Looks like we may get our huckleberry:
Monday, after Beau Biden dropped his bomb on local and national Democrats who had been convinced he would run, [New Castle County Executive Chris] Coons started fielding calls from party luminaries, including Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, coaxing him to enter the race. Coons’ mother called to say she saw his name on MSNBC as a potential Senate hopeful.
The charm and pressure offensive appears to be paying dividends for the party that suddenly found itself with no candidate to run against Castle, one of the most popular politicians in Delaware history.
“I’m leaning toward running,” Coons said Tuesday, adding that he would announce his decision by early next week. “This all emerged very quickly.”
Rasmussen also has a poll out (1/25, likely voters, no trendlines):
Mike Castle (R): 56
Chris Coons (D): 27
Other: 5
Undecided: 13
(MoE: ±4.5%)
This is a far cry from R2K’s test in October, which showed Coons trailing by a much smaller 51-39 margin. A PPP poll from all the way back in March of 2009 had Castle up 56-21 over Coons in a hypothetical House race matchup, but I’d like to see something a lot fresher before coming to any conclusions.
(Hat-tip to Taegan on the Coons story.)
But there is a plausible scenario where he coasts on his rep and makes mistakes. Coons being the much younger man should certainly be able to out-campaign Castle. These numbers are very similar to what Suffolk found in late November in MA. Obviously the wind is pointing in the other direction but there is always hope.
With a last name of Coons . . . good grief.
for the US Senate against a 63 yr old moderate Republican….
and won in an upset. This is still a race.
(I suspect everyone here knows the name of that former Councilman.)
I Like Coons and hopes he wins, but even in a good environment he would be a 75/25 Dog, Now he’s a 90/10 Dog.
isn’t it a little transparent for Rasmussen to suddenly, when Coons name comes up, to shoot that poll out there like that, especailly with such a wide difference in the numbers from the last one? At this point it should be obvious what there game is-they’re trying to convince Democrats there’s no hope so that certain ones drop out and others don’t run at all. Personally I say we just call ’em on the B.S. and stop looking as Rasmussen polling entirely.
(with chances about 80-20 in present situation), but at least Coons will give him a race. If no one else wants to run – that’s something..
and that Carper’s seat gets tied up for awhile so that we can keep Beua out of the Senate for as long possible.