Is the Tea Party willing to support Romney?

The 2012 Presidential Election is still very, very far away.  Even the primaries are close to a year from now.  Yet, for better or worse, the 2012 Election is already dominating political discussion, and I’ll admit, I’m one of those people that always fall prey to the hype that surrounds the election.  It’s fascinating to see how the election progresses, how the issues evolve, and especially how the individual campaigns shape up.  It’s an addicting two-year long political drama.

Realistically, there’s no absolutely clear front runner for the Republican field, but barring any surprise announcement or dark horse candidate really catching steam (N.J. Gov. Christie, for example), the field of candidates has probably been pretty established.

The general  discussion so far has been that there’s a rift in the party between those on the far right and the Tea Party and those more aligned to the center.  Many on the further end of the spectrum prefer a candidate like Huckabee  or Bachmann who better represent their ideals, while those more towards the middle feel candidates like Romney and Pawlenty have more of a chance of beating President Obama.  

On one hand, the GOP wants to elect the candidate with the best possibility of beating an incumbent President, yet there’s a strong fear that a candidate like Romney (whose healthcare reform in Massachusetts is considered to have been the model for Obama’s national plan) would make the far right factions feel disconnected and angry, possibly throwing support behind a third candidate or not voting at all.

Just recently, Romney had an impressive showing in a New Hampshire poll, as the only Republican candidate that would beat Obama.  If this is a start of a national trend, is Romney starting to gain support from the Tea Party?

An ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 70 percent of Tea Party voters would favor Romney, and he actually beat out Huckabee and Palin.  The issue of “Romney-care” is a big one for sure, but its beginning to seem like it’s not going to be the deal breaker for the Tea Party as was previously thought.

Could this be the start of a true front runner emerging? Or are we still in for some surprises?