The purpose of the conference was to defeat the“secular socialist” Obama in the 2012 election. Many attendees referred to Mitt Romney, the current Republican front-runner, as “the lesser of two evils.” One woman said that, although Romney is “not as conservative as we would like,” he is “the only option we have.” Tea Party supporters are not excited about Mitt Romney as a presidential candidate, but they are ideologically much closer to Romney than Obama, so they unenthusiastically support him. This attitude is evidence of party cohesion within the Republican Party.
Despite such strong party cohesion in the presidential election, there is still tension within the GOP. In order to appeal to their Tea Party base, Republican candidates are moving further to the right and refusing to compromise with Democrats. This trend upsets moderates, who are becoming increasingly irrelevant. Tea Party supporters are also challenging longstanding Republican incumbents who are not deemed conservative enough. For example, the Tea Party hopes to replace Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who has been in office since 1977, with someone more conservative.
Americans can only guess how the relationship between the Tea Party and the GOP will develop. One possibility is that the GOP will split into two separate parties: a Tea Party and a moderate party. More likely, Tea Party supporters will continue to rally behind moderate candidates that appeal to a broader public. Party cohesion allows Republicans to nominate candidates who have a chance at getting elected.
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