Delaware Now the 2010 Senate Race to Watch

It's a long shot, but many races competitive, Lieberman could switch

(NEWSER) - It still isn’t likely—OK?—but suddenly it's "within the realm of speculation” that the Republicans could recapture the Senate in November. With Mark Kirk’s primary win in Illinois and competitive races in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and California, a 10-seat pickup is now a distant possibility, Jim Vandehei and Alexander Burns write in Politico . And insiders tell them former Sen. Dan Coats will challenge Evan Bayh in Indiana, spicing up the fray. More»

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.”