GOP launches Operation Win Back Delaware

The leader of the Republican National Committee will visit Delaware for a fundraiser in Georgetown on Saturday.

While one former Republican candidate, Christine O’Donnell, is grabbing national attention while promoting her book (and abrubtly leaving nationally televised interviews), the Delaware Republican party is kick starting an effort to rebuild its ranks.

Operation Win Back Delaware will be an ongoing theme as Delaware Republicans look to pick up the pieces from a rough 2010 election, and look ahead to the 2012 campaign.  “Delaware suffers from one party rule from the top to the bottom through out the state,” says state GOP Chairman John Sigler.  “Our Operation Win Back Delaware is to end one party rule here in Delaware.”

Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who took over the reigns of the RNC from Michael Steele in January, will offer an update on the national level to an expected crowd of about 300.  “The fact that the chairman of the RNC has agreed to come to Delaware to help us kick off Win Back Delaware, I think speaks volumes as to the progress that we’ve made,” Sigler said.  The party certainly has an uphill battle, if for nothing else than the numbers on the voter rolls.  Between 2008 and 2010, the number of Democrats increased by 11%, or 29,650 voters.

The 2010 election left the party battered and bruised.  After Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell upset long-time Republican Congressman Mike Castle in the GOP Senate primary, there were serious questions about the effort party leaders put into O’Donnell’s general election campaign against the eventual winner, Senator Chris Coons (D).  On the state level, Republican candidates didn’t fare any better.  State Auditor Tom Wagner was the only Republican to win statewide office, and he only won by one percentage point.

As for that other Republican who is getting so much attention this week, WHYY asked Sigler if he’s read O’Donnell’s book and had any reaction to it.  He responded, “I quite frankly have been very busy doing other things as you can imagine. I wish her the very best.”  O’Donnell is not expected to be at the event.  She’s scheduled to be signing copies of her book at the Barnes and Noble store on Concord Pike on Saturday afternoon.