacy Monday in Dallas and criticized Sessions for everything from his votes to bail out the financial industry to his hosting of a fundraiser at a Las Vegas burlesque club.

Most recently, Sessions was caught in a GOP schism when conservatives rebelled against a congressional bid by moderate Dede Scozzafava, a New York state assemblywoman who supports gay marriage and abortion rights.

Well-known conservatives, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, backed a non-Republican nominee, Doug Hoffman of the Conservative Party.

Sessions, as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, stuck with Scozzafava and dedicated $1 million to her cause.

The seat ultimately went to the Democratic nominee, Bill Owens.

In response, Smith has called for Sessions to resign as chairman of the NRCC.

Sessions called the New York fiasco a momentary victory for Democrats, since the district is heavily Republican and is likely to tilt that way next year.

Still, analysts say Sessions could have similar conflicts in the future, since his leadership posts dictate that he sometimes accept candidates less conservative than he would like.

"Under normal circumstances, Pete would have been right there with" Perry and Palin, said Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University. "As chairman of the ... committee, he's somewhat restrained."

The Smith candidacy shows some conservatives' growing resentment of their leadership. It also shows that even a sturdy conservative like Sessions is not immune to the growing movement against some GOP stalwarts.

"Republicans must make significant gains in the House, and the performance of the NRCC and its chairman in ... [New York's 23rd Congressional District] draw into question both the strategic vision and the operational leadership necessary to achieve necessary gains," Smith said.

But Sessions can count on the establishment of the Dallas-area party to work on his behalf, even if protocol suggests that it stay neutral.

The longtime congressman is very active and influential in local party business.

Dallas County Party Chairman Jonathan Neerman said he hasn't met Smith.

"Pete is a great leader for conservatives and a great representative for the 32nd District," he said.

gjeffers@dallasnews.com