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{{short description|American Tea Party politician and former Republican Party candidate}}
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{{redirect|I'm not a witch|the 2017 UK-Zambia drama film|I Am Not a Witch}}
{{Infobox politician
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| name = Christine O'Donnell
{{Infobox person
| image = Christine O'Donell.jpg
| imagesize = 140px | name = Christine O'Donnell
| caption = O'Donnell in 2006 | image = Christine O'Donnell by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption = O'Donnell in 2011
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|8|27}}
| birth_name = Christine Therese O'Donnell
| birth_place =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|8|27}}
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| birth_place = ], ], U.S.
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| education = ]<br />(])
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| website = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20100919000820/http://christine2010.com/|christine2010.com}} <small>(Archive)</small>
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'''Christine Therese O'Donnell''' (born August 27, 1969) is an American ] activist in the ] best known for her ] for the ] seat from ] vacated by ].


O'Donnell was born in ] and began her career as a ] and ] consultant in the early 1990s. After attending ], O'Donnell was active in Republican organizations and campaigns. She also worked for such organizations as ] and ]. Later, O'Donnell established her own consulting firm.
'''Christine O'Donnell''' (born August 27, 1969) is an American ] and ]. She is the ] nominee in Delaware's ]. She previously ran in the primary in the ] and was the party's nominee for the ], losing to ].


O'Donnell ran for the U.S. Senate from the state of Delaware in 2006, 2008, and 2010. In ], she ran in the Republican ] for ], finishing third. She then ran as a ]
==Early life, education and career==
in the general election, drawing four percent of the vote. In ], she was the Republican nominee, losing to incumbent Senator ], 65% to 35%. In 2010, with strong financial support from the Tea Party movement and an endorsement from ], O'Donnell upset nine-term ] and former ] ] in Delaware's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate; Castle had been favored to win the general election.<ref name="Chase2010-09-15">{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.com/bct_news/news_details/article/1521/2010/september/12/odonnell-earns-degree-21-years-later-1.html |title=O'Donnell in spotlight after Del. primary victory |last=Chase |first=Randall |date=September 15, 2010 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Beaver County Times |access-date=September 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100918111111/http://www.timesonline.com/bct_news/news_details/article/1521/2010/september/12/odonnell-earns-degree-21-years-later-1.html |archive-date=September 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="upsets castle">{{cite news|last=Cameron |first=Carl |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tea-party-backed-odonnell-upsets-castle-in-delaware-gop-race/ |title=Tea Party-Backed O'Donnell Upsets Castle in Delaware GOP Race |work=Fox News |date=September 15, 2010 |access-date=November 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112050115/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/14/hours-polls-close-gloves-come-delaware/ |archive-date=November 12, 2010 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="watchdog"/>
O'Donnell was born to a mother of Italian-American descent and a father of Irish-American descent. One of six children (five of them girls), she remembers "sharing a bedroom with my four sisters" and that "my father worked three jobs to take care of our large family."<ref>http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/2010/09/14/christine-odonnell-my-father-worked-three-jobs-now-under-fire-for-financial-woes/</ref>


O'Donnell's primary win caused an uproar among the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tea-party-backed-odonnell-upsets-castle-in-delaware-gop-race/ |title=Tea Party-Backed O'Donnell Upsets Castle in Delaware GOP Race |work=Fox News |date=September 15, 2010 |access-date=August 6, 2013}}</ref> During the general election campaign, O'Donnell received national media attention for a campaign advertisement in which she declared that she was not a witch. She lost ] to Democrat ] by a margin of 57% to 40%.<ref name="nydaily">{{cite news|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-11-02/news/27080035_1_tea-party-primary-season-election-day |title=Democrat Chris Coons easily wins |work= New York Daily News| date= November 3, 2010|first=Meena|last=Hartstein|access-date= November 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306085200/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-11-02/news/27080035_1_tea-party-primary-season-election-day |archive-date=March 6, 2011}}</ref><ref name="abcnews1">{{cite web|first=Ben |last=Evans |author2=Randall Chase |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=12037826 |title=Tea Lacks Punch in Delaware as Coons Wins Senate |work=ABC News |date=November 2, 2010 |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105065011/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=12037826 |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>
O'Donnell attended ], where she completed or nearly completed the work for a ] in English and Communications.<ref name="fox-bio"/><ref name="pol-deg"/><ref name="fox-deg"/> She attended the commencement ceremony in 1993 but did not receive a degree, due to outstanding unpaid expenses<ref name="fox-deg">{{Cite news| url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/03/days-decide-delaware-gop-drops-l-word-tea-party-senate-challenger/ | title=Delaware GOP Suggests Tea Party Senate Challenger Is a 'Liar' | publisher=] | date=2010-09-03 | accessdate=2010-09-04}}</ref> and her failure to complete a general elective course until seventeen years later in the summer of 2010.<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/41750.html</ref> In 1994, Fairleigh Dickinson University sued her for $4,823 in unpaid expenses, according to court documents. The university won a judgment in New Jersey for the entire amount, and the judgment was paid in 2003.
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<ref name="pol-deg"/><ref name="fox-deg"/><ref>News Journal, Delaware politics, O’Donnell faces campaign debt, March 20, 2010,
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100320/NEWS02/100902061/Delaware-politics-O-Donnell-faces-campaign-debt-back-tax-issues</ref><ref name="tnj032010">{{Cite news| url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100320/NEWS02/3200342/O-Donnell-faces-debt-tax-issues | title=Delaware politics: O'Donnell faces campaign debt, back-tax issues | author=Gibson, Ginger | newspaper=] | location=Wilmington | date=2010-03-20 | accessdate=2010-03-25}}</ref> After O'Donnell completed a final general electives course in the summer of 2010,<ref name="pol-deg"/> Fairleigh Dickinson awarded her a bachelor's degree in English literature on September 1, 2010.<ref name="pol-deg">{{Cite news| title = 17 years later, O'Donnell earns degree | newspaper=] | date = 2010-09-03 | url = http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/41750.html | accessdate = 2010-09-04}}</ref><ref name="fox-deg"/>


==Early life and education==
Following college, she lived first in California and then for several years in Washington, D.C.<ref name="tnj032010">{{Cite news| url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100320/NEWS02/100902061/Delaware-politics-O-Donnell-faces-campaign-debt-back-tax-issues | title=Delaware politics: O'Donnell faces campaign debt, back-tax issues | author=Gibson, Ginger | newspaper=] | location=Wilmington | date=2010-03-20 | accessdate=2010-03-25}}</ref> She worked in ] and for the ]<ref name="po100408"/> for several years in Washington. She founded and was the president of the Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth (SALT) in 1996, which lobbied the ] on moral issues<ref name="tnj032010"/> and which focused on advocating chastity and other Christian values in the college-age generation.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://homepage.mac.com/rouses/good-guys/Voice/case%20for%20chastity.html | title=The Case for Chastity | author=O'Donnell, Christine | magazine=] | date=1998-11-09 | accessdate=2010-09-04}}</ref> In 1996 she appeared on MTV with other SALT members to discuss the group's opposition to masturbation, an appearance that would come up during the 2010 campaign.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/christine-odonnells-1996-anti-masturbation-campaign-on-mtvs-sex-in-the-90s.php | title=Christine O'Donnell's 1996 Anti-Masturbation Campaign On MTV's 'Sex In The 90s' (VIDEO) | author=Rayfield, Jillian | publisher=] | date=2010-09-14 | accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref>
O'Donnell was born in ] and raised in ].<ref>via '']''. , '']'', September 19, 2010. Accessed March 1, 2011. "O'Donnell, 41, grew up in Moorestown, N.J., and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, though she did not earn her degree until this year."</ref> She is the fifth of the six children of Carole (Chillano) and Daniel O'Donnell. Her mother is of ] descent and her father is of ] descent.<ref name="from middle">{{cite news|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010100363|title=Delaware politics: From middle-class New Jersey, moral activist Christine O'Donnell knew 'God was calling'|first=Ginger|last=Gibson|newspaper=The News Journal|location=Wilmington, Delaware|date=October 10, 2010|access-date=October 15, 2010|archive-date=August 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816211144/http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010100363|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="political wild card">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/us/politics/02odonnell.html?hp|title=The Political Wild Card|first=Mark |last=Liebovich|work= Politics|date=October 1, 2010|publisher=The New York Times<!--|Please do not remove this comment until the link to the original article is dead - this archive is poorly formatted archiveurl= https://www.webcitation.org/5u5rmSt4c?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/us/politics/02odonnell.html?_r%3D2%26hp | archive-date=November 8, 2010-->}}</ref><ref name="send in">{{cite news|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/send-in-the-clowns-and-the-truth-squad |title=Send In the Clowns — and the Truth Squad |work=The New York Times |date=October 4, 2010 |first=Mark |last=Leibovich |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019003221/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/send-in-the-clowns-and-the-truth-squad/ |archive-date=October 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> O'Donnell has said that at times, her father had to work three jobs to make ends meet.<ref name="from middle"/> He worked part-time in ] and on local television, and did a brief stint as ] in the 1960s.<ref name="send in"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20101008_Turns_out_O_Donnell_s_dad_wasn_t_a_total_Bozo_after_all.html |title=Christine O'Donnell's dad: A local Bozo |first=Will |last=Bunch |publisher=Philadelphia Daily News |date=October 8, 2010 |access-date=October 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023084119/http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20101008_Turns_out_O_Donnell_s_dad_wasn_t_a_total_Bozo_after_all.html |archive-date=October 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>


O'Donnell graduated from ] in 1987, where she was a member of the drama club and a student announcer.<ref name="from middle"/> She attended ] (FDU) beginning in 1987, initially majoring in theater, but later changing to English literature with a concentration in ].<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="political wild card"/> O'Donnell later told ''The New York Times'' she had three senior years of college.<ref name="political wild card"/> O'Donnell received a bachelor's degree in English literature from Fairleigh Dickinson in September 2010.<ref name="17 years" />
O'Donnell also served as a spokesperson for ], a ] political action group which seeks to apply biblical principles to issues of public policy.<ref name="lat091210">{{Cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-delaware-tea-party-20100912,0,7537808.story | title='Tea party' candidate in Delaware rattles the Republican Party | author=Mascaro, Lisa | newspaper=] | date=2010-09-12 | accessdate=2010-09-12}}</ref> She was granted a Lincoln Fellowship from the ] in 2002.<ref name="fox-deg"/><ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.claremont.org/projects/pageID.299/default.asp | title=2002 Lincoln Fellowship | publisher=] | date=2006-12-14 | accessdate=2010-09-04}}</ref>


==Early career==
In 2003, O'Donnell moved to Delaware to work for the ] publisher ] (ISI) in ], and bought a house in ].<ref name="tnj032010"/><ref name="cnn-bio"/> She registered a ] complaint with the ], after which she was terminated by ISI in 2004.<ref name="tnj032010"/> She then sued the institute for $6.9&nbsp;million for ] in the ] in 2005, stating that she had endured mental anguish due to being demoted and fired by ISI due to what she saw as their conservative philosophy that women must be subordinate to men.<ref name="tnj032010"/><ref name="ws-suit">{{Cite news| url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/citing-mental-anguish-christine-odonnell-sought-69-million-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-again | title=Citing 'Mental Anguish,' Christine O'Donnell Sought $6.95 Million in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Conservative Group] | author= McCormack, John | magazine=] | date=2010-09-12 | accessdate=2010-09-12}}</ref> ISI defended its action by accusing her of having conducted a for-profit public-relations business while on their time.<ref name="tnj032010"/> O'Donnell dropped the suit in 2008, stating she lacked the funds to continue.<ref name="tnj032010"/><ref name="cnn-bio"/><ref name="npr2008">{{Cite news| url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/biography.php?office=S&state=DE&num=1 | title=2008 Election Map: More about U.S. Senate: Delaware | agency=] | publisher=] | date=2008 | accessdate=2009-12-23}}</ref>
O'Donnell first held political office in 1991 when she worked the polls for the ].<ref name="from middle"/> She was a youth leader for the ]–] campaign and attended the ].<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="TV appearances began">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/02/AR2010100201243.html |title=O'Donnell TV appearances began with chance meeting |agency=Associated Press |author=Randall Chase and Jessica Gresko |date=October 3, 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113042423/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/02/AR2010100201243.html |archive-date=November 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> While there she began making media contacts, meeting daily with a ] producer and giving television interviews that offered a college student's perspective on the convention.<ref name="TV appearances began"/> The following year, O'Donnell worked for three months in Washington, D.C. for the ] organization ].<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="hinges on"/> She then spent two years working in the communications office of the ] (RNC) in Washington D.C.<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="WaPo2010-09-19">{{Cite news|title=New hero of 'tea party' faces scrutiny |last=Somashekar |first=Sandhya |author2=Perry Bacon, Jr. |newspaper=Washington Post |date=September 19, 2010 |pages=A1, A9 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/18/AR2010091803807.html |access-date=September 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113042430/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/18/AR2010091803807.html |archive-date=November 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> O'Donnell later became a spokesperson for the conservative Christian group ].<ref>{{Cite news | last = Mascaro | first = Lisa | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-delaware-tea-party-20100912,0,7537808.story | title = 'Tea party' candidate in Delaware rattles the Republican Party | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | date = September 2, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101022071724/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-delaware-tea-party-20100912,0,7537808.story | archive-date = October 22, 2010 | url-status = dead | access-date = November 21, 2010 }}</ref>


