What the nation is saying about the O’Donnell victory

The BBC, the New York Time, and others have their say on Delaware politics

Washington Post columnist David Broder came to Delaware early this summer to write about the “Delaware Way” and how a potential contest between Congressman Mike Castle and New Castle County Executive Chris Coons mighth play out.  In his Washington Post column today he had a different take on the Tea Party victory of Christine O’Donnell.

The Post blog called O’Donnell’s victory the biggest upset of this political season.

The New York Times describes the O’Donnell victory as a key signal of how volatile the electorate is this campaign season.

The Wall Street Journal says Delaware’s Republican establishment dismissed O’Donnell as a gadfly with a flimsy resume and shallow roots in the state but the Tea Party activist became another rising star in one of the most volatile political seasons in decades.

The BBC weighed in the upset win as well.  The head of the Delaware Tea Party was on the broadcast “Newshour”.  He gave a review of how the Tea Party and Christine O’Donnell came to connect, but more importantly he described how Mike Castle lost the Tea Party vote.

The Hill reports Castle will not endorse O’Donnell in the general election.  Last night, Bill Cook interviewed Christine O’Donnell who said she hopes the Congressman won’t wait until “Returns Day” to bury the hatchet from the campaign.

Huffington Post columnist Jamie Court asks the question: “Mad as hell, but don’t want to join the  Tea Party?

Politico Blogger Ben Smith says the Delaware result has the Republican leadership running scared. He also notes that Fred Barnes blames Mike Castle for running the wrong campaign: His flaws, Barnes argues, were running as a moderate on the bloodless issue of electability, failing to “respect” the Tea Party candidate, and using personal attacks in an issue-driven year.

And Red State has a headline: “O’Donnell won round one.  It’s time to help her win round two.”