2010 United States Senate special election in Delaware
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Elections in Delaware |
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The 2010 United States Senate special election in Delaware took place on November 2, 2010, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. It was a special election to fill Delaware's Class II Senate seat, then held by Democrat Ted Kaufman, an appointee. The seat had been previously held by the state's longest-serving senator, Democrat Joe Biden, who vacated it when he became Vice President of the United States in 2009.
The state's primary election occurred on September 14, 2010.
Background
In this seat's most recent election
Those discussed as possible appointees to replace Biden included his son,
On November 24, 2008, after Biden's election to the vice presidency but before his resignation, outgoing
Republican primary
Candidates
- lieutenant governor of Delaware
- Christine O'Donnell, political commentator and perennial candidate
Campaign
In April 2009, Representative Mike Castle stated, "there's probably a better chance I'll run for the Senate than the House. [But] I said there's a chance I won't run at all."[8] On October 6, 2009, Castle announced that he would in fact run for the Senate seat.[9] After her 2008 loss to Biden, Christine O'Donnell had indicated she would strongly consider running for the seat again in 2010, asking supporters on her website to "save your yard sign!!"[10] On February 12, 2009, O'Donnell had announced her candidacy.[11] She reiterated that she was in the race even after Castle announced his candidacy in October 2009,[12] and formally launched her campaign on March 10, 2010.[13] In her remarks, O'Donnell criticized excessive government spending, said that Castle was the most liberal Republican in the House, and said that the Tea Party movement and grassroots anti-incumbent trends would be in her favor.[14][15]
When a report from The News Journal in March 2010 detailed O'Donnell's fiscal difficulties, she attributed the problems to misunderstandings and errors, and said, "I think the fact that I have struggled financially is what makes me so sympathetic."[16][17][18] Nevertheless, her financial problems became a focal point of establishment Republican attacks against her.[19] A July 2010
O'Donnell supporters were heartened by the late August primary victory in Alaska of little-known, Tea Party-backed insurgent Joe Miller over incumbent Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski.[19] The Tea Party Express said it might spend as much as $600,000 backing O'Donnell.[19] The added buzz about her campaign and the possibility that another establishment Republican figure might be defeated by an insurgent brought national attention to the race.[19][23] The same attention also brought additional scrutiny on her record and financial history, including a contentious interview on WGMD radio. She had claimed that she beat or tied Joe Biden in two of the state's three counties in their 2008 campaign. Later, she admitted this was inaccurate, and that she had lost all three counties.[24][25]
As September began, the tone of the race grew nastier, with
Kristen Murray, O'Donnell's 2008 campaign manager, starred in a Delaware Republican Party-funded robocall in which she accused O'Donnell of misusing campaign funds.[31] Says Murray, "This is her third senate race in five years. As O'Donnell's manager, I found out she was living on campaign donations - using them for rent and personal expenses, while leaving her workers unpaid and piling up thousands in debt. She wasn't concerned about conservative causes. O'Donnell just wanted to make a buck."[31] O'Donnell denied most of what Murray said and stated that she had fired Murray.[32]
With days to go before the primary, O'Donnell was bolstered by an endorsement from former
Castle was considered the favorite to prevail in the general election.[35][36][37] Polls that considered a matchup of Castle against Democrat Chris Coons indicated that Castle would defeat Coons by a significant margin.[38][36] In September, a poll by Public Policy Polling showed Castle leading Coons by a 10-point margin.[39]
However, on September 14, O'Donnell won an upset victory over Castle in the Republican primary.[35][40][41] O'Donnell was considered far less electable in a general election than Castle; Politico reported, "The path to a Republican Senate takeover narrowed to the point of vanishing Tuesday night, as marketing consultant Christine O’Donnell upset Rep. Mike Castle in Delaware’s Senate primary and likely dashed the GOP’s hopes of capturing the seat in the process".[37]
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Mike Castle |
Christine O'Donnell |
Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Policy Polling | September 11–12, 2010 | 668 | ± 3.8% | 44% | 47% | –– | 8% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Christine O'Donnell | 30,561 | 53.1% | |
Republican | Mike Castle | 27,021 | 46.9% | |
Total votes | 57,582 | 100.0% |
General election
Candidates
- Chris Coons (D)
- Christine O'Donnell (R)
- Glenn Miller (I)
- James Rash (L)
Campaign
Incumbent U.S. Senator
Following her upset victory in the Republican primary, O'Donnell continued to face a split reaction from the leaders in the local, state, and national Republican Party. Castle said he would not support O'Donnell.[45] The National Republican Senatorial Committee similarly released a statement almost immediately following O'Donnell's primary win, stating that they would not spend money to support her or her campaign.[31][46] However, Texas Senator John Cornyn, chairman of the NRSC, released a statement later stating he did not know where the release from within his organization originated. He then offered the maximum $42,000 donation to her campaign; Cornyn acknowledged, however, that he was not sure if she could win.[47] Former Governor of Massachusetts and future 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney also contributed to O'Donnell's general election funds.[45] However, former White House adviser and Republican strategist Karl Rove said following O'Donnell's primary victory, "This is not a race we're going to be able to win."[45]
