Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) will give separate responses to this evening’s State of the Union address.
Ryan, the Chair of the Budget Committee, will respond on behalf of the Republican Party as a whole, whereas Bachmann will represent the Tea Party movement.
The two sets of remarks has led some to question whether there is a growing fracture within the party between moderate Republicans and those who identify with the Tea Party’s strict set of principles.
Tonight won’t be the first time the Tea Party has stood in contrast against conventional Republicans. The lead-up to the 2010 mid-term elections featured numerous primary battles between candidates backed by the Tea Party and those considered within the mainstream of the GOP, including in Delaware, Nevada, Alaska and Utah where the Tea Party favorites ultimately took the party’s Senate nominations.
However, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who was elected with Tea Party support in Kentucky, noted Monday that he doesn’t view Bachmann’s move isn’t entirely unusual.
“A lot of different senators and congressmen make comments,” Paul said during an interview on CNN’s American Morning. “”I think you get a variety of opinions and all Republicans aren’t the same, but I don’t see it as trying to usurp somebody else’s prerogative.”
CNN announced on Monday night that the network will carry both speeches in their entirety. Bachmann’s response will also be streamed online by the Tea Party Express at www.TeaPartyExpress.org or and www.TeaPartyHD.com.