Delaware Now the 2010 Senate Race to Watch

Congressional investigation says OMB had misgivings

(NEWSER) - The White House pressed the Office of Budget and Management to speed up its approval of a $535 million loan to now-bankrupt solar panel maker Solyndra, so that Joe Biden could announce it at a September 2009 groundbreaking for the company’s new factory, according to emails that Republican congressional investigators passed to the Washington Post . In the emails, the White House repeatedly asks when the review will be completed, while the OMB expresses concern about Solyndra’s finances. More»

Sources say White House press secretary considering 2012 campaign role

(NEWSER) - White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs—who recently told reporters no major administration reshuffle was on the way—is likely to be headed for the exit himself as part of the overhaul, according to Politico. Gibbs is seriously considering stepping aside to work on President Obama's 2012 campaign, although no final decision has been made and administration officials haven't settled on a successor, say sources. More»

Former workers describe nutty candidate

(NEWSER) - No one is more mystified by Christine O'Donnell's victory in Delaware than her former campaign workers, Politico reports. The Tea Party warrior is unrecognizable to staff members from her 2008 Senate bid—during which O'Donnell thought her opponent, Joe Biden, was tapping her phone. She was also fixated on TV exposure and a harebrained scheme involving giving out thousands of packets of suntan lotion. More»

Pundits make sense of the morning after

(NEWSER) - Christine O'Donnell's primary victory has rocked the political world. Here's what the pundits are saying:

• Delaware native Dave Weigel “cannot remember a time when Mike Castle wasn't being elected to something.” Without his cross-party appeal, the GOP is doomed in Delaware, he writes in Slate . “No one like O'Donnell, a pure ideological candidate, has won a statewide race in Delaware in modern times. Maybe she'll be the first!”
• Mike Castle belongs to “an endangered species,” writes W. James Antle of the American Spectator . “Conservative big game hunters like to call them ‘RINOs.’ … Conservatives have gotten tired of electing Republicans only to get bigger government.” So they “picked Christine O'Donnell over Mike Castle, electoral consequences be damned.”

But obvious voter disgust spells even bigger trouble elsewhere

(NEWSER) - Last night's Tea Party wins are a mixed bag for Democrats, who are giddily confident they'll trounce Senate contender Christine O'Donnell in November, dimming GOP hopes of a Senate takeover. But they're quaking in their party neckties about what obvious voter disgust means for other races. The party plans to easily pick off O'Donnell, the Tea Party funded, Sarah-Palin-backed "anti-masturbation candidate" who has never held elected office. (Catch up on her views here .) “Delawareans need a senator focused on creating jobs, not promoting bizarre conspiracy theories and an extreme social agenda,” crowed Democratic contender Chris Coons. Even Republicans were already writing off the seat, notes Politico. More»