The rally and Beck's increasing political forays have made him an object of suspicion among some conservatives, even as they acknowledge his influence and potential importance as a spokesman.

"The conservative movement is still split on Glenn and whether he's doing it for himself or doing it for the movement," said Erick Erickson, founder of the influential conservative blog Red State. Erickson said he's offered his assistance to Team Beck in his political exploits, which in the past year have included a high-profile battle with the White House, the creation of a network of perhaps hundreds of political groups, and the keynote speech at a major conservative political conference. "Until that question is resolved, I think you're going to see some groups hesitant to go all in with him."

Some tea party leaders have rejected Beck's requests to help with the rally because of concern over his inflammatory rhetoric and fear that he was seeking to leverage their organizational know-how and grass-roots credibility for his own financial benefit, providing little in return.

"They wouldn't even give us a booth," said a leader of a tea party-related group that rejected Beck's entreaties. "I resented their presumption that a relatively small organization like ours would use our connections to promote an event where Glenn Beck and FreedomWorks are featured, and we get no recognition at all. No thanks."