Castle Will Poll 3-Way Race
Mike Castle told Politico that they will poll for a 3-way race.
The GOP source did not have specifics on when Castle’s team would conduct the poll, but viewed it as a practical step even if the nine-term congressman was unlikely to re-enter the race.
A spokeswoman for Castle, who put the chances of him running as a write-in “under 5 percent,” said her boss likely wouldn’t settle on a final decision before next week. According to the state Elections Commission, Castle would have to complete a form by next Thursday to officially qualify as a write-in candidate.
Apparently it’s a tidal wave!
Dickens, who would not confirm a plan to poll, said Castle has mostly been focused on House business, but has taken calls from those urging him to pursue a bid without a party banner.
Delaware GOP National Committeewoman Priscilla Rakestraw said she has fielded dozens of calls over the last 48 hours, mostly from Democrats, about a potential Castle write-in campaign.
Oooh, dozens! I’m sure all 20 people will reliably vote for Castle.
I’m sure Mike Castle would like redemption. He lost in the worst way possible (to a lying, unqualified candidate). I’m pretty sure getting that lying, unqualified person to the Senate is not the way to redemption.
The Republican party might secretly want this. A Castle entry actually increases their odds of winning the seat, rather than decreasing it.
Tags: DE-Sen, Mike Castle
The irony is that Castle let himself get talked into running because he thought letting O’Donnell become the nominee would mar his legacy.
The Democrats talking to Rakestraw are (hopefully) telling her to tell Castle to stay out of the race.
Please run and get O’Donnell out of the GOP. She won not because of who she was but people in the GOP tired of Castle, the state is not tired of Castle.
I am starting to wonder.. Hypothetically, if Castle endorsed Coons: Has the Republican noise machine damaged Castle’s brand so badly that it would actually hurt Coons?
I think Jason is onto something when he says voters support people who look like winners. The corollary is that they mercilessly turn on losers. Can Castle really have fallen that far that fast?
I don’t think so anon, not yet anyway. Castle looks like a winner right now because the last polling had him ahead of Coons in the high single digits while O’Donnell is down by double digits. So he gets the “I told you so.”
However, I think jumping in with a write-in will hurt him. He need only look at Lisa Murkowski for an example. She had extremely high approval ratings, like he did and was done in by a nasty, lying campaign. Now she’s in and she’s basically in 2nd place, practically tied with McAdams.
I think it will come down to which party has the more committed, loyal base. In Alaska, it’s the GOP. In Delaware, it’s going to be the Democrats in this case. So far, relying on independents as your main source of support does not look like a winning strategy. Just my take looking at things right now.
In the words of jason, HELL NO. It’s a great thought to write in, but given our Walmart shopper profile of a voter here in Delaware, the voter will be befuddled with what to do. Nope, this primary win was hijacked by outside sources, I don’t think MC wants to be disgraced twice. Why bother? He retires as a Delaware darling or he gets some nice federal job no doubt longtime friends (hey we are a small state), Carper and Biden give him. Get real people. Any poll is to keep you all distracted and guessing. Move on.
My read: Mike, being a Republican loyal to the existing GOP power structure, is doing what he can to bolster that struggling wing of the party. Endorsing Christine hurts the Ross crew; endorsing Coons hurts the Ross crew. Only a middle course, Mike’s natural habitat, allows him to help his enablers.
You can pretty much stick a fork in the Ross Crew. If they don’t get booted, they will have to shift to the right. This rift in the party is nothing new, but now it’s come to a head. The right wingers will outshow the mods in the foreseeable future.
The National Review says the chances Castle jumps in are 50-50. Also, their source says Delaware Republicans are giving this a wink and a nod.
BTW, I really think Republicans in Delaware are underestimating Chris Coons’s base support.
Ui has a point, but the GOP knows how to make Dem base voters stay home. I expect half of the $2million that outsiders spend on this race to be used to make Democrats think twice about Chris Coons. I just hope team Coons is ready for the onslaught.
i just hope all of us who want him elected volunteer as much as we can