The morning following the primary, Public Policy Polling released a tweet indicating that their polling found that primary voters who voted for Mike Castle supported Coons, the Democratic opponent, over O'Donnell 44 percent to 28 percent in a general election.[48] An October 16 report by CNN indicated that Coons was leading O'Donnell by double digits in polls.[36]
In September 2010, comedian Bill Maher aired a 1999 clip of O'Donnell[49] in which O'Donnell said, "I dabbled into witchcraft – I never joined a coven. ... I hung around people who were doing these things... We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar. And I didn't know it."[49][50][51][52][53] Her admission received widespread media coverage,[49][54] and O'Donnell explained that she had been referring to high school experiences.[55][56] During her campaign for the general election, O'Donnell followed up with a TV advertisement which featured her declaring, "I'm not a witch". This ad inspired many video parodies,[57][58] most famously by comedian Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live.[59]
An October 19, 2010, debate between Coons and O'Donnell at
Fundraising
Candidate (Party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash On Hand | Debt | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Coons (D) | $4,207,479 | $3,479,819 | $727,660 | $250,000 | through 11/22/10 |
Christine O'Donnell (R) | $7,340,167 | $6,406,246 | $924,745 | $2,692 | through 11/22/10 |
Source: Federal Election Commission[62] |
Predictions
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
Cook Political Report[63]
|
Likely D | October 30, 2010 |
Rothenberg[64] | Likely D | October 28, 2010 |
RealClearPolitics[65] | Likely D | October 30, 2010 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball[66]
|
Likely D | October 28, 2010 |
CQ Politics[67] | Likely D | October 30, 2010 |
Rasmussen Reports[68] | Safe D | October 27, 2010 |
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Chris Coons (D) |
Christine O'Donnell (R) |
Glenn Miller (I) |
Other | Undecided | Refused |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Research 2000 | February 22–24, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 31% | –– | 22% | –– | |
Rasmussen Reports | July 14, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 39% | 41% | –– | 7% | 12% | |
Rasmussen Reports | August 5, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 46% | 36% | –– | 10% | 8% | |
Public Policy Polling | August 7–8, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 44% | 37% | –– | –– | 19% | |
Rasmussen Reports | September 2, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 47% | 36% | –– | 8% | 9% | |
Public Policy Polling | September 11–12, 2010 | 958 | ± 3.2% | 50% | 34% | –– | –– | 16% | |
Rasmussen Reports | September 16, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 53% | 42% | –– | 1% | 4% | |
CNN | September 17–21, 2010 | 703 | ± 3.5% | 55% | 39% | –– | –– | –– | |
Rasmussen Reports | September 26, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 49% | 40% | 5% | 0% | 5% | |
Fairleigh Dickinson University's Public Mind | September 27 – October 3, 2010 | 801 | ± 3.5% | 53% | 36% | –– | –– | 8% | 3% |
FOX News/Pulse Opinion Research | October 9, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 54% | 38% | –– | 3% | 5% | |
Magellan | October 10, 2010 | 928 | ± 3.3% | 54% | 36% | –– | 3% | 7% | |
Monmouth | October 8–11, 2010 | 790 | ± 3.5% | 57% | 38% | –– | 5% | –– | |
Survey USA/University of Delaware | October 11–12, 2010 | 2,355 | ± 2.1% | 54% | 33% | –– | 5% | 9% | |
Rasmussen Reports | October 14, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 51% | 40% | –– | 5% | 4% | |
Fairleigh Dickinson University | October 20–26, 2010 | 797 | ± 3.5% | 57% | 36% | –– | –– | –– | |
Monmouth University | October 25–27, 2010 | 1,171 | ± 2.9% | 51% | 41% | –– | 4% | 4% |
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Mike Castle (R) |
Chris Coons (D) |
Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Research 2000 | October 12–14, 2009 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 51% | 39% | –– | 10% |
Rasmussen Reports | January 25, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 56% | 27% | 5% | 13% |
Rasmussen Reports | February 22, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 53% | 32% | 8% | 8% |
Research 2000 | February 22–24, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 53% | 35% | –– | 12% |
Rasmussen Reports | April 29, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 55% | 32% | 7% | 7% |
Rasmussen Reports | July 14, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 47% | 36% | 6% | 11% |
Rasmussen Reports | August 5, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 49% | 37% | 5% | 9% |
Public Policy Polling | August 7–8, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 48% | 35% | –– | 17% |
Rasmussen Reports | September 2, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 48% | 37% | 6% | 9% |
Public Policy Polling | September 11–12, 2010 | 958 | ± 3.2% | 45% | 35% | –– | 20% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Chris Coons | 174,012 | 56.61% | -8.07% | |
Republican | Christine O'Donnell | 123,053 | 40.03% | +4.72% | |
Independent | Glenn Miller | 8,201 | 2.67% | N/A | |
Libertarian | James Rash | 2,101 | 0.69% | N/A | |
Total votes | 307,367 | 100.0% | |||
Democratic hold |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Aftermath
After O'Donnell's poor performance, there was considerable discussion within Republican circles regarding whether the party had lost a sure Senate seat by nominating her instead of Castle.
