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For G.O.P., Tea Party Wields a Double-Edged Sword
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| Parent(s) |
Party
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Sep 05, 2010 08:28pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - New York Times |
| News Date | Monday, September 6, 2010 02:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By KATE ZERNIKE
Published: September 5, 2010
Christine O’Donnell, running in Delaware to be the Republican nominee for the Senate seat once held by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., is a perennial candidate with a history of financial problems, including unpaid taxes and a home in foreclosure. Representative Michael N. Castle, her opponent in the primary, is a veteran congressman and former governor who has won statewide elections more than 10 times.
But Ms. O’Donnell has the backing of the Tea Party, and suddenly Delaware has become the latest Republican civil war battlefield. National Tea Party groups are pouring money into Ms. O’Donnell’s campaign, while establishment Republicans are attacking her with more ferocity than they have shown toward the Democrat in the race, worried that Ms. O’Donnell is the bigger threat to the party’s winning the seat in November.
The battle in Delaware is just the latest reminder that as much as the Tea Party fervor is expected to help Republicans in November, it may also create problems for them — and opportunities for the Democrats.
So far this election season, the Tea Party has brought a huge amount of unexpected energy into the campaign, and it could drive sufficient Republican turnout to become a major and perhaps decisive factor in many races. But the movement has also forced Republicans to spend precious time and money on primary races they should have won easily and has produced some inexperienced candidates who have stumbled in the early going.
In some House races, Republicans have all but given up hope of winning after local Tea Party groups helped conservative candidates win primaries in districts that historically prefer moderates. And in some districts, Tea Party candidates are mounting third-party challenges that could allow the Democrats to maintain or even win some seats. |
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