Now that every other Republican candidate this campaign season has been slapped with a "Tea Party" label, the urgent questions are whether these candidates can make it into Congress, and what kind of policies will result from their Tea Party posturing once they're there.
In the slideshow below, we walk you through a shortlist of through-and-through Tea Partiers who current polling suggests will make it to the Senate -- and the men they will likely rally around once they're there. As the GOP has watched Tea Party candidates displace several of its established incumbents in the primaries, sitting senators are comprehending the growing power of the movement. The potential Tea Party caucus below, though small, could thus end up wielding outsized political influence over Senate Republicans.
Later this week, a parallel slideshow about an evolving Tea Party coalition in the House.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