In 1996 O'Donnell attended the ] in San Diego,<ref name="hinges on"/> moved to ], and founded her own advocacy organization, ] (SALT), serving as its president.<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="hinges on"/> SALT ] the ] on moral issues<ref name="tnj032010">{{cite news| last = Gibson | first = Ginger | title = Delaware politics: O'Donnell faces campaign debt, back-tax issues | date =March 20, 2010| url = http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100320/NEWS02/100902061/Delaware-politics-O-Donnell-faces-campaign-debt-back-tax-issues|newspaper=The News Journal|location=Wilmington, Delaware| access-date =September 16, 2010<!--|this is a partial archive of only 1/5th of the entire article. Please keep this comment up allowing readers to access the entire article unless or until the full version becomes unavailable archiveurl= https://www.webcitation.org/5tgMBUSyR?url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100320/NEWS02/100902061/Delaware-politics-O-Donnell-faces-campaign-debt-back-tax-issues|archive-date=October 22, 2010-->}}</ref> and promoted ], including ] before marriage, to the college-age generation.<ref>{{cite news| first = Amy| last = Gardner| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091204306.html?sid%3DST2010091204277&sub=AR| title = In Del., GOP comes out swinging against tea party| newspaper = The Washington Post| date = September 3, 2010| access-date = September 19, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121113042439/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091204306.html?sid=ST2010091204277&sub=AR| archive-date = November 13, 2012| url-status = dead| df = mdy-all}}</ref> In the 1990s, O'Donnell took a public stance against ], calling it "sinful" and equating it with adultery.<ref name="MacAskill2010-09-21">{{cite news | last = MacAskill | first = Ewen | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/15/christine-odonnell-tea-party-interview | title = Christine O'Donnell interview: 'The Republicans have lost their way' | date = September 1, 2010 | newspaper = The Guardian | access-date = September 1, 2010 | location=London}}</ref><ref name="Weiss2010-09-20">{{Cite news | last = Weiss | first = Jeffrey | title = Like Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell Faces Questions About Her Faith | date = September 20, 2010 | publisher = Politics Daily | url = http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/09/19/like-sarah-palin-christine-odonnell-faces-question-about-her-f/ | access-date = September 1, 2010}}</ref> O'Donnell appeared on Fox News, MSNBC and C-Span as a representative of SALT.<ref name="from middle"/> She also appeared on ]'s ''Sex In The 90s'', advocating sexual "purity",<ref name="PolInc">{{cite news | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/15/flashback-gop-senate-cand_n_717936.html?view=print | title = Christine O'Donnell On 'Politically Incorrect': A Flashback For GOP Senate Candidate (VIDEO) | first = Jason| last = Linkins| work =The Huffington Post | date = September 15, 2010}}</ref> and was a regular guest panelist on ]'s ] show '']'', appearing in 22 episodes.<ref name="abc091810">{{Cite news | last = Creed | first = Ryan | title = Christine O'Donnell: 'I Dabbled in Witchcraft' | date = September 18, 2010 | work = ABC News | url = https://abcnews.go.com/News/christine-odonnell-dabbled-witchcraft/story?id=11671277&amp;page=1 | access-date = September 19, 2010}}</ref> In a 1996 discussion on CNN, O'Donnell advocated the teaching of ] in ] and criticized ]'s ] on the ground that it is "merely a theory" or "a myth". She asserted that "there is just as much, if not more, evidence supporting ."<ref name="Amira2010-09-15">{{cite magazine | last = Amira | first = Dan | title = GOP's Delaware Senate Nominee Christine O'Donnell Not a Big Fan of Evolution | date = September 15, 2010 | magazine = ] | url = http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/09/the_gops_delaware_senate_nomin.html | access-date = September 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Colmes | first = Alan | title = Bill Maher's Latest O'Donnell Clip: "Why Aren't Monkeys Still Evolving Into Humans?" | date = September 25, 2010 | publisher = ] | url = http://radio.foxnews.com/2010/09/25/bill-maher%27s-latest-o%27donnell-clip-%22why-aren%27t-monkeys-still-evolving-into-humans%22 | access-date = September 26, 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the late 1990s O'Donnell moved back to Washington, D.C., where she continued her advocacy work.<ref name="from middle"/> In 1998 she published an article in ''Cultural Dissident'' entitled "The Case for Chastity".<ref>{{cite web|author=Christine O'Donnell |title=The Case for Chastity |date=November 9, 1998 |work=TheCulturalDissident.com |publisher=Brad Keena |url=http://www.bradkeena.com/logs/Christine1.htm |access-date=July 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021008175604/http://www.bradkeena.com/logs/Christine1.htm |archive-date=October 8, 2002 }}</ref> In 2003 she wrote an article, "The Women of Middle Earth," for the ''Catholic Exchange''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Christine O'Donnell|title=The Women of Middle Earth |date=December 18, 2003|publisher=Catholic Exchange |url=http://catholicexchange.com/the-women-of-middle-earth/|access-date=February 10, 2013}}</ref>
In 2008, she was unable to pay the mortgage for her Wilmington house and the mortgage company gained a judgment against her for $90,000; the house was due to be sold at a sheriff's auction in August 2008 when she sold it the month prior to her campaign's lawyer.<ref name="tnj032010"/> The IRS has filed a lien and said that O’Donnell owes $11,000 in back taxes, but O’Donnell says that it was a mistake and a “computer error.”<ref>The Atlantic, Christine O’Donnell The Next Tea Party Surprise, Aug 31, 2010, http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/christine-odonnell-the-next-tea-party-surprise/62326/</ref> O'Donnell noted that the IRS agent handling the matter claimed the agency's action has been inappropriate.<ref name="tnj032010"/> She listed herself as self-employed and said she was doing "odd jobs" to make ends meet.<ref name="tnj032010"/>


In February 2003 O'Donnell moved to Delaware to work for the ] (ISI), a non-profit conservative publisher of educational materials and bought a house in ].<ref name="tnj032010"/> In 2004, she filed a complaint against ISI with the ] saying that she had been demoted due to ].<ref name="tnj032010" /><ref name="ws-suit"/> Later, on February 26, 2004, she was fired,<ref name="tnj032010" /> and in 2005 she sued ISI in ] for $6.9&nbsp;million for ], claiming gender discrimination and that her firing was retaliation for talking to the EEOC. She said ISI's actions caused her mental anguish<ref name="tnj032010" /><ref name="ws-suit">{{Cite news | last = McCormack | first = John | url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/citing-mental-anguish-christine-odonnell-sought-69-million-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-again | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100913072548/http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/citing-mental-anguish-christine-odonnell-sought-69-million-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-again | url-status = dead | archive-date = September 13, 2010 | title = Citing 'Mental Anguish', Christine O'Donnell Sought $6.95 Million in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Conservative Group | magazine = ] | date = September 2, 2010 | access-date = September 2, 2010}}</ref> and were a consequence of "ISI's conservative beliefs".<ref name="dscrmComplaint">{{cite web | url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/sites/all/files/docs/O%27Donnell%20Complaint%20ISI.PDF | title = Civil Action No. 05-0547 Christine O'Donnell v. Intercollegiate Studies Institute U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware | date = July 1, 2005 | page = 16 | access-date = September 23, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110221210250/http://www.weeklystandard.com/sites/all/files/docs/O%27Donnell%20Complaint%20ISI.PDF | archive-date = February 21, 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> O'Donnell dropped the suit in 2008, stating she could no longer afford an attorney.<ref name="tnj032010" /><ref name="npr2008">{{Cite news | url = https://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/biography.php?office=S&state=DE&num=1 | title = Joseph Biden (D) is seeking a seventh term |author=<!--Not stated.--> | work = NPR and NewsHour 2008 Election Map US Senate:Delaware | publisher = ] | date = September 18, 2008 | access-date = September 18, 2010 | archive-date = August 7, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100807024913/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/biography.php?office=S&state=DE&num=1 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
O'Donnell has worked as a ];<ref name="cnn-bio"/> She has provided political commentary on numerous television programs, such as '']'',<ref name="tnj032010"/> '']'',<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311946,00.html | title=Is Cloning Monkeys Morally Wrong? | work=] | publisher=] | date=2007-11-16 | accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://mediamatters.org/research/200801070007 | title=On Fox News' The Live Desk, GOP strategist called Obama "anti-American" | publisher=] | date=2008-01-07 | accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref> and '']''.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVO-9llHwS0 | title=Christine O'Donnell on CNN's Glenn Beck Show discussing Dem | publisher=] | accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref> She is a member of the ] Church <ref name="fox-bio">{{Cite web| url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/candidate/christine-odonnell/ | title=Candidate Biography: Christine O'Donnell (R) | publisher=] | accessdate=2008-11-06}}</ref> and has been supportive of the ] and made negative comments regarding pornography and premarital sex.<ref name="cnn-bio">{{Cite web| url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/bios/#57577 | title=Christine O'Donnell | publisher=] | accessdate=2008-11-04}}</ref><ref name="npr2008"/>


After leaving ISI, O'Donnell started her own media consulting and marketing company. She founded the Catholic Advocacy Network and again began making media appearances.<ref name="from middle"/> Between the 2006 and 2008 elections, she did ] advocacy work opposing the disconnection of a feeding tube for a young woman who was in a ].<ref name="other female">{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14268.html|title=Joe biden's other female foe|date= October 4, 2008|first=Daniel|last=Libit|publisher=Politico|access-date=October 7, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/1742627431.html?FMT=ABS&amp;date=Nov+21%2C+2008|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715101431/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/1742627431.html?FMT=ABS&amp;date=Nov+21,+2008|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2012|title=Parents drop dispute, will take care of woman in coma|author=Sean O'Sullivan|newspaper=The News Journal|location=Wilmington, Delaware|date=November 21, 2008|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="schiavo case">{{cite web |last=Slajda|first=Rachel |title=Christine O'Donnell's Schiavo Case: 'Life For Lauren'|date=September 24, 2010 |work=TPM|url=http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/christine_odonnells_schiavo_case.php |access-date=August 20, 2011}}</ref>
==Political positions==
===Abortion===
O’Donnell opposes abortion including in cases of rape and incest.<ref>News Journal, Delaware Politics Senate Primary Hinges on Character, http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20109110350, sept 11 2010</ref> She previously has been a spokesperson for ], a conservative Christian group that opposes abortion. <ref>Associated Press, Big Night for Tea Party, Sept 15 2010, http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpps/news/big-night-for-tea-party-primary-roundup-dpgpax-20100915-fc_9649563</ref>


==Political campaigns==
===Fiscal Responsibility===
O'Donnell emphasized fiscal integrity in her campaign kickoff saying, "Voting to spend money we don't have has become the appealing option for too many politicians. The men and women of America know this is not sustainable."<ref>http://reason.com/blog/2010/09/15/so-what-did-christine-odonnell</ref><ref>http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=12118077</ref>


===2006 U.S. Senate election in Delaware===
===Health care===
], with Senator Tom Carper and other candidates]]
O'Donnell is opposed to the ] enacted by Congress in 2010, and has supported an effort to legislatively remove federal funding from the law and to repeal and replace it.<ref>DeFund It, accessed Sept 15 2010, http://defundit.org/?page_id=6</ref>
{{See also|2006 United States Senate election in Delaware}}


In 2006, supporters of the ] movement asked O'Donnell if she wanted to run against Delaware Senator ].<ref name="from middle"/> O'Donnell ran in the Republican primary for the 2006 U.S. Senate election in Delaware.
==Political campaigns==
===2006===
{{See also|United States Senate election in Delaware, 2006}}
] parade in ] ]]
O'Donnell ran for the Republican nomination in the ] in Delaware, finishing third<ref name="ap103108">{{Cite news| url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-10-31-420465768_x.htm | title=Biden waging stealth re-election campaign | author=Chase, Randall | agency=] | newspaper=] | date=2008-10-31 | accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref> in the Republican primary, with 17 percent of the vote, behind winner ] and second-place finisher ].<ref>{{Cite news| author = Matthew Jonas
| title = Ting, Spivack pass first test
| url = http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS/609130376
| publisher = Delaware News Journal (Delaware Online)
| date = 13 September 2006 | accessdate = 2006-10-29}}</ref> She then ran as a ] in the general election against Ting and incumbent Democrat ], finishing with 4 percent of the vote as Carper won re-election.<ref name="po100408">{{Cite news| url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14268.html | title=Joe Biden's other female foe | author=Libit, Daniel | newspaper=] | date=2008-10-04 | accessdate=2008-11-01}}</ref>


