Political watchers have long been awaiting a decision from Mike Castle about whether he will run in 2010 for Joe Biden’s Senate seat in Delaware (currently being occupied by placeholder Ted Kaufman). Castle has been waffling lately, and sending some indications through his staff that if State AG Beau Biden runs, he would not run, despite polling showing him with a clear early lead over Biden. Then the rumor mill indicated that Castle would likely not even run for his own House seat again in 2010, leading to much speculation that Castle would soon announce his retirement from politics. This morning, Castle announced that he would hold a press conference at noon to announce his intentions. According to The Politico, “sources” indicate that Castle will announce that he plans to run for the Senate seat.
Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) will be running for Vice President Joe Biden’s old Senate seat in Delaware, according to two GOP sources connected to the congressman, instantly giving Republicans the opportunity to flip a traditionally-Democratic seat in their column.
Castle will be making a formal announcement at noon in his hometown of Wilmington. Castle had been debating whether to run for higher office, or retire after serving nine terms in the House.
Castle’s expected entrance into the race instantly makes the race for one of the Democrats’ safest seats competitive. It would also represent an important symbolic victory for the GOP if they can recapture the current VP’s old seat. Given Mark Kirk’s apparent strength in Illinois, even Obama’s media could not miss the significance of the Democrats losing the seats formerly occupied by both Obama and Biden. Furthermore, Castle would presumably caucus with the GOP for at least some portion of the 6-year term he is elected to, which is an important fact.
And with that, I have officially run out of good things to say about Castle or this news. I shall therefore follow my parents’ sound advice and not say anything further at all.
Aaron Gardner
Dan Spencer
Moe Lane
bs
Caleb Howe
Dan McLaughlin
What are the chances of Beau Biden running?
suzieQ Tuesday, October 6th at 10:59AM EDT (link)Or is he completely out? He has only been home from Iraq for a week, so I doubt this has been decided. It sounds to me like Castle might be jumping the gun a little.
“It’s finally happened: Abortion stopped a bleeding heart.”
- Ann Coulter, January 25, 2006
“My concern about the role of the federal government is that an intrusive government, a government that says, ‘Don’t worry, we will solve your problems’ is a government that tends to crowd compassion out of the marketplace, that too often in the past people said: ‘Somebody else will take care of the problem in my area. Don’t worry. The government is here.’”
- George W. Bush October 31, 2000
“Had the decision belonged to Senator Kerry, Saddam Hussein would still be in power today in Iraq. In fact, Saddam Hussein would almost certainly still be in control of Kuwait.”
- Dick Cheney
Rino's
dhorowitz3 Tuesday, October 6th at 11:00AM EDT (link)I personaly detest RINO’s, but in Deleware I don’t see any better alternative so I guess this is good news. Just the propaganda of turning over osama and Bidens seats is worthwhile.
I second this.
jeffreywturner Tuesday, October 6th at 4:34PM EDT (link)This is important.
Delaware is not a purple state in any sense. It is a solid blue state. Here is a case where a liberal Republican is better than a liberal Democrat.
Contrast this to Florida, where conservatives can actually win.
“Life is too short, can’t we all just eat pork and kill some terrorists?”
The Money Alone
Swamp_Yankee Tuesday, October 6th at 11:09AM EDT (link)Just the money and resources that the Dems will have to dump in places like CT (Simmons), IL (Kirk), DE (Castle) and New York … will milk resources from other races in competitive red states.
http://www.twitter.com/swamp_yank
Yep
redtillimdead Tuesday, October 6th at 1:27PM EDT (link)Especially considering Mike Castle already has nearly a million dollars CoH
Nancy Pelosi can kiss my asstroturf.
At this point, he's the best we've got
Right Reason Tuesday, October 6th at 11:28AM EDT (link)The state GOP in Delaware is not in particularly good shape. And there is a silver lining; he’s got a better than even chance of winning, and that opens up a House seat that was formerly inhabited by a RINO.
I live in Sussex County, DE, so I’ve got to get to work!
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill
House seat
dhorowitz3 Tuesday, October 6th at 11:31AM EDT (link)Do you think that we can hold the house seat when Castle runs for Senate? Is there any word of the potential candidates?
YES!!
redtillimdead Tuesday, October 6th at 11:40AM EDT (link)Now, lets recruit Pataki in NY!
Imagine: Win the VPs senate seat, the Presidents senate seat, the SoS’s senate seat, and then Salazar’s seat! Send a BIG EFF U to the white house!
Nancy Pelosi can kiss my asstroturf.
As a former New Yorker. . .
Right Reason Tuesday, October 6th at 12:46PM EDT (link). . .and victim of Pataki’s years as governor, I can tell you he is by no means a sure thing. He did as much damage to that state as any Democrat.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill
Yeeeeeeah... I think we can do better than Pataki.
randy streu Tuesday, October 6th at 1:28PM EDT (link)Gilibrand is really being dragged down by her association with Paterson. We’ve got a good shot to run a decent player here.
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Who?
redtillimdead Tuesday, October 6th at 3:05PM EDT (link)The only other person is Giuliani, and his spokespeople insist its Governor or bust for him. I also read about Ron Lauder, a billionaire, but he never said he was considering it, an article just said they thought he should run
Nancy Pelosi can kiss my asstroturf.
