"On a good day, he's a socialist. On a bad day, he's a communist."

“On a good day, he’s a socialist,” said Darcy Van Orden, a co-founder of Utah Rising, a clearinghouse group, referring to Mr. Huntsman. “On a bad day, he’s a communist.”

As for Mr. Hatch, Mr. Kirkham said, “We have exactly the same game plan as we did last time with Bennett.”…

In a state where politics, religion and culture are so intertwined, that fight itself could have huge repercussions. The traditional links — that a good Mormon is a good conservative — has been broken, many Mormon Tea Party members say.

“My mother says, ‘If he’s a bishop, he must be a good Republican,’ ” said Susan Southwick, state coordinator for a group called Utah Patriots. “I say, ‘Do your homework.’ ”