THE age of electronics may be making a profound impression on the U.S. political scene, but TV has not quite replaced the old whistle-stop grass-roots approach to the voters. For this week's cover story on the struggle for control of the U.S. Senate in next month's elections, TIME correspondents in most domestic bureaus trailed the candidates in their quest for victory. "It's government coming to the people in a rough, rugged man-to-man manner that television hasn't succeeded in killing yet," says Senior Correspondent John Steele.

Chronicling the travels and travails of Texas' George Bush, Correspondent Leo Janos reports that one afternoon they landed at a private airport in Fort Worth only to find the place deserted. "Well, what does TIME think of this warm and friendly reception?" Bush asked. "Positively Humphreyish," replied Janos. "No," grinned the candidate. "Bush-league."

Trailing Vice President Agnew and his small army of security agents, John Stacks noted that in Phoenix ever-vigilant Secret Service men carefully ignored some reporters' vice-presidential credentials and locked them out of the hall. Local police tended to reject all credentials--"except," says Stacks, "a ticket to whatever $100-a-plate function was taking place."

From Washington, Neil MacNeil, whose book Dirksen: Portrait of a Public Man is being published this week by World ($12.50), filed voluminous reports on the Senate's historical relationship to the President. The cover story itself was written by Correspondent Hays Gorey; it was edited by Jason McManus and researched by Anne Constable.

The Cover: Cartoon in watercolor with ink, by Mort Drucker, a longtime contributor to Mad magazine. For his first TIME cover, Drucker portrays the G.O.P.'s King Richard (1) with his trusty knight errant, Sir Spiro the Agnew (2). In New York, wearing Spiro's livery, James Buckley (3) joins Richard Ottinger (4) in assailing Charles Goodell (5), who already feels the weight of Sir Spiro's spiked mace. In the heartland of the realm, Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio (6) is threatened by the ax of Robert Taft Jr. (7), while in Tennessee, Albert Gore (8) aims a mighty swipe at William Brock (9). In Florida, Lawton Chiles (10) closes with William Cramer (11), toe-deep in the Gulf of Mexico. And across the water in Texas, Lloyd Bentsen (12) raises his shield against George Bush (13). Finally, out on the Coast, John Tunney (14) wields a boxing glove bludgeon against dancing George Murphy (15).

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