Tea Party win rattles Republicans

THE Republican Party's hope of retaking the Senate in November's mid-term elections has been thrown into chaos with the surprise win of Tea Party insurgent Christine O'Donnell in the Delaware primary.

• Christine O'Donnell has already been refused support from the official party apparatus for November's elections. Picture: Getty

Republican officials had declared her unfit to run as the local "dogcatcher" but she defeated nine-term Congressman Mike Castle in the Republican Senate primary on Tuesday.

Her win was a major coup for the grassroots, anti-establishment Tea Party movement. But it was seen by many insiders as a disaster ahead of November's mid-term elections.

It was the biggest upset on a night which marked the unofficial end of the 2010 primary season, with voting by party members taking place in seven states and Washington DC. Despite the lack of Republican Party support for her candidacy, Ms O'Donnell was defiant: "The people of Delaware have spoken. No more politics as usual."

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The Tea Party can now claim victory in at least seven Republican Senate races, a few Republican gubernatorial contests and dozens of House primaries.

"This election continues to demonstrate the growing strength of the tea party movement, which is Americans concerned about the growing intrusiveness of the federal government with the accompanying higher taxes and spending that have led to a skyrocketing federal debt," said Sal Russo, head of the Tea Party Express.

Despite allegations of financial irregularities and lying about herself, Ms O'Donnell experienced a late surge after former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave her backing and the Tea Party Express spent $250,000 on television and radio adverts on her behalf.

The battle between Ms O'Donnell and Mr Castle was marked by bitterness. In her campaign ads she portrayed him as a liberal who sides with Democrats and implied he was cheating on his wife with a man.

But she faces an uphill battle to capture the Senate seat vacated by vice president Joe Biden which should have been an easy Republican win this year. She will have to work hard to beat Democrat Chris Coons in November. Party officials warned before the poll they would not back Ms O'Donnell then if she won the primary.

Reflecting on the likelihood of her taking the Delaware seat in November, former George W Bush adviser Karl Rove told Fox News: "This is not a race we're going to be able to win."

Republicans are hoping to benefit from anger over the economy to win both houses of the US Congress in November.

But Ms O'Donnell's win hands Democrats a lifeline.Delaware is one of a handful of states the Republicans must take if they are to seize control of the Senate.

Tea Party-backed candidates had earlier won Senate nominations in Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky and Alaska in an election season that has been dominated by voters choosing change over experience.

Hawaii's primary on Saturday is the very last of the season.