Notes
- ^ In January 2009, Kaufman was appointed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Joe Biden, who had elected Vice President of the United States.
References
- ^ 2010 Delaware Election Calendar Archived March 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Delaware Commissioner of Elections
- ^ Kraushaar, Josh (October 6, 2009). "Castle enters big race in small state". POLITICO. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Evans, Ben; Chase, Randall (November 2, 2010). "Coons Beats O'Donnell in Delaware Senate Race". ABC News. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ^ Nuckols, Ben (November 6, 2008). "Biden wins 7th Senate term but may not serve". Associated Press. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ Rushing, J. Taylor (January 15, 2009). "Biden bids farewell to Senate". The Hill. Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ Delaware News-Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Kornreich, Lauren (November 24, 2008). "Former Biden advisor picked as Senate replacement". CNN. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
- Roll Call.
- ^ "Delaware GOP Congressman to Run for Biden's Former Senate Seat". Fox News. October 6, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ O'Donnell, Christine. "Dear Supporters". Christine O'Donnell for U.S. Senate. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- ^ "The Delaware Business Ledger - Newark, DE". Ledgerdelaware.com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "O'Donnell: Won't drop out for Castle". Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ^ "Delaware politics: Christine O'Donnell to announce primary bid against Rep. Mike Castle for Senate seat". The News Journal. March 9, 2010. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
- ^ Tucker, Jeremy (March 11, 2010). "O'Donnell Announces Run Against Castle". WBOC-TV. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ Eichmann, Mark (March 10, 2010). "O'Donnell takes aim at Castle in Senate campaign kick-off". WHYY-TV. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ Gibson, Ginger (March 20, 2010). "Delaware politics: O'Donnell faces campaign debt, back-tax issues". The News Journal. Wilmington. Retrieved March 25, 2010. [permanent dead link]
- CQ Politics. March 22, 2010. Archived from the originalon March 27, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
- ^ "GOP Senate Candidate Admits Financial Woes". WJZ-TV. Associated Press. March 20, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010. [permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d Weisman, Jonathan (August 30, 2010). "Tea Party Backs O'Donnell in Delaware". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
- ^ "Election 2010: Delaware Senate". Rasmussen Reports. July 15, 2010.
- The Politico. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- Family Research Council Action PAC. July 27, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ Mascaro, Lisa (September 12, 2010). "'Tea party' candidate in Delaware rattles the Republican Party". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ^ "Dan Gaffney Audio: Christine O'Donnell for Senate Interview". WGMD. September 2, 2010. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- Politico. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^ "Delaware GOP Suggests Tea Party Senate Challenger Is a 'Liar'". Fox News. September 3, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
- ^ Elliott, Philip (September 12, 2010). "GOP tries to take out tea party-backed candidate". NBC News. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Smith, Ben (September 1, 2010). "O'Donnell backer makes sex charge in Delaware race". Politico. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ^ "Rachel Maddow Show". MSNBC. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ^ Kleefeld, Eric (September 10, 2010). "O'Donnell Blasts Castle's 'Un-Manly' Tactics (AUDIO)". Tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ^ MSNBC Live. September 14, 2010. Archived from the originalon January 24, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer; Rutenberg, Jim (September 15, 2010). "Rebel Republican Marching on, With Baggage". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Weigel, David (September 9, 2010). "Palin Endorses O'Donnell in Delaware". Slate. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ McCormack, John (September 12, 2010). "Citing 'Mental Anguish,' Christine O'Donnell Sought $6.9 Million in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Conservative Group". The Weekly Standard.
