Tea Party won't oppose Hatch in 2012

Over at National Review Online, an interview with a Tea Party Express leader reveals that that organization will not support any challengers to Sen. Orrin Hatch in 2012.

Sal Russo, the group's chief strategist, tells National Review Online that the Tea Party Express will not tangle with Hatch in 2012. "In 1976, when I was scouring the country trying to find people to stand up for Ronald Reagan, there were not very many in the Republican party that would, especially with the president being (Gerald) Ford. Orrin Hatch, however, stood up and was our state chairman," Russo explains. "He is somebody who has been willing to stand up for a long time."

"I think he was an original tea partier," Russo says. "He has been talking about our issues from the beginning. Orrin is a Reagan conservative, as far as I'm concerned, and that's as good as it gets."

Per the National Review article, the Tea Party Express is "the California-based political action committee that propelled Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, and others to primary victories last year." Its supporters include former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Hatch is committed to running for reelection in 2012, even though he may not receive any funding from the National Republican Senate Committee.