O'Donnell Beats Castle in Delaware GOP Senate Contest Published September 14, 2

O'Donnell Beats Castle in Delaware GOP Senate Contest Published September 14, 2010 | FoxNews.com Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell, a perennial candidate with no government experience, soundly defeated veteran politician Mike Castle for the Republican Senate nomination in Delaware Tuesday -- posing a major upset to the political establishment on the last big day of primaries.  With 98 percent of precincts reporting, O'Donnell was leading Castle 53-47 percent.  O'Donnell's win stands as the latest sign of Tea Party strength but also the latest test of whether that movement helps or hinders the Republican Party, with an open seat and perhaps a GOP Senate majority at stake.  Party leaders have warned that O'Donnell cannot compete against Democrat Chris Coons and had vigorously backed Castle, a nine-term congressman and former governor.  But O'Donnell stood her ground and accused Castle of selling out to the moderate wing of the party. Considered a long shot just weeks ago, her candidacy got renewed attention after conservative Joe Miller beat Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski in their state's Senate primary last month. Big-name endorsements from Sarah Palin and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint boosted her profile in the final days of the race.  Tea Party-backed candidate Ovide Lamontagne was also taking the early lead in the GOP primary contest for Senate in New Hampshire.  In total, seven states and Washington, D.C., held primary contests Tuesday night. Primaries in New York and Wisconsin have emerged as must-see races, with embattled congressman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., facing his toughest challenge in years and Republican candidates in Wisconsin wrestling for a chance to take on vulnerable Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold in November.  Other notable races include the New Hampshire Senate contest and the D.C. mayoral race, where Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty is fending off a formidable challenge from D.C. Council chairman Vincent Gray.  But all eyes were on Delaware, where Castle best described the race as a measure of the Tea Party's strength against the GOP establishment, which was backing him.  "This particular campaign has become a bit of a test," Castle said Tuesday morning after voting. "Can the conservative elements of the Republican Party take out an incumbent with whom they don't always agree? That's part of what we are dealing with here, to look beyond just Delaware."  While O'Donnell's campaign enjoyed a $250,000 injection from the Tea Party Express, some Tea Party groups did not support her. The state GOP and even some of O'Donnell's former staffers have hammered her for calling herself a fiscal conservative when she has had personal financial problems.  "It's a shame that the Republican Party has had to resort to Republican cannibalism because we have winning principles, limited government, the right solution to get the economy back on track," she said.  Polls have shown Castle leading Democrat Chris Coons in November, but O'Donnell trailing. The seat could be critical for Republicans hoping to gain control of the Senate. They need to pick up 10 seats to do so.  In New York, state Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV is seeking revenge on Rangel, who defeated his father, a legendary figure in Harlem, 40 years ago. The race comes as Rangel faces a potential House trial for charges of 13 ethics violations, mostly related to his personal finances, that has caused some politicians, voters, and even President Obama to suggest it is time for Rangel to retire. Obama said Rangel should "end his career with dignity."  "When I get elected to Congress, I will actually be doing Rangel and the Democrats throughout the nation a favor because my election will probably put an end to all the ethics trials that Mr. Rangel faces and probably put an end to Republicans being able to use Congressman Rangel as a punching bag in the November election," Powell said.  Rangel has dismissed Powell as a "nice fellow."  "He used to be nice young man," he said. "I think God has really blessed him with his good looks and his dad's name, and then God gave up on him."  Rangel is getting help from former President Bill Clinton who has recorded a robocall in which he praises the congressman's record.  In Wisconsin, Republican voters appear poised to nominate millionaire businessman Ron Johnson, who's aggressively courted Tea Party support over small businessman Dave Westlake and Milwaukee plumber Stephen Finn.  Recent polls suggest that with Tea Party help, Johnson could unseat Feingold for another crucial GOP pickup.  New Hampshire has a four-way GOP Senate primary for retiring Sen. Judd Gregg's seat. Ayotte, who is backed by both Palin and the Republican establishment, hopes to fend off a come-from-behind surge by Ovide Lamontagne, a well-known New Hampshire conservative who's courted Tea Party voters aggressively. But early returns showed Lamontagne in the lead.  The winner will oppose Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes in November.  In Maryland, the GOP gubernatorial primary also included a Tea Party activist and Palin-backed candidate: investor Brian Murphy. But he failed to pick up enough steam to topple former Gov. Robert Ehrlich.  Ehrlich won the GOP nomination by a landslide Tuesday and is eyeing a November rematch against Democratic incumbent Martin O'Malley, who beat him in 2006.  Fox News' Carl Cameron and Eric Shawn contributed to this report. Carl Ray Louk "FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS" SG-1996 "LET LOVE LEAD THE WAY" SG-2000 "THE PHOENIX SHALL RISE" SD "EVEN A MAN WHO IS PURE IN HEART AND SAYS HIS PRAYERS BY NIGHT, MAY BECOME A WOLF WHEN THE WOLFBANE BLOOMS AND THE AUTUMN MOON IS BRIGHT." LT-1941 "FLESH OF MY FLESH; BLOOD OF MY BLOOD; KIN OF MY KIN WHEN SAY COME TO YOU, YOU SHALL CROSS LAND OR SEA TO DO MY BIDDING!" CVTD-1895 "FROM HELL'S HEART I STAB AT THEE, FOR HATE SAKE I SPIT MY LAST BREATH AT THEE" CA-1895  "I HAVE BEEN, AND ALWAYS SHALL BE YOUR FRIEND" Spock  "TRICK OR TREAT, TRICK OR TREAT CANDY IS DANDY BUT MURDER, OH MURDER, IS SO SWEET" CRL-2003  "EYE OF NEWT, AND TOE OF FROG, WOOL OF BAT, AND TONGUE OF DOG ADDER'S FORK, BLIND-WORM'S STING, LIZARD'S LEG, AND OWLET'S WING. FOR A CHARM OF POWERFUL TROUBLE, LIKE A HELL-BROTH BOIL AND BABBLE. DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE, FIRE BURN, AND CALDRON BUBBLE" WS MySpace.com: www.myspace.com/carlraylouk http://www.myspace.com/carlraylouk Yahoo Group: Yahoo! Groups : LouksHauntedGraveyardhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/LouksHauntedGraveyard/ Yahoo Group: Yahoo! Groups : TheWorldAccordingtoCarlRayLouk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheWorldAccordingtoCarlRayLouk/