Obama and Biden to campaign in Delaware
(CNN) - President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden head to Delaware Friday to try and keep Biden's old Senate seat in Democratic party hands.
Obama and Biden will team up with New Castle County executive Chris Coons, the party's Senate nominee at a fundraiser in Wilmington. The trip is Biden's third visit to his home state to help Coon's bid.
A CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday indicates that Coons has 19 point lead over Republican nominee Christine O'Donnell among likely voters.
Last month O'Donnell upset longtime moderate Republican Rep. and former Gov. Mike Castle in the state's GOP primary. O'Donnell, a conservative commentator who launched unsuccessful Senate bids in 2006 and 2008, was supported and helped by Tea Party activists and by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who says she will come to Delaware to campaign for O'Donnell.
Since her primary victory, O'Donnell's been in the national spotlight for controversial comments she made years ago when she was a spokesperson for socially conservative causes. A debate between Coons and O'Donnell which was co-moderated by CNN's Wolf Blitzer was carried live nationally by CNN Wednesday night.
While Coon's leads by double digits in every recent poll, O'Donnell's campaign has been very successful in raising campaign cash since the candidate's primary victory.
While some have wondered why this race matters and why the president is devoting time and effort to a contest that isn't even close, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the race is "very important," evidenced by "a national news network hosting...a debate on its airwaves about it."
With control of the House and Senate in the balance during the upcoming midterm elections, Gibbs said Thursday that "we understand that every vote and every race is important."
It also doesn't hurt that Biden is from Delaware. "Obviously this one's sort of near and dear to the Vice President," Gibbs said.
The winner in November will fill out the remaining four years of Biden's final term in the Senate. Biden stepped down from his seat after his election in November 2008 as vice president. Former Biden aide Ted Kaufman was named as an interim replacement, and is not seeking a full term. After much speculation that he would run for his father's old seat, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden announced in late January that he would instead run for re-election as Delaware attorney general. Coon's announced days later and faced no serious opposition for the Democratic party's nomination.
Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn
Hide your witches! They're campaigning everywhere out there!
Biden looks like he means business with those aviator shades on. Don't bother going to DE, Coons is up by 20 points. Go play some offense and take some Red states.
Are you KIDDING me??!! Coons is showing a HUGE lead in the polls and these two clowns think they need to run over there and "help" him? This could really help O'Donnell as Coons will be seen as an Obozo rubberstamping lackey. I guess Obozo wants to be associated with at least ONE winning candidate (MAYBE!!). But the best help he could give would be to STAY AWAY.
2/3rds of Congress, 2/3rds of Congress, that is all they need and it is bye bye Barry hello Joe! Failure to uphold the Constitution on how many counts now is it?
Good move Mr. President ,put the focus on the Tea Party in the final days of this election. The Tea Party and Sarah Palin have a seventh grader understanding of the consititution and government. Moderate Republicans know once these nitwits get elected it will be Jack abramoff scandel all over again. The Tea Party can't except monies from billioniares and millioniares without string attach.
Chris Coons has a 20 point lead. Why aren't they down here in GA, where Johnny Isakson needs to be replaced. He told me last year during the health care debate that he would never vote for reform because he had to protect insurance company profits. He's not representing the interests of the good people of GA. He's representing his own, only.
To all Georgians, vote for the Democrat, Mike Thurmond, or the Libertarian, Chuck Donovan. What have we got to lose? We need to lose Isakson.
Christine O'Donnell is up 50% in the polls. Just shows how Obama is the kiss of death in these elections. I hope Christine wins, we need less failed socialism in the Senate!
Sarah Palin is classless, ignorant and jealous. Real politicians don't take jabs at our First Ladies nor do First Ladies take jabs at each other. Good example is Laura Bush and Michelle Obama who both speak very highly of one another and Laura has also mentored Michelle, with class. Instead of Palin jabbing at FLOTUS how about taking a class on etiquette, get an education like FLOTUS because only a classless, ignorant and jealous woman would find time for such stupidity.
I am confused.....Why is Obama AND Biden going to Delaware to campaign for Coons if Coons is up by almost 20 points? The media plays O'Donnell for a "lunatic", "witch", "crazy", etc. but yet the most important person in the world is taking time out of his day to campaign for Coons? Why? Could it be that internal polls show something different? Could it be they think O'Donnell just MIGHT have a chance? If that is the case the LAST thing Obama and Biden should do is SHOW UP!! Could it be that Obama and Biden actually hope that Coons actually loses? That would allow Democrats to blame any further decline on the Republicans because "they are the majority" and are "partisan"? Just a few questions that I must ask. End result is there is more to this story somewhere. What it is I don't know but if Coons is up 19% there is NO REASON why the president/VP should even CARE about this. Well see in the upcoming weeks what the reason is............
Why are they wasting their time and the taxpayers' money campaigning against a candidate who is down 19 points? A coupla master tacticians these guys.
Yeah... I suppose it makes a lot of sense to go campaign in a race you're up by 20 points already. Good job, Barry & the Buffoon!
S c a r y ...Biden looks like a Mob figure standing back there with his s h a d e s on.
Sounds like a waste of time and money, unless their own internal polling is showing that the Witch is leading.