Mr. McCain now sharply criticizes the bailout bill he voted for, pivoted from his earlier position that the Guantánamo Bay detention facility should be closed, offered only a muted response to the Supreme Court’s decision undoing campaign finance laws and backed down from statements that gays in the military would be O.K. by him if the military brass were on board.

“John is undergoing a campaign conversion,” Mr. Hayworth said…

“J. D. is our great hope,” said Rob Haney, chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Party, home to Phoenix, and Mr. McCain. “McCain has been a thorn in our sides for years. A dagger in our backs, really.”…

Even within the fractured Tea Party movement, Mr. McCain is not without support. He is endorsed by Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, the populist movement’s darling, and Sarah Palin, his running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign. And Dick Armey, whose FreedomWorks organization has become front and center in the movement, says he is throwing his support behind Mr. McCain.