In a 2006 interview for a campaign profile, O'Donnell told ''The News Journal'' that ] have a psychological defect and that "no Homosexuality is an identity adopted through societal factors."<ref name="Dwyer 2010-09-20" /><ref name="Sargent2010-09-20">{{cite news| last = Sargent| first = Greg| title = Christine O'Donnell said gays suffer from 'identity disorder,' reporter says| date = September 20, 2010| work = The Plum Line| publisher = Washington Post| url =http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/christine_odonnell_said_gays_s.html| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110927124307/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/christine_odonnell_said_gays_s.html| url-status =dead| archive-date =September 27, 2011| access-date = September 20, 2010}}</ref> During a primary debate against her Republican opponents, O'Donnell said that ] could not be a friend of the U.S. because among other things, it forced women to have abortions and prohibited the reading of the Bible. She also said China was plotting to take over the United States, and that she had ] which supported her claim.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/04/ap/politics/main6925904.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014165627/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/04/ap/politics/main6925904.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 14, 2010|title=O'Donnell said China plotting to take over US|first=Ben|last=Evans|date= October 4, 2010|work=CBS News}}</ref>
===2008===
{{See also|United States Senate election in Delaware, 2008}}
She was uncontested in the Republican primary for the 2008 Senate race<ref name="cq-giroux">{{Cite news|first=Greg |last=Giroux |title=Franken Primary Win One of Many Key Results From Tuesday’s Primaries |url=http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002946537 |work=CQ Today Online News |date=2008-09-10 |accessdate=2008-09-26 }}</ref> after beating businessman Tim Smith at the state party convention with more than 60 percent of the vote.<ref name="npr2008"/> Her general election opponent was Senator ], who was also running for vice president with ] on the ].<ref name="po100408"/> O'Donnell questioned Biden's dual campaigns, claiming that serving his constituents was not important to him and criticizing his unwillingness to participate in debates and candidate forums.<ref name="po100408"/><ref name="ap110408">{{Cite news| url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-11-04-420465768_x.htm| title=Biden wins 7th Senate term but may not serve | author=Nuckols, Ben | agency=] | newspaper=] | date=2008-11-04 | accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|author=CQ Transcriptions |title=GOP Challenger for Sen. Biden’s Delaware Seat Interviewed on CNN’s “Larry King” |url=http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002942083 |work=CQ Today Online News |date=2008-08-28 |accessdate=2008-09-26 }}</ref> ] showed that O'Donnell was behind by a two-to-one margin. In the general election on November 4, 2008, Biden defeated O'Donnell by 65 percent to 35 percent.<ref name="sen08"/> He had outspent her by $7,582,189 to $116,050. <ref> ''OpenSecrets.org'' Accessed September 15, 2010</ref> Biden's percentage of the vote was ], but O'Donnell was close to the 37 percent of the vote that ] gained in ].<ref name="sen08"/>


O'Donnell finished in third place in the Republican primary<ref name="ap103108">{{Cite news | url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-10-31-420465768_x.htm | title = Biden waging stealth re-election campaign | author = Chase, Randall | agency = ] | newspaper = ] | date = October 31, 2008 | access-date = March 26, 2010 }}</ref> with 17 percent of the vote, behind winner ] and second-place finisher Michael D. Protack.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://electionsncc.delaware.gov/2006p/2006_sw_office.pdf|title=Official Election Results Primary 09/12/06|publisher=State of Delaware Elections System|date=September 15, 2010|access-date=November 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| first=Matthew| last=Jonas | title = Ting, Spivack pass first test | publisher =The News Journal|location=Wilmington, Delaware| date = September 13, 2006}}</ref> She then ran in the general election against Ting and incumbent Senator Tom Carper as a ], finishing with 11,127 votes, (4 percent of the total votes cast), a number that was considered remarkably large for a write-in and which gave her hope for the 2008 election.<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="other female"/>
Because of financial difficulties, she moved to a Delaware townhouse, where she pays half the rent with campaign contributions because it doubles as her campaign headquarters for her 2010 senate run.<ref name="tnj032010"/> Her 2008 campaign ended with $23,000 in debt, and between 2007 and 2009 the ] cited her eight times for failing to supply contributions reports on time.<ref name="tnj032010"/> As of 2010, she owes payments to staffers, consultants, and volunteers from the 2008 campaign.<ref name="tnj032010"/><ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=549306976409 | title=O'Donnell campaign employee: I wasn't paid | author=Cherry, Amy | publisher=] | date=2010-03-11 | accessdate=2010-03-16}}</ref>


===2008 U.S. Senate election in Delaware===
===2010===
{{See also|United States Senate special election in Delaware, 2010}} {{See also|2008 United States Senate election in Delaware}}
Following the 2008 election, Biden resigned the seat to become vice president, and ] was appointed to replace him. Kaufman indicated he would not run in the ] to elect a replacement to serve out the full term. In February 2009, O'Donnell indicated that she would be running in that special election, and expressed concern that the ] showed that the United States was headed in the direction of ].<ref name="dbl021209">{{Cite news| url=http://www.ledgerdelaware.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/doc49943c78b863f784263070.txt | title=O'Donnell wastes no time in announcing Senate candidacy | newspaper=] | date=2009-02-12 | accessdate=2009-02-13}}</ref> She began fund-raising appeals.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=429190876018 | title=Christine O'Donnell to run for U.S. Senate | publisher=] | date=2009-02-13 | accessdate=2009-02-13}}</ref> In October 2009, she reiterated that she was running despite the entrance into the race of Republican Congressman and former Governor ].<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091006/NEWS/91006074 | title=O'Donnell: Won't drop out for Castle | author=Gibson, Ginger | newspaper=] | date=2009-10-06 | accessdate=2009-10-07}}</ref> A ] poll taken at the time portrayed what was likely to be a highly competitive race: O'Donnell only trailed possible Democratic nominee ] by a single-digit margin while Castle was ahead of Biden by a single-digit margin.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/delaware/election_2010_delaware_senate | title=Election 2010: Delaware Senate | publisher=] | date=2009-10-01 | accessdate=2009-12-23}}</ref> In January 2010, Biden indicated he would not run, and Castle became the favorite to take the seat.<ref name="msn012510">{{Cite news| url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/25/2184967.aspx | title=Midterm Buzz: Biden His Time | author=Weinberg, Ali | publisher=] | date=2010-01-25 | accessdate=2010-02-03}}</ref> On March 10, 2010, O'Donnell officially announced her candidacy before a small group of supporters at ].<ref name="wboc031110">{{Cite news| url=http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=12118077 | title=O'Donnell Announces Run Against Castle | author=Tucker, Jeremy | publisher=] | date=2010-03-11 | accessdate=2010-03-15}}</ref><ref name="whyy031010">{{Cite news| url=http://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2010/03/10/odonnell-takes-aim-at-castle-in-senate-campaign-kick-off/32928 | title=O'Donnell takes aim at Castle in Senate campaign kick-off | author=Eichmann, Mark | publisher=] | date=2010-03-10 | accessdate=2010-03-15}}</ref> In her remarks, O'Donnell criticized excessive government spending and said that Castle was the most liberal Republican in the House and that the ] and grassroots anti-incumbent trends would devolve in her favor.<ref name="wboc031110"/><ref name="whyy031010"/>


O'Donnell became the nominee of the Republican Party for the United States Senate in 2008<ref name="cq-giroux">{{Cite news | first = Greg | last = Giroux | title = Franken Primary Win One of Many Key Results From Tuesday's Primaries | url = http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002946537 | work = CQ Today Online News | date = September 10, 2008 | access-date = September 26, 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080912201836/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002946537 | archive-date = September 12, 2008 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> after defeating businessman Tim Smith at the May 3, 2008 state party convention with more than 60 percent of the GOP delegate vote.<ref name="npr2008" />
When a report from '']'' in March 2010 detailed her fiscal difficulties, she attributed the problems to misunderstandings and errors and said, "I think the fact that I have struggled financially is what makes me so sympathetic."<ref name="tnj032010"/><ref>{{Cite news| url=http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/03/been-there-vote-for-me.html | title=Been There, Vote For Me | newspaper=] | date=2010-03-22 | accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| url=http://wjz.com/wireapnewsmd/Conservative.activist.challenging.2.1577763.html | title=GOP Senate Candidate Admits Financial Woes | agency=] | publisher=] | date=2010-03-20 | accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref> Nevertheless, her financial problems became a focal point of establishment Republican attacks against her.<ref name="wsj083010">{{Cite news| url=http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/08/30/tea-party-endorses-odonnell-in-delaware/ | title=Tea Party Backs O’Donnell in Delaware | author=Weisman, Jonathan | newspaper=] | date=2010-08-30 | accessdate=2010-09-01}}</ref>


O'Donnell's candidacy was endorsed by Mississippi Governor ], former astronaut ], former Delaware Governor ], and conservative writer and policy advocate ].<ref name="other female"/> Her general election opponent was the state's longest serving Senator, ], who was also running for ] on the ].<ref name="other female"/> O'Donnell questioned Biden's dual campaigns, claiming that serving his constituents was not important to him and criticizing his unwillingness to participate in debates and candidate forums.<ref name="other female" /><ref name="ap110408">{{Cite news | url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-11-04-420465768_x.htm | title = Biden wins 7th Senate term but may not serve | author = Nuckols, Ben | agency = Associated Press | newspaper = ] | date = November 4, 2008 | access-date = March 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | author = CQ Transcriptions | title = GOP Challenger for Sen. Biden's Delaware Seat Interviewed on CNN's ''Larry King'' | url = http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002942083 | work = CQ Today Online News | date = August 28, 2008 | access-date = September 26, 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> ] showed that O'Donnell trailed Biden by a two-to-one margin. In the general election on November 4, 2008, Biden defeated O'Donnell by 65 percent to 35 percent.<ref name="sen08" />
As of early July 2010, she had raised more than $55,000 for her bid.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} In addition, she noted to a reporter in Philadelphia that she had generated $30,000 in online contributions roughly 30 hours after her appearance on conservative talk radio.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} A July 2010 ] poll showed O'Donnell running ahead of Democratic Senate candidate ] by a margin of 41 to 39 percent in a hypothetical matchup,<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/delaware/election_2010_delaware_senate | title=Election 2010: Delaware Senate | publisher=] | date=2010-07-15 }}</ref> while a similar poll in August had her trailing Coons 46 to 36 percent.<ref name="dc081210">{{Cite news| url=http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/12/christine-odonnell-and-rep-mike-castle-do-battle-in-the-gop-senate-primary-in-delaware/ | title=Christine O’Donnell and Rep. Mike Castle do battle in the GOP Senate primary in Delaware | author=May, Caroline | newspaper=] | date=2010-08-12 | accessdate=2010-08-14}}</ref> During this time she picked up the endorsements of the ], the ], which called her a “strong voice for conservative constitutionalist principles,”<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40275.html | title=O'Donnell gets Tea Party backing | author=Catanese, David | newspaper=] | date=2010-07-27 | accessdate=2010-08-01}}</ref> the ], ],{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} and the ].<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.frcaction.org/frcapacinternal/frc-action-pac-endorses-christine-odonnell-for-senate | title=FRC Action PAC Endorses Christine O'Donnell for Senate | publisher=] | date=2010-07-27 | accessdate=2010-08-14}}</ref>


O'Donnell's campaign ended the 2008 fiscal year $19,656.29 in debt.<ref name="tnj032010" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/srssea.shtml |title=Search Campaign Finance Summary Data |publisher=Fec.gov |access-date=August 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006100202/http://fec.gov/finance/disclosure/srssea.shtml |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | last = Cherry | first = Amy | url = http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=549306976409 | title = O'Donnell campaign employee: I wasn't paid | publisher = ] | date = March 11, 2010 | access-date = March 16, 2010}}</ref>
O'Donnell supporters were heartened by the late August primary victory in Alaska of little-known, Tea Party-backed insurgent ] over incumbent Republican Senator ].<ref name="wsj083010"/> The Tea Party Express then said it might spend as much as $600,000 backing O'Donnell.<ref name="wsj083010"/> The added "buzz" about her campaign brought national attention<ref name="lat091210"/><ref name="wsj083010"/> but also additional scrutiny on her record, including a contentious interview on ] radio.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.wgmd.com/?p=9496 | title=Dan Gaffney Audio: Christine O&#8217;Donnell for Senate Interview | publisher=] | date=2010-09-02 | accessdate=2010-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/41716.html | title=Christine O'Donnell plays defense on radio | author=Catanese, Dan | newspaper=] | date=2010-09-02 | accessdate=2010-09-02}}</ref> With days to go before the primary, O'Donnell was further bolstered by an endorsement from ].<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2010/09/09/palin-endorses-o-donnell-in-delaware.aspx | title=Palin Endorses O'Donnell in Delaware | author=Weigel, David | magazine=] | date=2010-09-09 | accessdate=2010-09-11}}</ref> She was then endorsed by Senator ], while establishment Republicans continued to worry that she would be less electable than Castle.<ref name="DeMint Endorsement">{{Cite news| url=http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/09/de_sen_odonnell.php | title=DE SEN: O'Donnell Pulls Off Stunning Upset Over Castle | author=Jacobs, Jeremy P. | author2= Kraushaar, Josh | publisher=] | date=2010-09-15 | accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref>


