Delaware's special election to fill Joe Biden's old seat is considered one of the GOP's top pickup opportunities this year. Republicans have Rep. Mike Castle in the race, the lone congressman from the state.
Castle has long been popular, and while the race has featured little recent polling (and non from a non-Rasmussen source), the early numbers gave Castle dominant leads over Democrat Chris Coons. For Republicans eager to make big gains against their foes this year, not to mention embarrass Biden, this is a must-win race. So naturally, the teabaggers are doing everything they can to give Democrats a lifeline.
Long-shot Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell continues to line up support from conservative interest groups for her GOP primary bid against Rep. Mike Castle, with a nationally prominent tea party organization the latest to come to her aid.
The Tea Party Express, which unloaded a half a million dollars on behalf of Sharron Angle in the Nevada GOP primary and backed GOP Senate candidates Rand Paul in Kentucky and Mike Lee in Utah, endorsed O’Donnell Tuesday, lauding her “strong voice for conservative constitutionalist principles” and lambasting Castle as a “liberal establishment Republican who has repeatedly turned against conservatives.” [...]
POLITICO has also learned that the Concerned Women for America (CWA) PAC is expected to announce its endorsement of O’Donnell later this week. The conservative anti-abortion group, which champions “religious freedom and American sovereignty” is mostly focused on House races but a spokesman said the organization is watching the Delaware Senate race “very closely.”
“We endorsed Christine O'Donnell primarily because Mike Castle is so bad on our issues - he has a 43 percent overall rating and is pro-abortion, has voted in favor of so-called hate crimes legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Castle is the second coming of Dede Scozzafava. We will be activating our folks so that they know about Christine’s campaign,” said CWA spokesman Mike Mears.
A source says the National Right to Work also may be offering an endorsement in the primary, now seven weeks away.
The more steam O'Donnell picks up, the more Castle will be forced to veer Right to head her off. By all indications she's a fringe joke of a candidate. In a normal year, with normal dynamics, that would be enough to write her off. But Sharron Angle was similarly fringy and it didn't make a difference to the teabagging crowd. It's certainly not making a difference to Jim DeMint, who has been "extremely impressed" with O'Donnell. If we get lucky, they'll similarly "win" this primary.
The primary isn't until September 14.