- 09/15/10 12:15 PM ET
Republican leaders were scrambling Wednesday to unify their party in the wake of a nasty GOP primary in
Delaware that knocked Rep. Mike Castle (Del.), their top recruit, out of the race.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told The Hill Wednesday that he will contribute campaign funds to Christine O’Donnell, who in narrowly defeating Castle may have given Democrats an advantage in the general election.
McConnell downplayed the notion that contentious GOP primaries have exposed disunity within his party.
“Primary season is over and we’re ready to go,” he said.
O’Donnell’s victory came despite opposition from the state and national Republican leadership. Polls suggested Castle would defeat Democrat Chris Coons in November, but that O’Donnell would lose in the general election. The Cook Political Report on Wednesday shifted the seat from likely Republican to likely Democrat.
Democrats have expressed glee with O'Donnell's win, suggesting they see it as a political gift. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs noted that a state Republican official had said O'Donnell couldn't be elected dog catcher, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the result would help her party.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Texas), who did not offer a statement Tuesday night reacting to O’Donnell’s surprise win, on Wednesday pledged financial support for O’Donnell.
Cornyn announced the campaign committee would send O’Donnell a $42,000 check on Wednesday.
“Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee — and I personally as the committee’s chairman — strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O’Donnell in Delaware,” Cornyn said in a statement.
The pledges of support mark a dramatic turnaround by GOP leaders who actively opposed O’Donnell’s candidacy.
The race, however, left a bitter taste with Castle. Since losing, he has refused to endorse O’Donnell in the general election and his campaign has questioned O’Donnell’s honesty and integrity.
O'Donnell rebuked party leaders for trying to sink her candidacy but held out hope for reconciliation."It's a shame that the Republican Party has — had to resort to Republican cannibalism, because we have the winning principles and I'm hoping that come tomorrow we can kiss and make up and get to get to the business of winning this seat in the general election," she said.
McConnell moved to unify his party Wednesday morning, issuing a public statement that called on Republicans to focus on “stopping the damage caused by Washington over the past two years.”
“I would like to thank everyone who participated in Republican primary elections across the country. Whether you were a first-time voter, a lifelong Republican, or simply fed up with Washington and the direction of our country, your participation has made our party stronger and our mission clearer,” McConnell said in a statement.
“As we unite in a common effort over the next seven weeks, Republicans will carry an optimistic vision for the future and a conservative alternative to the ‘government knows best’ approach of Washington Democrats,” he said.
McConnell said the primaries showed that GOP voter turnout and enthusiasm is “off the charts.” “Now that the primaries are over, the flood of enthusiasm is all pointed in the same direction with the same focus,” he said.
Senate Republican leaders have watched several of their favored candidates go down in flames in Republican primaries this year.
In addition to Castle, Sen. Bob Bennett (R) in Utah, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) in Alaska, Secretary of State Trey Grayson in Kentucky, Jane Norton in Colorado, former state party chairwoman Sue Lowden in Nevada and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) all failed to appeal to GOP primary voters.
Some of these primaries have left bad blood between the candidates.
Murkowski has not endorsed Joe Miller, the GOP Senate candidate in Alaska, and is even mulling an independent bid as a write-in candidate.
The same has been true in primaries where the establishment-backed candidate prevailed.
J.D. Hayworth, who ran a hard-fought campaign against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has yet to publicly back his former opponent.
Several of these primary races have created divisions between Republicans in Washington, most notably between party leaders and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), chairman of the conservative Senate Steering Committee.
It has also pitted GOP leaders against former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).
DeMint and Palin endorsed O’Donnell last week, despite the strong opposition of GOP leaders to her campaign.
DeMint also quickly endorsed Mike Lee after he defeated Bennett in Utah, and Joe Miller after he beat Murkowski in Alaska.
DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund has invested more than $2.8 million to help elect conservative candidates DeMint says were “overlooked or even opposed by the Washington establishment.”
DeMint made waves when he announced his support in early May for Tea Party-backed nominee Rand Paul in the Kentucky Senate race. DeMint’s announcement came a day after McConnell endorsed Grayson.
A senior Senate Republican aide downplayed DeMint’s impact on the Republican primaries.
The aide noted that DeMint did not endorse O’Donnell until a few days before Tuesday’s primary and waited until after Lee and Miller won their races before publicly backing them.
The aide said that lawmakers often endorse different candidates in GOP primaries. He said the different political allegiances have received more attention this election cycle because DeMint has been so outspoken in announcing his support.
“It’s received more attention this year because one rank-and-file senator has been so outspoken in his endorsements,” said the aide. “I don’t detect a lot of fractured Republican constituencies."
