Tea Party-backed Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell handed a shocking defeat to national Republicans Tuesday and endangered GOP chances of taking control of the Senate.
Her win in the Delaware Republican Senate primary was fueled by the involvement of the Tea Party Express, which spent close to $300,000 on TV and radio ads slamming Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), who had the party’s backing.
With 86 percent of the precincts, O’Donnell defeated Castle 54 percent to 46 percent.
Before the vote totals came in, strategists were debating whether state and national Republicans would support O’Donnell and what her victory would do to newfound Republican hopes of taking back the Senate this fall.
Castle was one of the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s (NRSC) top Senate recruits this cycle and even the most optimistic of Senate projections suggest the party is unlikely to take back the majority without winning Delaware. The party needs 10 seats to win control of the chamber.
Full Story: Tea Party win strikes blow to GOP hopes of winning Senate in Nov. – The Hill’s Ballot Box