===2010 U.S. Senate election in Delaware===
The O'Donnell campaign generated some controversy in early September when a political consulting firm hired by O'Donnell released a Web video insinuating that her opponent, Mike Castle, was having a ].<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0910/ODonnell_backer_makes_sex_charge_in_Delaware_race.html</ref> O'Donnell quickly distanced herself from the claims, pointing out that the firm in question was no longer working for her campaign, though the manner in which she denied involvement in the rumor led some to suspect that she was intentionally engaging in a ] by deliberately repeating the rumor while denying it.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#39108270</ref> O'Donnell later appeared on ] radio show, where she blasted Castle's "unmanly tactics" during the campaign, saying, "this is not a bake-off, put your man-pants on."<ref>http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/odonnell-blasts-castles-un-manly-tactics-audio.php</ref>
{{See also|2010 United States Senate special election in Delaware}}


Following the 2008 election, Biden resigned his Senate seat to become Vice President of the United States, and Governor ] appointed Biden's chief of staff, ], to serve out the first two years of Biden's six year Senate term. A ] would be held coincident with the 2010 general elections to choose who would fill the Senate seat for the remaining four years. In December 2008, O'Donnell announced that she would run for U.S. Senate again in 2010.<ref name="dbl021209">{{Cite news | url = http://www.ledgerdelaware.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/doc49943c78b863f784263070.txt | title = O'Donnell wastes no time in announcing Senate candidacy | newspaper = Delaware Business Ledger | date = February 12, 2009 | access-date = February 13, 2009}}{{Dead link|date=September 2010}}</ref> O'Donnell said that her biggest mistake in her earlier campaigns was not having enough funds.<ref name="to run">{{Cite news | url = http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=429190876018 | title = Christine O'Donnell to run for U.S. Senate| publisher =] | date = February 13, 2009 | access-date = February 13, 2009}}</ref> In October 2009, she reiterated that she was running despite the entrance into the race of Republican Congressman and former Governor ].<ref name="Gibson2009-10-06">{{Cite news | last = Gibson | first = Ginger | title = O'Donnell: Won't drop out for Castle | newspaper = The News Journal | date = October 6, 2009 | url =https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/1873451101.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+6%2C+2009&author=GINGER+GIBSON&pub=The+News+Journal&edition=&startpage=n%2Fa&desc=O%27Donnell%3A+Won%27t+drop+out+for+Castle| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120724235439/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/1873451101.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+6%2C+2009&author=GINGER+GIBSON&pub=The+News+Journal&edition=&startpage=n%2Fa&desc=O%27Donnell%3A+Won%27t+drop+out+for+Castle| url-status =dead| archive-date =July 24, 2012|access-date = October 7, 2009}}</ref>
She won the September 14, 2010, primary election by six percentage points over Castle.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/14/odonnell-wins-in-delaware/ | title=O'Donnell wins in Delaware | accessdate=2010-09-14}}</ref> The next morning, ] released a ] indicating that their polling found that primary voters who voted for Mike Castle supported Coons, the Democratic opponent, over O'Donnell 44 percent to 28 percent in a general election.<ref>http://twitter.com/ppppolls/status/24529455223</ref>


In January 2010, Democrat ], a son of Joe Biden, indicated he would not run, and Castle became the favorite to take the seat.<ref name="Weinberg2010-01-25">{{Cite news | last = Weinberg | first = Ali | title = Midterm Buzz: Biden His Time | publisher = ] | date = January 25, 2010 | url = http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/25/2184967.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100128140607/http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/25/2184967.aspx | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 28, 2010 | access-date = February 3, 2010}}</ref>
Despite winning the Republican primary, O'Donnell continues to face stark criticism from the leaders in the local, state, and national ]. Kristen Murray, O'Donnell's 2008 campaign manager, starred in a GOP-funded ] in which she accused O'Donnell of misusing campaign funds.<ref name="Rachel Maddow1">{{Cite web| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908//vp/39185011#39185011 | title=Can O'Donnell Pivot to the Center? | publisher= ], ] | date=2010-09-14 | accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref> Says Murray, "This is her third senate race in five years. As O'Donnell's manager, I found out she was living on campaign donations - using them for rent and personal expenses, while leaving her workers unpaid and piling up thousands in debt. She wasn't concerned about conservative causes. O'Donnell just wanted to make a buck."<ref name="Rachel Maddow1"/> Tom Ross, Delaware's state Republican Party chairman, has unabashedly criticized O'Donnell, saying "She's not a viable candidate for any office in the state of Delaware. She could not be elected dog catcher."<ref name="MSNBC Ross">{{Cite news| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39131646/ns/politics-decision_2010/ | title=GOP tries to take out tea party-backed candidate | publisher= ] | author=Elliott, Philip | date=2010-09-12 | accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref> The ] similarly released a statement almost immediately following O'Donnell's primary win, stating that they would not spend money to support her or her campaign.<ref name="Rachel Maddow1"/><ref name="WSJ NRSC">{{Cite news| url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703376504575491290566809902.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories | title=Tea Party Claims Big Win | author=Wallsten, Peter & King Jr., Neil | publisher= ] | accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref> However, Texas Senator ], chairman of the NRSC, released a statement later stating he did not know where the release from within his organization originated. He then offered the maximum $42,000 donation to her campaign; Cornyn acknowledged, however, that he was not sure if she could win.<ref name="FoxNews Trish Turner">{{Cite news| url=http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/09/15/cornyn-nrsc-aides-dont-speak-me-odonnell-gop-nominee-not-sure-she-can-win | title=Cornyn: NRSC Aides Don't Speak For Me - O'Donnell is GOP Nominee; Not Sure She Can Win | publisher= ] | author=Turner, Trish | date=2010-09-15 | accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref>

====Primary election====
On March 10, 2010, O'Donnell officially announced her candidacy before a small group of supporters at University of Delaware's Wilmington campus.<ref name="wboc031110">{{Cite news |url=http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=12118077 |title=O'Donnell Announces Run Against Castle |last=Tucker |first=Jeremy |publisher=WBOC-TV |date=March 11, 2010 |access-date=March 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918220944/http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=12118077 |archive-date=September 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="whyy031010">{{Cite news|url=http://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2010/03/10/odonnell-takes-aim-at-castle-in-senate-campaign-kick-off/32928 |title=O'Donnell takes aim at Castle in Senate campaign kick-off |last=Eichmann |first=Mark |publisher=WHYY-TV |date=March 10, 2010 |access-date=March 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114211009/http://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2010/03/10/odonnell-takes-aim-at-castle-in-senate-campaign-kick-off/32928 |archive-date=November 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> In her remarks, O'Donnell criticized reckless government spending, said that Castle was the most liberal Republican in the House, and predicted that the ] and grassroots anti-incumbent trends would be in her favor.<ref name="wboc031110" /><ref name="whyy031010" />

When a report from ''The News Journal'' in March 2010 detailed her personal fiscal difficulties, O'Donnell attributed the problems to misunderstandings and errors.<ref name="tnj032010" /> She also said, "I think the fact that I have struggled financially is what makes me so sympathetic."<ref name="tnj032010" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/03/been-there-vote-for-me.html |title=Been There, Vote For Me |newspaper=CQ Politics |date=March 22, 2010 |access-date=March 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201029184024/https://www.webcitation.org/5u8rVGOGU?url=http://blogs.cqrollcall.com/eyeon2010/2010/03/been-there-vote-for-me.html |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> Her financial problems became a focal point of establishment Republican attacks.<ref name="wsj083010">{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/08/30/tea-party-endorses-odonnell-in-delaware |title=Tea Party Backs O'Donnell in Delaware |last=Weisman |first=Jonathan |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=August 30, 2010 |access-date=September 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114161840/http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/08/30/tea-party-endorses-odonnell-in-delaware/ |archive-date=November 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> The chair of the state Republican Party, Tom Ross, said, "She's a candidate who runs for office that unfortunately lives off the proceeds."<ref name="Catanese2010-07-27">{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40275.html |title=O'Donnell gets Tea Party backing |last=Catanese |first=David |publisher=The Politico |date=July 27, 2010 |access-date=August 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226164101/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40275.html |archive-date=December 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> Several commentators said the attacks showed elements of ].<ref name="today's delaware">{{cite web|last=Pfau |first=Anna Belle |url=http://thenewagenda.net/2010/09/14/christine-odonnell-todays-delaware-primary |title=Christine O'Donnell & Today's Delaware Primary |publisher=The New Agenda |date=September 14, 2010 |access-date=September 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117061330/http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/09/14/christine-odonnell-todays-delaware-primary/ |archive-date=November 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="identity politics">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/09/22/2010-09-22_christine_odonnell_thrust_into_pit_of_identity_politics_were_crying_sexism_where.html?page=1 |title=Christine O'Donnell thrust into pit of identity politics: We're crying sexism where it doesn't exist |first=S.E. |last=Cupp |work=New York Daily News |date=September 22, 2010 |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925042728/http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/09/22/2010-09-22_christine_odonnell_thrust_into_pit_of_identity_politics_were_crying_sexism_where.html |archive-date=September 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> The Delaware Republican Party sponsored last minute ]s from former O'Donnell staff members charging that O'Donnell was "no conservative" and was financially irresponsible.<ref name="politico-aidefraud">{{Cite news | title = Ex-aide: Christine O'Donnell a 'complete fraud' | url = http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42141.html | access-date =September 17, 2010| newspaper = Politico | date = September 14, 2010|first=David |last=Catanese}}</ref> O'Donnell responded by saying the attacks on her finances were an insult to Delaware voters.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christine-odonnell-attacks-on-my-finances-insult-voters/ |title=Christine O'Donnell: Attacks on My Finances Insult Voters |work=CBS News |date=September 14, 2010 |first=David S. |last=Morgan |archive-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104210042/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20016327-503544.html |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref>

In the final weeks before the primary, O'Donnell became firmly allied with the Tea Party movement which provided last minute funding to her campaign amounting to more than $250,000, according to Fox News,<ref name="upsets castle" /> with the Tea Party Express saying it might spend as much as $600,000 backing O'Donnell.<ref name="wsj083010"/>

Castle ignored O'Donnell's candidacy and refused to debate her, calling her dishonest.<ref name="hinges on">{{cite web|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100911/NEWS02/9110350/Delaware-politics-Senate-primary-hinges-on-character |title=Delaware politics: Senate primary hinges on character |first=Ginger |last=Gibson |publisher=The News Journal |date=September 11, 2010 |access-date=October 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210045428/http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100911/NEWS02/9110350/Delaware-politics-Senate-primary-hinges-on-character |archive-date=December 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> In early September a political consulting firm hired by O'Donnell released a Web video insinuating that Castle was having a ] affair.<ref name="backer makes">{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0910/ODonnell_backer_makes_sex_charge_in_Delaware_race.html |title=O'Donnell backer makes sex charge in Delaware race |first=Ben |last=Smith |publisher=Politico |date=September 1, 2010 |access-date=September 16, 2010 |archive-date=September 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904035336/http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0910/ODonnell_backer_makes_sex_charge_in_Delaware_race.html |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> O'Donnell attempted to distance herself from the claim, stating that the consulting firm was no longer working for her campaign. She then appeared on ]'s radio show, accusing Castle of engaging in "unmanly tactics" during the campaign and saying, "this is not a bake-off, put your man-pants on."<ref>{{cite web|first=Eric |last=Kleefeld |url=http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/odonnell-blasts-castles-un-manly-tactics-audio.php |title=O'Donnell Blasts Castle's 'Un-Manly' Tactics (AUDIO) |publisher=Talking Points Memo |work=TPMDC |date=September 10, 2010 |access-date=September 16, 2010 |archive-date=November 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115142912/http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/odonnell-blasts-castles-un-manly-tactics-audio.php |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