Well, as long as we're dreaming big...
randy streu Tuesday, October 6th at 3:21PM EDT (link)John Faso would be a decent pick. Sure, he was basically a barely remembered also-ran in the coronation of Eliot Spitzer, but since then he’s cofounded the New Yorkers for Growth PAC, and has worked to get Conservatives noticed and, hopefully, elected.
Rick Lazio would also do better as a Senator than running for Governor. He was CLOSE when he ran against Clinton, and as long as he avoids saying something stupid in debate like last time, I think he’d do pretty well.
The point is, they’re out there, and we have time to find them. IF we can convince them to run.
Blogging also at
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and that ends my part in this threadjack. Sorry, Leon. nt.
randy streu Tuesday, October 6th at 3:25PM EDT (link)nt
Blogging also at
SLC Republitarian
The Minority Report
You forgot the best one.
jeffreywturner Tuesday, October 6th at 4:38PM EDT (link)Nevada!
How sweet would it be to send Dingy Harry to early retirement?
“Life is too short, can’t we all just eat pork and kill some terrorists?”
Numbers Game
mas1916 Tuesday, October 6th at 11:53AM EDT (link)RINO or not, at least a Republican would give the GOP a better shot at managing things like the Senate Judiciary when the next SCOTUS vacancy occurs. Although look for perhaps a couple resignations next spring from Ginsburg and the really old lefty on the court. They will want to resign before the Democrats lose the Senate.
Maybe this isn’t really great news, but at this point, a win is a win.
MAS
http://conservativeblog.thewebinfocenter.com
Mike Castle
Joe Rivers Tuesday, October 6th at 12:53PM EDT (link)I think I will follow your lead, and merely note that he’s evidence that practically everybody is better than a Democrat. So, good news here. I’ll take it.
Maquisard
I wish he would have tried to keep his house seat
Illinicon Tuesday, October 6th at 1:39PM EDT (link)and I would say the samething about Kirk in IL, the best case sceniero in the Senate now would be Castle, Kirk, Simmons, Toomey and whoever comes out the CO and NV primaries all gaining their respective seats making the Senate 54-46. With Castle and Kirk’s retirements from their seats and Cao unlikely to get re-elected it pushes the magic number in reality up to 43, which granted is still possible but it would be in our best interest not be throwing out safe house seats at this point to atbest have an 8 seat minority in the Senate.
Support the best reform candidate for IL Gov:
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Actually
redtillimdead Tuesday, October 6th at 3:09PM EDT (link)We have a good candidate for Kirk’s seat. I think we can win. Castle…not so much, They have an awesome candidate. The names mentioned now are former state Sen. Charlie Copeland, who was our LG nominee last year, state Reps. Tom Kovach, Greg Lavelle, and rich guy Anthony Wedo. I am also optimistic about Cao. He is raising alot of money and he is bringing alot of money and resources to NOLA.
Nancy Pelosi can kiss my asstroturf.
IL-10
Illinicon Tuesday, October 6th at 4:14PM EDT (link)i agree is still winable since it look like the Dems are going to rerun their 06 and 08 candidate Dan Seals who couldnt win in a district that voted Obama 61-38 and the likely GOP candidate is Elizabeth Coulson, who has a kirk-like (for better or worse) voting record in the state legislator. Though if Kirk was running for re-election this would be a safe seat and without him its a competive seat in a media market (the north shore of Chicago) that is expensive.
Support the best reform candidate for IL Gov:
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Cao's history.
Third Street Tuesday, October 6th at 4:17PM EDT (link)His win was one of the biggest flukes in the history of electoral politics. It won’t be repeated.
Was fun while it lasted, though…
“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.” –Wilkins Micawber, “David Copperfield”
Soo true
redtillimdead Tuesday, October 6th at 5:16PM EDT (link)BUT guess what? Republican controlled redistricting next year. LA loses a seat. Most of the population loss came from the 3rd and 2nd (Cao’s) district. The 3rd is a strongly Republican district. The 2nd is going to absorb alot of the 3rd, most likely, giving a still D leaning district, but one that we still have a shot at. Believe it or not, there are still some well-respected Republican’s in the district for 2012, especially if Cao attempts a rematch .
Nancy Pelosi can kiss my asstroturf.
Not going to happen, because...
Third Street Tuesday, October 6th at 11:57PM EDT (link)…a New Orleans-area congressional district that was actually competitive would never pass muster under the Voting Rights Act, and the DOJ (especially Holder’s DOJ) would throw out any La. redistricting plan that didn’t ensure a strongly minority-majority seat.
(And God forbid we ever dare suggest modifying the Act after 45 years; oh Heavens no, the South must have federal oversight over its redistricting until the end of time.)
So, the 2nd will remain more or less as it is. The current 3rd District will probably be absorbed by the current 6th and 7th (which will be the new 3rd).
“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.” –Wilkins Micawber, “David Copperfield”
Just what America needs
gahazzah Tuesday, October 6th at 8:03PM EDT (link)Another (R) who will vote for Cap-N-Trade, Universal Health Care, Embryonic Stem-Cell Research and on and on and on.
Finally the Snowe-Collins crowd will have somebody else to buddy up to in the Senate chambers.
Heck, if Fiorina manages a win maybe they can finally get enough members to start the “Progressive Republican Caucus”.
/sarcasm
/government