No matter what happens tonight, the Tea Party and many of its candidates are already victorious regardless of the outcome of elections across the nation (though most polls suggest widespread success for the Tea Party candidates). They’ve proven themselves a force to be reckoned with by driving the conversation of this midterm season and energizing voters.
Marco Rubio will likely win big in his Senate contest in Florida, Mark Johnson will likely defeat Russ Feingold in Wisconsin’s Senate race and there’s a better than good chance that Sharron Angle, Rand Paul and Pat Toomey will emerge victorious.
Still, it won’t be a win across the board. Christine O’Donnell has not bewitched Delaware’s voters and, though we probably won’t know for days, Washington’s Dino Rossi and Alaska’s Joe Miller are anything but certain to win.
Bottom line, what’s most important to watch will be how the victorious Tea Partiers govern.