National attention brought additional scrutiny of her record, and repeated questions about the accuracy of her statements from national and local political leaders and news media including ],<ref name="Rove">{{cite web | date = September 15, 2010 | url = http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42275.html | title = Rove to O'Donnell: Tell the truth | first = Andy| last = Barr| publisher =Politico | access-date = September 16, 2010}}</ref> the state's largest newspaper, ''The News Journal'',<ref name="GOP is">{{Cite news | url = http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20109080315 | title = GOP is correct to spotlight O'Donnell's problems with the truth| date=September 8, 2010 | first = Ron| last = Williams| publisher =The News Journal|location=Wilmington, Delaware}}</ref><ref name="endorsement shows">{{Cite news | url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/2129636161.html?FMT=ABS&date=Sep+04%2C+2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120724215332/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/2129636161.html?FMT=ABS&date=Sep+04%2C+2010| url-status = dead| archive-date = July 24, 2012| title = Tea party endorsement shows a lack of reason | date = September 4, 2010 |format=Abstract| publisher =The News Journal (Delaware)}}</ref> and local conservative radio host and former supporter Dan Gaffney of ] radio.<ref name="autogenerated9496">{{cite web | url = http://www.wgmd.com/?p=9496 | title = Dan Gaffney Audio: Christine O'Donnell for Senate Interview | publisher = ] | date = September 2, 2010 | access-date = September 2, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100906144047/http://www.wgmd.com/?p=9496 | archive-date = September 6, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="Catanese2010-09-02">{{cite web| last = Catanese| first = David| title = Christine O'Donnell plays defense on radio| date = September 2, 2010| publisher = Politico| url = http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/41716.html| access-date = September 2, 2010}}</ref> O'Donnell's responses consisted of correcting the information, brushing it aside, or downplaying the discrepancies.<ref name="autogenerated9496" /><ref name="Catanese2010-09-02" /><ref>{{cite web | publisher =Weekly Standard | title = Reporters question O'Donnell about Princeton grad school claim | date =September 14, 2010| url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/reporters-question-odonnell-about-princeton-grad-school-claim | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100918010915/http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/reporters-question-odonnell-about-princeton-grad-school-claim | url-status = dead | archive-date = September 18, 2010 | author = John McCormack}}</ref><ref name="meet christine">{{Cite news | url = http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=15B0AD27-18FE-70B2-A804DE63AC249334 | title = Meet Christine O'Donnell... | author = Tim Grieve and Andy Barr | newspaper = Politico | date = September 15, 2010 | access-date = September 17, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100919150753/http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=15B0AD27-18FE-70B2-A804DE63AC249334 | archive-date = September 19, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

O'Donnell won the September 14, 2010, primary election by six percentage points over Castle,<ref>{{Cite news | last = Yellin | first = Jessica | title = Christine O'Donnell wins Delaware GOP Senate primary | publisher = CNN | date = September 14, 2010 | url = http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/14/delaware.senate.primary/index.html | access-date = September 17, 2010}}</ref> garnering more than 30,000 votes altogether,<ref name="Chase2010-09-15" /> and becoming the eighth Tea Party-backed candidate to oust a GOP establishment candidate in a 2010 primary contest.<ref name="tea party shock">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/09/christine-odonnell-tea-party-shock-gop-establishment-in-delaware.html |title=Christine O'Donnell, Tea Party Shock GOP Establishment in Delaware& |author=<!--Not stated--> |work=ABC News |date=September 14, 2010 |access-date=September 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102124140/http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/09/christine-odonnell-tea-party-shock-gop-establishment-in-delaware.html |archive-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> According to '']'', her support largely came from the southern part of the state where Republican voters are socially conservative and against ].<ref name="rebel republican"/>

Following O'Donnell's primary win, ''Politico'' published an article entitled "Meet Christine O'Donnell..." that began with the following sentence: <blockquote>The Republican Party's hopes for winning back the Senate rest on a perennial candidate with a sketchy employment history who has dissembled about her education, defaulted on her student loan and her mortgage, sued a former employer for mental anguish, railed against the evils of masturbation and questioned whether it would have been OK to lie to prevent Nazis from killing Jews during World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/09/meet-christine-odonnell-042209|title=Meet Christine O'Donnell ...|first1=Tim|last1=Grieve|first2=Y.|last2=Barr|website=POLITICO|date=September 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211035705/https://www.politico.com/story/2010/09/meet-christine-odonnell-042209 |archive-date=December 11, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

====Endorsements====
By July 2010, O'Donnell had received endorsements from the Tea Party Express, which called her a "strong voice for conservative ] principles".<ref name="wsj083010"/><ref name="Catanese2010-07-27"/> She was also endorsed by the ]<ref name="Catanese2010-07-27" /> and the ].<ref>{{cite press release | url = http://www.frcaction.org/frcapacinternal/frc-action-pac-endorses-christine-odonnell-for-senate | title = FRC Action PAC Endorses Christine O'Donnell for Senate| publisher =] | date = July 27, 2010 | access-date = August 14, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728221143/http://www.frcaction.org/frcapacinternal/frc-action-pac-endorses-christine-odonnell-for-senate | archive-date=July 28, 2010 | url-status=live}}</ref> In the final days before the primary, she received endorsements from the ], U.S. Senator ],<ref name="nra-en">{{cite web | url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/nra-demint-endorse-christine-odonnell | title = NRA & DeMint Endorse Christine O'Donnell | first = John| last = McCormack| publisher =The Weekly Standard | date = September 10, 2010 | access-date = September 16, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911201226/http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/nra-demint-endorse-christine-odonnell | archive-date=September 11, 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="DeMint Endorsement">{{Cite news | url = http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/09/de_sen_odonnell.php | title = DE SEN: O'Donnell Pulls Off Stunning Upset Over Castle | author = Jacobs, Jeremy P. | author2 = Kraushaar, Josh | publisher = Hotline On Call | date = September 15, 2010 | access-date = September 15, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100916183157/http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/09/de_sen_odonnell.php | archive-date = September 16, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2010/09/09/palin-endorses-o-donnell-in-delaware.aspx | title = Palin Endorses O'Donnell in Delaware | author = Weigel, David | magazine = ] | date = September 9, 2010 | access-date = September 11, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100910145521/http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2010/09/09/palin-endorses-o-donnell-in-delaware.aspx | archive-date = September 10, 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref> and conservative commentators ], ], and ].<ref name="hinges on"/>

====General election====
{{See also|Opinion polling for the 2010 United States Senate elections#Delaware}}
Following her primary victory, O'Donnell urged voters to keep an open mind about the unflattering picture that was being painted of her, and suggested that media reports are not always accurate.<ref name="open mind" /> She delivered a speech to the ] in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 2010, saying that anti-American elites were trying to marginalize mainstream, core conservatives.<ref name="VVSSpeech2010-09-17">{{cite web| last = O'Donnell| first = Christine| title = Speech by Christine O'Donnell| date = September 17, 2010| publisher = Politico| url = http://www.supportchristine.com/VideoVVSPt1.html| access-date = April 2, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Catanese2010-09-17">{{cite web| last = Catanese| first = David| title = Christine O'Donnell hits the stage at Values Voter Summit| date = September 17, 2010| publisher = Politico| url = http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42348.html#ixzz0zyROMe6R| access-date = September 19, 2010}}</ref>

After winning the primary, O'Donnell began employing staffers from various states, including Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia, and hired a Virginia public affairs firm, Shirley & Banister, that has served major conservative clients.<ref name="from middle" /><ref>{{cite news|work=The News Journal|date=September 23, 2010|title=Christine O'Donnell's staff to grow after Media Money Blitz|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100923/NEWS02/9230374/Delaware-politics-Christine-O-Donnell-s-staff-to-grow-after-media-money-blitz}}</ref> In early October, it was noted that O'Donnell's campaign had raised more money from outside Delaware than within the state, leading to questions of whether out-of-state contributors will have more influence over the general election than Delaware residents.<ref>{{cite news|work=The News Journal|date=October 2, 2010|title=O'Donnell Abruptly Flees Spotlight|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20101002/NEWS02/10020356/O-Donnell-abruptly-flees-spotlight}}</ref> By September 30, O'Donnell's general election campaign had received nearly $4 million in contributions from all over the country.<ref name="questions church and state">{{cite news |work=USA Today|date=October 19, 2010 |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/10/delaware-candidate-christine-odonnell-questions-church-and-state-separation/1 |title=Delaware candidate Christine O'Donnell questions church and state separation|first=John|last=Fritze|access-date=October 19, 2010}}</ref> Those contributions continued despite an October 28 ] PublicMind poll that showed O'Donnell trailing Democrat Chris Coons 36% to 57%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://publicmind.fdu.edu/winsome/final.pdf |title=O'Donnell Winning Tea Party, Losing Delaware |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University |date=October 28, 2010 |access-date=August 6, 2013}}</ref>

O'Donnell's educational record came under media scrutiny during her general election campaign. Despite her 2006 campaign website describing her as a "graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University," she had not been awarded her bachelor's degree in English literature until September 2010 – 17 years after leaving the school and two weeks before her 2010 Republican primary. O'Donnell's campaign originally credited the delay to financial issues (alleging that her diploma was withheld until she paid off student loans), but later reported that she had finished a final degree requirement during the summer of 2010.<ref name="17 years">{{cite web |last=Catanese |first=David |title=17 years later, O'Donnell earns degree |date=September 3, 2010 |work=Politico |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/41750.html |access-date=April 18, 2011}}</ref>

Also, in a 2005 lawsuit, O'Donnell had claimed her employer broke its promise to give her time to pursue a master's degree at Princeton, forcing her to drop out of attending non-degree courses there.<ref name="ISI lawsuit">{{cite news |work=Federal Court |title=Christine O'Donnell's lawsuit |date=June 30, 2005 |url=http://www.enjoyabaco.com/ODonnellComplaint.pdf |first=Christine |last=O'Donnell |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008152337/http://www.enjoyabaco.com/ODonnellComplaint.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Journalists confirmed that O'Donnell was never officially enrolled in the university and only took non-degree courses at Princeton, as she had claimed. Other criticisms involved profiles on LinkedIn and MySpace claiming she had studied at ] in England (a spokesperson for O'Donnell confirmed it was a reference to a certificate she obtained from a course at Oxford overseen by the Phoenix Institute and denies it was presented "as a course run by Oxford University")<ref name="Phoenix">{{cite news|newspaper=PresidentAristotle2010 |title=Christine O'Donnell at Oxford|date=September 29, 2010|url=http://presidentaristotle2010.blogspot.com/2010/09/christine-odonnell-at-oxford-some-notes.html}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=August 2011}} and at the ] in Southern California.<!-- <ref name="academic background"/> --><ref name="another Christine">{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Another Christine O'Donnell Embellishment |date=September 29, 2010 |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/another_christine_odonnell_emb.html |first=Greg |last=Sargent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026063635/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/another_christine_odonnell_emb.html |archive-date=October 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> O'Donnell's attendance at the ] was confirmed, but a LinkedIn profile listed her as attending the ].<ref name="another Christine"/> The MySpace page was presented as dating from 2008, but actually listed her age at 41 years old, thereby dating it from August 2010. O'Donnell responded, "I never established a LinkedIn profile or authorized anyone to do so on my behalf."<ref name="profile said">{{cite news |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/linkedin-profile-said-odonnell-attended-oxford/ |date=September 29, 2010|title=LinkedIn Profile Said O'Donnell Attended Oxford |first=Janie |last=Lorber |newspaper=The New York Times <!--|poor format, do not use unless original becomes unavailable archiveurl= https://www.webcitation.org/5tgMnqJan?url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/linkedin-profile-said-odonnell-attended-oxford/|archive-date=October 22, 2010-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=The Washington Post |title=LinkedIn Responds to O'Donnell |date=September 30, 2010 |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/happy_hour_roundup_98.html |first=Greg |last=Sargent |work=The Plum Line |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015171719/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/happy_hour_roundup_98.html |archive-date=October 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="speaks out">{{cite news|title=Christine O'Donnell Speaks Out on Oxford Flap |date=September 29, 2010 |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/christine_odonnell_speaks_out.html |first=Greg |last=Sargent |work=The Plum Line |publisher=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112191222/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/christine_odonnell_speaks_out.html |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

