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Washington • When Sen. Orrin Hatch said he would take part in a tea party town hall, national pundits envisioned shouting matches.
They expected the conservative revolutionaries to see Hatch as just the type of Republican they want to replace, someone who's been in Washington for decades and who's been willing to work with Democrats.
Even the leaders of the Tea Party Express, which organized the event, warned Hatch to brace himself for some tough questioning.
But instead, Hatch was met with applause and jokes that he was involved in the original tea party back in 1773. The others on the panel, including tea party stars Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., considered him one of their own.
"I think the more they look at it the more they realize 'How do you get somebody as good as he is?' " Hatch said afterward.
The biggest area of disagreement was on whether Hatch crashed the party or was invited to participate.
Amy Kremer, the director of Tea Party Express, said Hatch was the one who wanted to address the group, while Hatch said he came at the invitation of Sal Russo, a tea party strategist, who is also one of his former campaign consultants.
In that way it was a repeat of what took place a week ago, when Russo proclaimed the Tea Party Express wouldn't target Hatch in 2012, while Kremer wouldn't go that far. After the event, Kremer said: "We have not made any decisions about that race whatsoever."
Hatch's appearance is part of a broader outreach to disaffected Republicans and tea party supporters in hopes of avoiding a conservative challenger in his re-election bid next year. He arrived before the other members of Congress and repeatedly expressed his support for their goals of a smaller government and less federal spending.
While Tea Party Express has offered a mixed reaction to Hatch, other groups such as the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks have made it clear that they would like to see a Republican challenge him.
And at least one person involved in the movement attacked the Tea Party Express for allowing Hatch to sit next to Lee and Paul.
"Supporting Hatch is too much for you to retain credibility with me and with most others. It defies the spirit of the tea party in every way," said Manuel Miranda, chairman of the Third Branch Conference in an e-mail to the group.
Back in 2004, Hatch joined in a request for an investigation into Republican Senate staff accessing Democratic computers. As a result, Miranda, who once worked for Hatch, resigned from former Sen. Bill Frist's staff.
Kremer responded that it wasn't her role to stop elected officials from answering the questions of voters.
Hatch spoke to the activists gathered at the National Press Club and those watching online about his support for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, his concerns about health reform and tax policy.
"We are living in perilous times. We've run this country into the ground," he said, noting the massive national debt.
He also warned that while President Barack Obama has expressed support for medical malpractice reform, "don't believe it for a minute."
For his part, Lee, a founding member of the Senate's Tea Party Caucus, said the movement is "here to stay," focused on reducing government power and making the tough decision to cut spending.
"A pain-free exit isn't an option," he said. "I wish it were, but it is not."
The 90-minute town hall had the feel of a campaign event, not unlike many that Lee held before his election in November. He wasn't surprised to see Hatch in attendance.
"I think he understands how important the tea party movement is around the country and in Utah," Lee said. "I would love to see him join the Tea Party Caucus. That would be fantastic."
That's unlikely. Hatch not only has no plans to join the caucus, he wouldn't describe himself as a member of the tea party movement.
"I represent everybody. I don't think you have to be a formal member to support a lot of what they stand for," he said. "Whether they support me or not, I respect them."
What is the Tea Party Express?
One of the largest of the tea party groups, the Tea Party Express was famous for driving a bus throughout the nation during the 2010 midterm elections. In an effort to keep the momentum going, the group held a town hall Tuesday with members of Congress.
The six participants were:
Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah*
Sen. Mike Lee, Utah
Sen. Rand Paul, Ky.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minn.
Rep. Steve King, Iowa
Rep. Allen West, Fla.
* Hatch was the only participant who is not a member of either the House or Senate tea party caucus.