Why is Hatch so attentive to his potential supporters? It turns out that Utah's Mormon Tea Party members are looking for more conservatism in their candidates. According to the New York Times, David Kirkman, a business man who founded one of Utah's first Tea Party groups, the Tea Party "opposes all three" candidates due to their individual actions.
Romney has been criticized because of his support of state healthcare legislation in Massachusetts, which makes healthcare compulsory in the Baystate, and was passed during his tenure as governor. Many Tea Partyers see Massachusetts healthcare laws as a model for the the Obama-proposed plan, which they interpret and ideologically oppose, as a big government stronghold. Huntsman, who announced his resignation of ambassadorship to China in January, had taken a fairly moderate position on key social issues and "supported carbon emissions cap-and trade legislation to reduce heat-trapping gases." Those bipartisan stances are deal breakers for Tea Party voters.
And only last year, veteran Utah GOP Senator Robert Bennett lost what would have been his 4th term to the Tea Party candidate, Mike Lee. Hatch faces a battle for his re-election for the same ideological reasons that thwarted Bennett. Therefore, he's taking a pro-active stance by seeking out prominent tea party members in the community, and taking a hard line anti-Washington stance. In addition, he's against same-sex marriage, the national healthcare reforms, and gives no leeway to unions.
Only time will tell if Hatch's strategy will secure his long-running political career as a Utah Senator, and, if Romney and Huntsman can make headway among such staunchly conservative citizens.
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