On September 17, 2010, comedian ] aired a clip of O'Donnell from the October 29, 1999, episode of his old show '']'' on his current show '']'',<ref name="McGreal2010-09-20">{{cite news |last=McGreal |first=Chris|title=Christine O'Donnell: I dabbled in witchcraft |date=September 20, 2010 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |location=London|url =https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/20/christine-o-donnell-dabbled-witchcraft|access-date=September 20, 2010}}</ref> in which O'Donnell said, "I dabbled into ] – I never joined a ]. ... I hung around people who were doing these things... We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar. And I didn't know it."<ref name="McGreal2010-09-20"/><ref name="BillMaher1999" >{{cite news|title=Christine O'Donnell Practiced Witchcraft |date=September 17, 2010 |work=Politically Incorrect |publisher=] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iWRw3oZdg4&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1 |access-date=April 18, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Mooney2010-09-20">{{cite news |last=Mooney |first=Alexander |title=O'Donnell in 1999: I dabbled in witchcraft |date=September 18, 2010 |work=Political Ticker |publisher=CNN |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/18/o%E2%80%99donnell-in-1999-i-dabbled-in-witchcraft/ |access-date=April 18, 2011 |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125162922/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/18/o%E2%80%99donnell-in-1999-i-dabbled-in-witchcraft/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="MacAskill2010-09-20">{{Cite news|last=MacAskill|first=Ewen|title=Christine O'Donnell keeps rightwingers spellbound despite witchcraft claim|date=September 20, 2010|work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/20/christine-odonnell-witchcraft-republican-right|access-date=September 20, 2010|location=London}}</ref><ref name="BillMaher1999restofthestory" >{{cite news|title=Christine O'Donnell Condemned Witchcraft|work=Politically Incorrect |publisher=]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P33APxgi4kE |access-date=July 5, 2011}}</ref> Her admission received widespread media coverage,<ref name="McGreal2010-09-20" /><ref name="Bauder 2010-09-21">{{cite news |last=Bauder |first=David |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4RSQ56a3WTiFTp5aeSm9-hts8MAD9ICFDMG2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924044613/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4RSQ56a3WTiFTp5aeSm9-hts8MAD9ICFDMG2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 24, 2010 |title=O'Reilly, Maher both have old O'Donnell footage |agency=Associated Press |date=September 1, 2010 |access-date=September 23, 2010}}</ref> and O'Donnell explained that she had been referring to high school experiences.<ref name="Chase2010-09-19">{{Cite news|last=Chase |first=Randall |title=O'Donnell makes light of witchcraft comment |agency=Associated Press |date=September 19, 2010 |publisher=The Buffalo News |url=http://www.buffalonews.com/wire-feeds/24-hour-national-news/article195045.ece |access-date=September 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610220819/http://www.buffalonews.com/wire-feeds/24-hour-national-news/article195045.ece |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="Stelter 2010-09-19">{{Cite news|last=Stelter|first=Brian|title=Political Cauldron Stirred by Old Video of Candidate|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 19, 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/us/politics/20odonnell.html?_r=1&hpw|access-date=September 20, 2010}}</ref>

O'Donnell followed up with a TV campaign ad for the general election in which she declared, "I'm not a witch." This ad inspired many video parodies,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/20/elvira-christine-odonnell_n_770527.html |title=Elvira Spoofs Christine O'Donnell's 'I'm Not A Witch' Ad |work= Huffington Post|date=October 20, 2010 |access-date=December 3, 2010 |first=Katla |last=McGlynn}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/im-not-a-witch-the-remix/ |title="I'm Not A Witch" — The Remix|work= The Ca10-2626-10|access-date=December 3, 2010|first=Ashley|last=Parker|date=October 26, 2010}}</ref> the most famous of which was a parody by comedian ] on '']''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/09/kristen-wiig-parodies-chr_n_757116.html |title='SNL' Does The Best Parody Of Christine O'Donnell's 'Not A Witch' Ad Yet|work=Huffington Post|last=McGlynn|first=Katia|date=October 10, 2010|access-date=December 3, 2010}}</ref> O'Donnell later said that the ad backfired and focused attention on her decade-old statement.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/10/21/christine-odonnell-regrets-im-not-a-witch-ad/|title=Christine O'Donnell Regrets 'I'm Not a Witch' Ad|first=Tom|last=Diemer |newspaper=Politics Daily|date=October 21, 2010}}</ref> Maher apologized to O'Donnell on his show in 2012 stating, "I know when I brought out the witch tape I made your life hell and I'm sorry about that. ... I gotta say, I don't agree with your ideas but it shouldn't have hung on that stupid witch thing." O'Donnell accepted the apology from Maher and blamed herself for the "I'm not a witch" advertisement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2012/09/maher-says-sorry-to-witch-odonnell-080941|title=Maher says sorry to 'witch' O'Donnell|work=POLITICO|access-date=2017-10-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/08/christine-o-donnell-bill-maher_n_1867137.html|title=Christine O'Donnell, Bill Maher Discuss 'Witch' Ad; Maher Apologizes (VIDEO)|last=Lavender|first=Paige|date=2012-09-08|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2017-10-06|language=en-US}}</ref>

After the September 14, 2010 primary, ] (CREW) alleged that O'Donnell made false statements on ] filings and illegally used more than $20,000 of her campaign funds as "her very own personal piggy bank" by claiming campaign expenses during a time when she was not a candidate in 2009.<ref name="watchdog">{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/18/odonnell.ethics/?hpt=T2 |title=Watchdog group: Delaware candidate's spending flat-out illegal |author=<!--Not stated--> |work=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110120234/http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/18/odonnell.ethics/?hpt=T2 |archive-date=November 10, 2012 |date=September 18, 2010 |access-date=September 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> CREW filed a complaint on September 20, 2010, with the FEC and asked the U.S. Attorney in Delaware to investigate these allegations.<ref name="ex-aide" /> O'Donnell responded to the accusations, telling reporters there was "no truth to it. I personally have not misused the campaign funds"<ref name="denies">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/21/2010-09-21_christine_odonnell_tea_party_senate_contender_denies_she_misused_campaign_funds.html |title=Christine O'Donnell, Tea Party Senate contender, denies she misused campaign funds |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924151741/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/21/2010-09-21_christine_odonnell_tea_party_senate_contender_denies_she_misused_campaign_funds.html |archive-date=September 24, 2010 |first=Sean |last=Alfano |work=New York Daily News |date=September 1, 2010 |access-date=September 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="responds to allegations">{{cite web | url = http://www.necn.com/09/21/10/ODonnell-responds-to-allegations-of-misu/landing.html?blockID=314951&feedID=4212 | title = O'Donnell responds to allegations of misused funds| publisher =New England Cable News | date = September 1, 2010 | access-date = September 1, 2010}}</ref> and refused to answer specific questions about her finances when asked by CNN.<ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/20/odonnell.funds.allegations/index.html
|title=O'Donnell sidesteps specifics on funds, says 'no truth' to allegations
|first1=Brian
|last1=Todd
|first2=Gary
|last2=Tuchman
|first3=Kevin
|last3=Bohn
|work=CNN
|date=September 1, 2010
|access-date=September 1, 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031145204/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/20/odonnell.funds.allegations/index.html
|archive-date=October 31, 2010
|url-status=dead
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}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = O'Donnell dodging tough questions? | date = September 20, 2010 | url = http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2010/09/20/ac.tuchman.odonnell.questions.cnn?iref=allsearch | format = Video | publisher = CNN}}</ref> In December 2010, the AP reported that federal authorities had opened a criminal investigation into CREW's complaint.<ref name="ap_criminal">{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Nuckols |title=Feds probe Christine O'Donnell's campaign spending |url=http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/12/29/feds-probe-christine-odonnells-campaign-spending/ |publisher=] |agency=] |date=December 29, 2010 |access-date=April 20, 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On July 15, 2011, the Federal US Attorney's Office announced it had closed the criminal investigation of Christine O'Donnell's campaign finances and has referred the case to the FEC for administrative enforcement. Another FEC complaint filed against the O'Donnell campaign by CREW for improper coordination of events and expenses between O'Donnell's 2010 Primary campaign and the Tea Party Express in California was subsequently dismissed by the FEC when the FEC Commissioner's vote was tied 3–3 on whether to proceed with the case, even through the FEC's own lawyers believed that there was sufficient evidence for the FEC to proceed to investigate these allegations against the O'Donnell campaign and the Tea Party Express.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/16/christine-odonnell-crew-investigation_n_900815.html |title=Christine O'Donnell Lawyer: Feds Should Investigate CREW |publisher=HuffPost |date=July 16, 2011 |access-date=August 8, 2011 |first=Elyse |last=Siegel}}</ref>

O'Donnell's year-end campaign financial report to the Federal Election Commission reported that her campaign returned $56,124 of campaign donations between October 2010 and December 2010, and had still retained $654,336.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/201102020345/NEWS02/102020323?odyssey=mod_related_topix |title=Delaware politics: Christine O'Donnell refunds $19,713 in last 6 weeks of year | newspaper= The News Journal |publisher=The Gannett Corporation|first= Nicole |last=Gaudiano|date= February 2, 2011 |access-date=February 9, 2011 }}</ref>

In 2016, a judge ruled that O'Donnell violated federal law by using campaign funds to pay her personal rent and utility bills in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2016/09/22/judge-christine-odonnell-violated-election-law/90847586/|title=Judge: Christine O'Donnell violated election law|first=Jessica Masulli Reyes, and Matthew|last=Albright|website=The News Journal}}</ref>

During a debate between O'Donnell and opponent ] on October 13, 2010, O'Donnell was asked what Supreme Court cases she disagreed with. O'Donnell drew a blank and asked co-moderator Nancy Karibjanian to name one for her, which Karibjanian refused to do.<ref name="SupremeCourt">{{cite news|title=Christine O'Donnell caught out in Supreme Court gaffe |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8063048/Christine-ODonnell-caught-out-in-Supreme-Court-gaffe.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=October 4, 2010|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite video |people=Christine O'Donnell, Chris Coons |date=October 3, 2010 |title=CNN Debate: Christine O'Donnell falters on debate question |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQZbxm7ntf4 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="barr-scotus-case">{{cite web|last1=Barr|first1=Andy|title=O'Donnell can't name SCOTUS case|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/odonnell-cant-name-scotus-case-043590|website=Politico|access-date=5 June 2016|date=2010-10-14}}</ref>

In an October 19, 2010, debate at the Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, O'Donnell challenged Coons on the topic of the ], asking, "Where in the ] is separation of church and state?"<ref name="barr-separation">{{cite web|last1=Barr|first1=Andy|title=O'Donnell questions separation of church, state |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/odonnell-questions-separation-of-church-state-043826|website=Politico|access-date=5 June 2016|date=2010-10-19}}</ref> After laughter from the audience, Coons responded, "The ] establishes the separation and the fact that the federal government shall not establish any religion, and decisional law by the ] over many, many decades clarifies and enshrines that there is a separation of church and state that our courts and laws must respect". O'Donnell replied, "Let me just clarify. You're telling me that separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?" Coons responded, "Government shall make no establishment of religion" (a slight misquotation of the text of the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion").<ref name="madison">{{cite web|last1=Madison|first1=Lucy |title=Christine O'Donnell: 'Where in the Constitution is the Separation of Church and State?'|website=] |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/christine-odonnell-where-in-the-constitution-is-the-separation-of-church-and-state/|access-date=5 June 2016|date=2010-10-21}}</ref> O'Donnell asked, "That's in the First Amendment?"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1010/19/acd.02.html |title=ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES |work=CNN |date=October 19, 2010 |access-date=August 20, 2011}}</ref>

During the debate, O'Donnell criticized Coons for agreeing with the ] that teaching creationism in the public schools violates the Constitution.<ref name="questions separation">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2010/10/19/odonnell_questions_separation_of_church_state/|title=O'Donnell questions separation of church, state|agency=Associated Press|first=Ben|last=Evans|date=October 19, 2010|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=October 19, 2010}}</ref> She also stated that Coons' belief that the theory of evolution should be taught in public schools was an example of how he believes in big government mandates and "imposing...beliefs on the local schools".<ref name="questions separation" /> O'Donnell was asked whether she supported the repeal of the ], ], and ] Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. She knew that the Seventeenth Amendment concerned the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote and said she would not repeal it, but could not recall the other two.<ref name="questions church and state" />

In the week prior to the general election, the talk radio station ] reported that O'Donnell and her campaign manager had threatened to sue if it released a video of an interview she gave at the station.<ref name="wdelinterviewrept">{{cite news |url=http://www.mediaspy.org/report/2010/10/29/us-senate-candidate-odonnell-threatened-radio-station-over-interview/ |title=Senate candidate O'Donnell threatened radio station over interview |work=The Spy Report |publisher=Media Spy|date=October 29, 2010|access-date=October 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name="wdelinterview">{{cite news |url=http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=427813076639 |title=O'Donnell campaign apologizes to WDEL |publisher=WDEL|date=October 27, 2010|access-date=October 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name="wdelinterviewcbs">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christine-odonnell-camp-apologizes-to-radio-station-for-lawsuit-threat/ |title=Christine O'Donnell Camp Apologizes to Radio Station for Lawsuit Threat |work=CBS News|date=October 27, 2010|access-date=October 29, 2010 |first=Lucy |last=Madison}}</ref> The campaign manager, Matt Moran, was alleged to have threatened to "crush WDEL" with a lawsuit. The O'Donnell campaign subsequently apologized, saying that the incident had been the result of a misunderstanding.<ref name="wdelinterview" />

A July 2010 hypothetical match-up poll by ] showed O'Donnell running ahead of ] by a margin of 2 points (41 to 39 percent).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/delaware/election_2010_delaware_senate |title=Election 2010: Delaware Senate|publisher=Rasmussen Reports|date=July 15, 2010}}</ref>

Post-primary polls found O'Donnell trailing Coons by 15%,<ref>{{cite news |last=Stirewalt |first=Chris |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-polls-track-tea-party-influence-in-5-battleground-states |title=Fox News Polls Track Tea Party Influence in 5 Battleground States |date=September 1, 2010 |access-date=September 23, 2010}}</ref> 9%,<ref>{{cite web |date=September 27, 2010|publisher=Rasmussen Report |title=Election 2010: Delaware Senate|access-date=November 1, 2010 |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/delaware/delaware_senate_possible_castle_write_in_drops_coons_d_below_50_against_o_donnell_r}}</ref> 17%,<ref>See: "" ''DelawareOnline'', 2010-10-6, retrieved February 7, 2011; or "" ], October 6, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-07.</ref> 19%,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/13/cnntime-poll-odonnell-down-19-points-in-delaware-senate-battle/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016101207/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/13/cnntime-poll-odonnell-down-19-points-in-delaware-senate-battle/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 16, 2010 |title=CNN/Time Poll: O'Donnell down 19 points in Delaware Senate battle|date=October 13, 2010|work=CNN}}</ref> 11%,<ref>"{{cite web |publisher=Rasmussen Reports|access-date=November 1, 2010|date=October 15, 2010 |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/delaware/election_2010_delaware_senate|title=Election 2010: Delaware Senate Delaware Senate: Coons (D) Still Posts Double-Digit Lead Over O'Donnell (R)}}</ref> and 10%,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monmouth.edu/polling/admin/polls/MUP37_DE_2.pdf|title=Delaware: O'Donnell Cuts Coons' Edge: Senate margin now 10 points; Little change in House race|work=Monmouth University Poll|publisher=Monmouth University|location=West Long Branch, NJ|date=October 29, 2010|access-date=October 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103115505/http://www.monmouth.edu/polling/admin/polls/MUP37_DE_2.pdf|archive-date=November 3, 2010|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> respectively.

