After the Pledge of Allegiance, the crowd prayed. They prayed for fiscal restraint, free markets and the strength to uphold constitutional principles.

And they prayed for the seven Republicans arrayed onstage, who had crammed into a high school auditorium recently in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to vie for the party's congressional nomination in Virginia's Fifth Congressional District.

The district's current lawmaker, freshman Democrat Tom Perriello, had squeaked into office by 727 votes in 2008 - the narrowest margin nationwide - and so the crowd sensed opportunity. They began arriving an hour in advance, donning T-shirts touting their chosen candidates, unfurling banners and stacking campaign literature on plastic tables. Grandparents hobnobbed and hoisted signs; teens twirled "Don't Tread on Me" flags.

"Who's looking for a leader?" boomed Mark Lloyd, chairman of the Lynchburg Tea Party, which organized the debate. A smattering of hands shot up. "You're wrong," Lloyd told them. "If you're looking for a leader, look in the mirror. These people are not here to be your leader. This is a job application, and you are the boss."