The Hill News

One of the Senate's few self-identified Tea Party members believes it is unlikely the conservative grassroots groups will break with the GOP and form a third party.

Freshman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in an interview published Thursday that the Tea Party has helped expand the reach of the Republican Party and it will likely remain there.

Asked by the Lexington Herald-Leader if he sees the Tea Party movement becoming a viable third party, Paul said, "I don't think so."

{mosads}"Right now it is a great advantage to us in the Republican Party because it has grown the Republican Party," he said.

Although Tea Party activists and their favored lawmakers have put tremendous pressure on ! Republican leaders over spending, Paul's comments suggest there is a limit to how far they will go in distancing themselves from the GOP.

During the 2010 midterm campaign season, the first in which the Tea Party played a major role, several lawmakers, candidates and pundits said the Tea Party could splinter off from the Republican Party if leaders do not take action their legislative priorities.

Still, Tea Party-backed members have continued to push for deeper spending cuts as Congress considers legislation to continue funding the government.

Paul, the son of libertarian Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), even said this week he would vote against a House-passed plan that wo! uld cut $61 billion from current spending levels, saying the c! uts do n ot go far enough.

Paul predicted that the small-government movement will last, "as long as government continues with excessive spending."

The first-term senator is on a media tour to promote his new book titled, The Tea Party Goes to Washington.