Tea Party Express Backs Christine O’Donnell in Delaware Senate Primary, Out Come The Long Knives

Fresh off a win in the Alaska GOP Senate Primary, the Tea Party Express is planning on spending up to six figures in the Delaware GOP Senate Primary backing  Christine O’Donnell.  I highlighted her campaign back in July as this is a classic tea party vs. establishment GOP race.  I mentioned at the time that I was amazed that the Delaware GOP was backing her opponent, Congressman Mike Castle when typically (and wisely) state parties stay out of contested primaries at least when there isn’t an incumbent.

But not so in this case, as the Tea Party Express involvement is causing some backlash.  Actually as Stacy McCain pointed out at The American Spectator there was nary a peep about her as a candidate until the Tea Party Express comes in carrying big time cash.

Yet behold the hysteria she’s generated among Republicans who are running amok on the Internet, shouting at the top of their lungs that O’Donnell is the worst thing to happen to the GOP since Spiro Agnew.

Really? Is she that bad? Could anyone be as bad as Mike Castle’s supporters say O’Donnell is?

The fundamental problem seems to be two-fold: First, O’Donnell has made some influential enemies over the years, and second, the Castle campaign has lots of hired guns to spread their oppo-research on O’Donnell.

Add to that two recent developments: First, the Tea Party Express, fresh from knocking off Murkowski here in Alaska, has committed serious money to defeating Castle in Delaware and, second, Republicans now think they’ve got a better-than-even shot at recapturing control of the Senate in November.

So this, as McCain notes, is about winning chairmanships back, and this exercise will have a negative impact for Republicans whether Castle wins or loses.