On November 2, 2010, O'Donnell lost the general election to Coons by a margin of 57% to 40%.<ref name="abcnews1" />

===Political positions===
O'Donnell has said she did not believe in regulating private sexual behavior. O'Donnell stated that if elected to the Senate, she would base her political actions on ] rather than her personal beliefs.<ref name="no tax" /> She specifically disavowed her 1996 anti-masturbation stance, saying "I was a pundit. I was very passionate in my 20s and wanted to share my beliefs."<ref name="no tax" />

O'Donnell has identified herself as a member of the "values movement",<ref name="Dwyer 2010-09-20">{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/News/christine-odonnell-homosexuality-identity-disorder/story?id=11681981 |first=Devin |last=Dwyer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923023149/https://abcnews.go.com/News/christine-odonnell-homosexuality-identity-disorder/story?id=11681981 |archive-date=September 23, 2010 |title=Christine O'Donnell: Homosexuality an 'Identity Disorder' |work=ABC News |date=September 20, 2010 |access-date=September 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy}}</ref> and supports government restrictions on abortion care.<ref>{{cite web|first=Keith|last=Fournier|url=http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=38269&wf=rsscol|title=Pro-Life Christine O'Donnell Defeats Anti-Life Mike Castle in Delaware Republican Primary|work=Catholic Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920003559/http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=38269&wf=rsscol|archive-date=September 20, 2011|publisher=Catholic.org|date=September 15, 2010|access-date=September 20, 2010|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> She opposes ], including in cases of ] and ],<ref name="hinges on"/> but if the woman was otherwise going to die, she would allow family members to decide which life to save.<ref name="no tax">{{cite web|last=Lopez |first=Luisita |url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/09/17/christine-odonnell-no-tax-hikes-no-abortion-no-masturbation/ |title=Christine O'Donnell: No Tax Hikes, No Abortion, No Masturbation Ban |date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118010851/http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/09/17/christine-odonnell-no-tax-hikes-no-abortion-no-masturbation/ |archive-date=November 18, 2010 |publisher=PoliticsDaily.com |access-date=September 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy}}</ref> O'Donnell opposes human ],<ref name="open mind">{{Cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 17, 2010 |title=O'Donnell to Delaware Voters: Keep an open mind |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/17/AR2010091702012.html?hpid=topnews |first=Sandhya |last=Somashekhar |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120210021/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/17/AR2010091702012.html?hpid=topnews |archive-date=November 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> ],<ref name="hinges on"/> and research into cloning monkey embryos.<ref name="cloning monkeys">{{Cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/is-cloning-monkeys-morally-wrong |title=Is Cloning Monkeys Morally Wrong? |work=The O'Reilly Factor |publisher=Fox News |date=November 16, 2007 |access-date=September 17, 2010<!--|Please do not remove this comment until the link to full article is dead - this archive is only of part of the material archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5u0BFAZr6?url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C311946%2C00.html |archive-date= November 4, 2010-->}}</ref> In 2007 on ''The O'Reilly Factor'', O'Donnell expressed her moral concerns about stem cell research, and said, "American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/roughsketch/2010/09/christine_odonnell_on_human_mi.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709075449/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/roughsketch/2010/09/christine_odonnell_on_human_mi.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Christine O'Donnell on human mice, lying to Nazis, and the women of Middle Earth}}</ref>

O'Donnell has vowed that she will never vote to increase taxes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-npEhuweIyA|title=Town Hall Meeting w/ Christine O'Donnell in Delaware |date=November 2009|publisher=YouTube |access-date=September 16, 2010}}</ref> She has supported a ],<ref name="wboc031110" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Christine_O%60Donnell.htm |title=Christine O'Donnell on the Issues |publisher=OnTheIssues.org |access-date=September 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Welch2010-09-15">{{cite web |last=Welch |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Welch |url=http://reason.com/blog/2010/09/15/so-what-did-christine-odonnell |title=So What Did Christine O'Donnell Run On?&nbsp;– Hit & Run |work=] |publisher=Reason.com |date=September 15, 2010 |access-date=September 16, 2010}}</ref> opposed Congressional ],<ref name="hinges on"/> and supported a simplification of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://christine2010.com/issues |title=Issues |publisher=Christine O'Donnell for U.S. Senate official campaign site |date=September 15, 2010 |access-date=September 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001002306/http://christine2010.com/issues/ |archive-date=October 1, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2021}}

O'Donnell has said that ] have prevented the U.S. from attaining energy independence by curtailing the drilling of oil in the ]. She has supported the building of more refineries, as well as the use of Delaware's agricultural products in gasoline.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Christine_O%60Donnell_Energy_+_Oil.htm |title=Christine O'Donnell on Energy & Oil |publisher=OnTheIssues.org |access-date=September 23, 2010}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2021}} She opposes ] legislation.<ref name="rebel republican"/><ref name="longing">{{cite news |last=Phillips |first=Michael M. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704858304575498090795879052?mod=googlenews_wsj |title=Longing to Crash the Tea Party |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=September 18, 2010|access-date=September 17, 2010}}</ref>

O'Donnell stated that if elected to the U.S. Senate, her first priority would be to vote to repeal ] enacted by Congress in 2010.<ref name="longing" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://defundit.org/?page_id=6 |title=Pledge to DeFund Obamacare! |publisher=DefundIt.org |access-date=September 16, 2010 |archive-date=December 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205143825/http://defundit.org/?page_id=6 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2021}} She signed the Tea Party activists' "],"<ref name="Tea-Party-Contract">{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tea-party-activists-unveil-contract-america/story?id=10376437 |title=Tea Party Activists Unveil 'Contract from America' |first=Teddy|last=Davis|work=ABC News |date=April 15, 2010 |access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref> which pledged to replace Obamacare with a health insurance system that is "competitive, open, and transparent ]."<ref name="Graves-Contract">{{cite web |last=Graves |first=Scott W |url=http://www.thecontract.org/the-contract-from-america/ |title=The Contract from America |publisher=The Liberty Lab |access-date=September 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118100330/http://www.thecontract.org/the-contract-from-america/ |archive-date=November 18, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

O'Donnell has favored increasing penalties for employers who hire ]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Christine_O%60Donnell_Immigration.htm |title=Christine O'Donnell on Immigration |publisher=OnTheIssues.org |access-date=September 23, 2010}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2021}} She has supported raising the age for receiving ] benefits.<ref name="no tax" /><ref name="lat 9-21">{{Cite news|last=Mascaro|first=Lisa|title=Delaware's O'Donnell seeks to recast herself in Senate campaign|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 1, 2010|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-sep-19-la-na-odonnell-20100919-story.html |access-date=November 21, 2010}}</ref>

In reply to a 2010 question as to whether she would support Senator ] of ] as the Republican leader of the Senate, O'Donnell shrugged and said, "I wouldn't not support him".<ref name="political wild card"/>

==Career after 2010==
In December 2010, O'Donnell announced the formation of a ] (PAC) called "ChristinePAC" to address health care and tax issues.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/08/christine-pac-christine-odonnell-political-action-committee_n_793634.html |title='Christine PAC': Christine O'Donnell Plans Political Action Committee |access-date=February 9, 2011 |date=December 8, 2010 |work=The Huffington Post}}</ref> Paperwork for the PAC was filed with the ] in January 2011. The filing indicated that the PAC would not be used to fund candidates for federal office.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/odonnell-forms-christinepac/?partner=rss&emc=rss |title=Christine O'Donnell Starts Her Own PAC|work=The Caucus – The New York Times|date=January 18, 2011|first=Michael D. |last= Shear |access-date=February 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://query.nictusa.com/pdf/607/11030540607/11030540607.pdf#navpanes=0 |title=ChristinePAC Filing with the Federal Election Commission |access-date=February 9, 2011 |date=January 3, 2011 |format=PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221210250/http://query.nictusa.com/pdf/607/11030540607/11030540607.pdf#navpanes=0 |archive-date=February 21, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a letter to supporters on February 8, 2011, O'Donnell stated that her PAC would allow her "to counter attack left-wing groups, fight the liberal media and support conservative candidates against the liberal-controlled GOP establishment".<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Evans |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=12867551 |title=O'Donnell Claims She Was Obama's Top Opponent |work=ABC News |date=February 8, 2011 |access-date=August 19, 2011}}</ref>

In 2011, O'Donnell published ''Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes To Make America Great Again''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/christine-odonnell-book-troublemaker-excerpted/story?id=14310418|title=Christine O'Donnell Book 'Troublemaker' Excerpted|website=ABC News}}</ref> In August 2011, O'Donnell appeared on ''Piers Morgan Tonight'' to promote the book, but ended the interview after Morgan questioned her about gay marriage.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2011/0818/Christine-O-Donnell-walks-off-Piers-Morgan-for-being-rude-VIDEO|title=Christine O'Donnell walks off Piers Morgan for being 'rude' |date=August 18, 2011|journal=Christian Science Monitor}}</ref>

{{As of|2015|02}}, O'Donnell was employed as a columnist for '']''.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/staff/christine-odonnell/ | title=Christine O'Donnell | newspaper=] | access-date=19 October 2016 }}</ref>

In a March 2016 CNN appearance, O'Donnell spoke out against ]. O'Donnell stated that she could not tolerate Trump as a Republican presidential nominee, accused him of "inciting riots", and added that she could not understand why evangelical leaders supported him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/17/politics/christine-odonnell-donald-trump-bash-return/index.html|title=Christine O'Donnell on Donald Trump: 'He's not actually doing anything except inciting riots' &#124; CNN Politics|first=Theodore|last=Schleifer|date=March 17, 2016|website=CNN}}</ref> Trump would later go on to be the party nominee for the next three elections.