- ^ a b c Halloran, Liz (September 14, 2010). "Stunning Primary Season Reaches A Stunning End". NPR.
- ^ a b c d "A locked-up win for Chris Coons in Delaware?". CNN.
- ^ a b "GOP nightmare: O'Donnell prevails". Politico.
- ^ James, Frank (November 2, 2010). "Chris Coons Defeats Christine O'Donnell In Delaware: CNN, AP". NPR.
- ^ "Coons Leads, First State Could Decide Senate Control". PublicPolicyPolling.com. September 13, 2010.
- ^ a b c "State of Delaware - Department of Elections - State Of Delaware". elections.delaware.gov.
- ^ a b "Delaware Primary Results - Election 2010". The New York Times.
- ^ Brumfield, Susan (November 24, 2008). "Longtime Biden aide picked to fill his Senate seat". Associated Press. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
- ^ "John Carney". Johncarneyforcongress.com. April 15, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ Silva, Mark (January 25, 2010). "Beau Biden takes a pass on a Senate run". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ a b c Chase, Randal (September 16, 2010). "Christine O'Donnell in spotlight after primary victory". 3 News (New Zealand). Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ Wallsten, Peter & King, Neil Jr. (September 15, 2010). "Tea Party Claims Big Win". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Turner, Trish (September 15, 2010). "Cornyn: NRSC Aides Don't Speak For Me - O'Donnell is GOP Nominee; Not Sure She Can Win". Fox News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Twitter PublicPolicyPolling: Castle primary voters supp". Retrieved September 28, 2010 – via Twitter.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ a b c McGreal, Chris (September 20, 2010). "Christine O'Donnell: I dabbled in witchcraft". The Guardian. London. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ "Christine O'Donnell Practiced Witchcraft". Politically Incorrect. September 17, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2011 – via YouTube.
- ^ Mooney, Alexander (September 18, 2010). "O'Donnell in 1999: I dabbled in witchcraft". Political Ticker. CNN. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
- ^ MacAskill, Ewen (September 20, 2010). "Christine O'Donnell keeps rightwingers spellbound despite witchcraft claim". The Guardian. London. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ "Christine O'Donnell Condemned Witchcraft". Politically Incorrect. Retrieved July 5, 2011 – via YouTube.
- ^ Bauder, David (September 1, 2010). "O'Reilly, Maher both have old O'Donnell footage". Associated Press. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ^ Chase, Randall (September 19, 2010). "O'Donnell makes light of witchcraft comment". The Buffalo News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ Stelter, Brian (September 19, 2010). "Political Cauldron Stirred by Old Video of Candidate". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ McGlynn, Katla (October 20, 2010). "Elvira Spoofs Christine O'Donnell's 'I'm Not A Witch' Ad". HuffPost. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ Parker, Ashley (October 26, 2010). ""I'm Not A Witch" — The Remix". The Ca10-2626-10. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ McGlynn, Katia (October 10, 2010). "'SNL' Does The Best Parody Of Christine O'Donnell's 'Not A Witch' Ad Yet". HuffPost. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "It's really not debatable". Chicago Tribune. October 20, 2010. Section 1, page 3.
- ^ Shear, Michael D. (October 19, 2010). "O'Donnell Questions Church-State Separation". Thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ^ "2010 House and Senate Campaign Finance for Delaware". fec.gov. Archived from the original on August 9, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- Cook Political Report. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ "Battle for the Senate". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- CQ Politics. Archived from the originalon October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ "Election 2010: Senate Balance Of Power". Rasmussen Reports. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ "Official Election Results - General Elections - 11/02/10 - Statewide Offices By County". State Of Delaware Elections System. November 5, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ "Castle: If O'Donnell's nominated, Republicans lose 'automatically'". MSNBC. September 13, 2009. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ "Tea Party win hurts Republicans' Senate chances". International Business Times. September 15, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ Siegel, Elyse (November 4, 2010). "Christine O'Donnell Bashes GOP 'Cannibalism' For Killing Her Campaign". HuffPost. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ "O'Donnell says 'Republican cannibalism' one reason for loss". CNN. November 3, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
External links
- Delaware Commissioner of Elections
- U.S. Congress candidates for Delaware at Project Vote Smart
- Delaware U.S. Senate - Special Election from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions from Open Secrets
- 2010 Delaware Senate General Election: Christine O'Donnell (R) vs. Chris Coons (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: Delaware Senate from Rasmussen Reports
- Delaware Senate - Castle vs. Biden from Real Clear Politics
- 2010 Delaware Senate Race from CQ Politics
- Race profile from The New York Times
- Election 2010 at The News Journal
- Official candidate websites (Archived)