Das Establishment schlägt zurück? Die Präsidentschaftsvorwahlen der Republikaner im Jahr 2012.

The question of who would run against President Barack Obama in 2012 was also a question about the future ideological direction of the Republican Party. Since the Tea Party movement had proven in the 2010 midterm elections that it was capable of moving the party's center of gravity to the right, the roles in the nomination race seemed to be clearly defined: Mitt Romney, the comparatively moderate candidate of the party establishment, faced a number of contenders who vied for the party base's support by casting themselves as the conservative alternative. In the end, Romney prevailed: He had the best campaign operation, disposed of superior financial resources, and enjoyed the most persistent support of other prominent Republicans. In addition, Romney's rivals never succeeded in uniting the opposition against him behind one candidate. Nevertheless, he had to move even closer to the conservative base in order to clinch the nomination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]