Former Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio, made quite a splash in November when he promised to raise and spend $8 million through his Defending Main Street PAC to fight off Tea Party candidates in Republican primaries.

In the view of many traditional Republican interests, the rise of the Tea Party was double-edged. It took the House majority away from Democrats, but it also swept into Congress a new, ideologically charged brand of Republican that many in the business community view as less reliable.