==Electoral history== ==Electoral history==
{| class=wikitable
{{S-start}}
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Year
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Office
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Election
!
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Subject
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Party
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Votes
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Pct
!
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Opponent
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Party
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Votes
!bgcolor=#cccccc |Pct
|- |-
! Year
! Office
! Election
! Winner
! Party
! Votes
! Pct
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! Pct
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! Pct
|- |-
|] | rowspan=2 | 2006
|] | rowspan=2 | U.S. Senator
|] | Primary
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | ]
|
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 6,110
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 43%
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |6,110
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Michael D. Protack
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |43%
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
|
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 5,771
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]<br>'''Christine O'Donnell'''
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 40%
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | '''Christine O'Donnell'''
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |5,771<br>2,505
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |40%<br>17%
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 2,505
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 17%
|- |-
| General
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | ]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | 170,567
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | 70%
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | ]
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 69,734
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 29%
| {{Party shading/Independent}}| '''Christine O'Donnell'''
| {{Party shading/Independent}}| ]
| {{Party shading/Independent}}| 11,127
| {{Party shading/Independent}}| 4%<br /><ref name="other female"/><ref group="nb">Write-in votes were not counted as part of the official tally of election results for candidates on the ballot, which is why the vote totals add up to 103%. ''See'', {{cite web | url = http://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect06/2006%20Result%20Book.pdf | title = The Power of One Vote: State of Delaware 2006 Election Results | publisher = Delaware Commissioner of Elections | access-date = February 26, 2010 | pages = 2, 28ff}}</ref>
|- |-
| rowspan=2 | 2008
|]
|] | rowspan=2 | U.S. Senator
| Primary
|General
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | '''Christine O'Donnell'''
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |] | {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |] | {{Party shading/Republican}} | n/a
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |170,567 | {{Party shading/Republican}} | n/a
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |70% | {{Party shading/Republican}} | Uncontested
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |]<br>'''Christine O'Donnell''' | {{Party shading/Republican}} |
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |]<br>] | {{Party shading/Republican}} |
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |69,734<br>?
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |29%<br>4%<ref name="po100408"/><ref>O'Donnell's write-in votes were not counted as part of the official tally of election results for candidates on the ballot, hence percentages summing to greater than 100. See {{Cite web| url=http://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect06/2006%20Result%20Book.pdf | title=The Power of One Vote: State of Delaware 2006 Election Results | publisher=Delaware Commissioner of Elections | accessdate=2010-02-26 | pages=2, 28ff}}</ref>
|- |-
| General
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|Democratic
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|257,484<ref name="sen08">{{cite web | url = http://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect08/elect08_general_election/html/elect08_gen_office.shtml | title=State of Delaware: General Election: 2008 | publisher=Delaware Department of Elections | date=December 15, 2008 | access-date=September 6, 2010}}</ref>
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | 64.7%
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | '''Christine O'Donnell'''
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 140,584<ref name="sen08" />
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 35.3%
|- |-
| rowspan=2 | 2010
|]
|] | rowspan=2 | U.S. Senator<br />(Special)
|] | Primary
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | '''Christine O'Donnell'''
|
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |'''Christine O'Donnell'''
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 30,561
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 53.1%
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |n/a
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | ]
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |n/a
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
|
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 27,021
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |Uncontested
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 46.9%
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |
|- |-
| General
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|]
|]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|Democratic
|]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|173,900
|General
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | 56.6%
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|] | {{Party shading/Republican}} | '''Christine O'Donnell'''
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|] | {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican
| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 123,025
|{{Party shading/Democratic}}|257,484<ref name="sen08">{{Cite web| url=http://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect08/elect08_general_election/html/elect08_gen_office.shtml | title=State of Delaware: General Election: 2008 | publisher=Delaware Department of Elections | date=2008-12-15 | accessdate=2010-09-06}}</ref>
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |64.7% | {{Party shading/Republican}} | 40.0%
| |}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |'''Christine O'Donnell'''
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |]
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |140,584<ref name="sen08" />
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |35.3%
|-
|-
|]
|]
|]
|
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |'''Christine O'Donnell'''
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |30,561
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |53.1%
|
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |]
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |27,021
|bgcolor=#FFE8E8 |46.9%
|-
{{S-end}}


==Personal life==
{{S-start}}
O'Donnell is single.<ref name="political wild card"/>
{{S-ppo}}

{{Succession box
===Financial issues===
| before= Raymond J. Clatworthy
In October 2007 O'Donnell stopped paying the mortgage of her Wilmington house and the mortgage company obtained a judgment against her in the spring of 2008 for $90,000. The house was to be sold at a sheriff's auction in August 2008 when she sold it the month prior to her Senate campaign to an attorney who was also her boyfriend at the time.<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="tnj032010" /><ref name="ex-aide">{{cite web | url = http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/09/20/christine_odonnell_expenses | title = Ex-aide: Christine O'Donnell lived off campaign funds:A watchdog group claims that the Tea Party's favorite Senate candidate broke the law | first = Mark| last = Benjamin| work =Salon | date = September 20, 2010 | access-date = September 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=Salon|date=September 23, 2010|title= So, Did Christine O'Donnell Break the Law?|url= http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/09/23/christine_o_donnell_law|author=Mark Benjamin}}</ref>
|title= ] nominee for ]<br>(])

|years= ], ]
The day O'Donnell filed to run for Senate, her tax records were accessed by a Delaware state employee.<ref name="PoliticoUSAToday2013">{{cite news |first=Rachael|last=Bade |title=IRS watchdog to investigate Christine O'Donnell claim |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/irs-watchdog-to-investigate-christine-donnell-claim-94514.html |newspaper=Politico |date=July 20, 2013 |access-date=December 26, 2014 }}<br />{{cite news |first=Jonathan|last=Starkey |agency=The News Journal |title=O'Donnell tax information possibly 'misused' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/19/odonnell-tax-info-possibly-misused/2568687/ |newspaper=USA Today |date=July 19, 2013 |access-date=December 26, 2014 }}</ref> Records of the access were destroyed according to officials of the State of Delaware.<ref>{{cite news |author=Fox and Friends |title=Did the IRS Sink Tea Party Candidate O'Donnell's 2010 Campaign? |url=http://insider.foxnews.com/2013/07/24/christine-odonnell-irs-snooped-my-tax-records-issued-lien-error |newspaper=Fox News |date=July 24, 2014 |access-date=December 26, 2014 }}</ref> The same day, ] (IRS) filed a ] in 2010 (on the day she announced her run for the open U.S. Senate seat), on the house that O'Donnell had not owned for two years, claiming that O'Donnell owed $11,744 in back taxes and penalties as a result from a formerly owned house.<ref name="PoliticoUSAToday2013"/> O'Donnell posted documents on her website showing that the lien was a mistake, as the audit was not yet complete and there was not yet any final determination of whether she owed any further taxes or not,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/christine-odonnell-the-next-tea-party-surprise/62326 | title = Christine O'Donnell: The Next Tea Party Surprise?| publisher =] | date = August 31, 2010 | access-date = September 16, 2010 }}</ref> and noted that the IRS agent handling the matter claimed he was perplexed by the agency's actions.<ref name="tnj032010" /> The lien was later removed, as the IRS said it was an error caused by a computer glitch.<ref name="PoliticoUSAToday2013"/> O'Donnell believes she was ].<ref>{{cite news |first=Ben|last=Wolfgang |title=More safeguards needed to protect personal tax information: federal audit |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/21/audit-safeguards-needed-protect-personal-tax-info/?page=all |newspaper=Washington Times |date=October 21, 2014 |access-date=December 26, 2014 }}<br />{{cite news |author=Christine O'Donnell |title=My IRS tax records were breached, misused against me – and it can happen to you, too |url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/my-irs-tax-records-were-breached-misused-against-me-and-it-can-happen-to-you-too/ |newspaper=Fox News |date=March 5, 2014 |access-date=December 26, 2014 }}</ref> In 2010 campaign finance reports, she listed herself as self-employed.<ref name="tnj032010" />
|after=Most recent}}

In November 2014, the IRS placed another lien on O'Donnell's accounts, claiming she owed $30,000 from a house transaction. O'Donnell disputed the lien, and was informed it was an error, and her account would be restored. The lien was removed but O'Donnell claims the IRS also emptied her account before unfreezing it and said that as of Christmas Day 2014 the funds had not been returned.<ref>{{cite news |first=John|last=Solomon |title=IRS mistakenly penalizes Christine O'Donnell a second time, placed levy on bank accounts |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/25/christine-odonnell-tea-party-figure-says-irs-mista/#! |newspaper=Washington Times |date=December 25, 2014 |access-date=December 26, 2014 }}</ref>{{update inline|date=October 2015}}

===Religious views===
Raised as a Catholic, O'Donnell found her interest in her family religion waning during her teenage years while she considered various beliefs and searched for spiritual truth. As noted above, on October 29, 1999, in an interview for '']'' with Bill Maher, O'Donnell stated that she had "dabbled into witchcraft".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iWRw3oZdg4|title=Christine O'Donnell Practiced Witchcraft (BEST QUALITY)|date=September 17, 2010 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

Originally a ] who believed in ], O'Donnell has said she experienced an ] at age 21 when she saw graphic descriptions and pictures in medical journals of how an ] is performed.<ref name="political wild card"/> "There's only truth and not truth," O'Donnell said she realized at that moment. "You're either very good or ]."<ref name="from middle"/> She dropped her acting aspirations, began thinking about moral issues, and became an ] Christian, due to the appeal of the moral certainty she felt the movement offered.<ref name="from middle"/><ref name="catholic.org"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926080543/http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=38269 |date=September 26, 2013 }}, Deacon Keith Fournier, September 15, 2010, "Christine is a Catholic Christian and a consistent conservative who gets it."</ref> She chose to live a ] life, began espousing ], and joined the ].<ref name="rebel republican">{{Cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/us/politics/16odonnell.html | title = Rebel Republican Marching on, With Baggage | last1 = Steinhauer | first1 = Jennifer | last2 = Rutenberg | first2 = Jim | newspaper = New York Times | date = September 15, 2010 | access-date = September 15, 2010<!--|
Please do not remove this comment until the link to the original article is dead - this archive is poorly formatted archiveurl= https://www.webcitation.org/5u5rw8tAq?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/us/politics/16odonnell.html?_r%3D1 |archive-date= November 8, 2010-->}}</ref><ref name="newest darling">{{cite news| url =http://mobile.app.com/detail.jsp?key=378029&rc=ne&full=1| title =Delaware Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell grew up in NJ| access-date =September 19, 2010|author=<!--Not stated.-->| newspaper =Asbury Park Press| quote =She became an evangelical Christian, a departure from her relatively lax Catholic upbringing.| df =mdy-all}}{{dead link|date=January 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In a 1998 interview, O'Donnell said: "We took the Bible and prayer out of public schools. Now we're having weekly shootings. We had the '60s sexual revolution, and now people are dying of AIDS."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFisw16di3w |title=Politically Incorrect August 1998 Part 1 of 2 Eddie Izzard Christine O'Donnell |publisher=YouTube |date=June 21, 2009 |access-date=August 6, 2013}}</ref> O'Donnell identifies as a ], and in 2011, on the subject of evolution, she said, "You know what, evolution is a myth... Why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans?"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/25/christine-odonnell-evolution-monkeys_n_739131.html |title=Christine O'Donnell: 'Evolution Is A Myth. Why Aren't Monkeys Still Evolving Into Humans?' (VIDEO) |publisher=HuffPost |first=Nicholas |last=Graham |date=September 25, 2011 |access-date=August 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2010/09/the_gops_delaware_senate_nomin.html|title=GOP's Delaware Senate Nominee Christine O'Donnell Not a Big Fan of Evolution|website=Intelligencer|date=September 15, 2010 }}</ref>

In 2010, O'Donnell stated that she was open to attending both Catholic and ] services.<ref name="who is">{{Cite news |last=Hartman |first=Rachel Rose |title=Who is tea party sensation Christine O'Donnell |date=September 15, 2010 |publisher=Yahoo News |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100915/el_yblog_upshot/who-is-tea-party-sensation-christine-odonnell |access-date=September 1, 2010<!--|Yahoo news articles cannot be archived archiveurl= https://www.webcitation.org/5u5s1dL4N?url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100915/el_yblog_upshot/who-is-tea-party-sensation-christine-odonnell |archive-date= November 8, 2010-->}}</ref> In an interview on September 4, 2011, for ''Florida Daily NewsMakers with Jeff Lytle'', she stated that she was a devout and practicing Catholic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hbogo.com/#home/video&assetID=GOROSTGP36782?videoMode=embeddedVideo?showSpecialFeatures=false/|title=Real Time with Bill Maher|website=HBO}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2021}}

==Bibliography==
* O'Donnell, Christine (2011). ''Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again'', ], {{ISBN|0-312-64305-5}}.

==Notes==
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==External links== ==External links==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Christine}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Christine}}
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Latest revision as of 21:11, 25 November 2024

American Tea Party politician and former Republican Party candidate "I'm not a witch" redirects here. For the 2017 UK-Zambia drama film, see I Am Not a Witch.

Christine O'Donnell
O'Donnell in 2011
BornChristine Therese O'Donnell
(1969-08-27) August 27, 1969 (age 55)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationFairleigh Dickinson University
(BA)
Political partyRepublican
Websitechristine2010.com (Archive)

Christine Therese O'Donnell (born August 27, 1969) is an American conservative activist in the Tea Party movement best known for her 2010 campaign for the United States Senate seat from Delaware vacated by Joe Biden.

O'Donnell was born in Philadelphia and began her career as a public relations and marketing consultant in the early 1990s. After attending Fairleigh Dickinson University, O'Donnell was active in Republican organizations and campaigns. She also worked for such organizations as Enough is Enough and Concerned Women for America. Later, O'Donnell established her own consulting firm.

O'Donnell ran for the U.S. Senate from the state of Delaware in 2006, 2008, and 2010. In 2006, she ran in the Republican primary for Senate, finishing third. She then ran as a write-in in the general election, drawing four percent of the vote. In 2008, she was the Republican nominee, losing to incumbent Senator Joe Biden, 65% to 35%. In 2010, with strong financial support from the Tea Party movement and an endorsement from Sarah Palin, O'Donnell upset nine-term U.S. Representative and former governor Michael Castle in Delaware's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate; Castle had been favored to win the general election.

O'Donnell's primary win caused an uproar among the political establishment. During the general election campaign, O'Donnell received national media attention for a campaign advertisement in which she declared that she was not a witch. She lost the 2010 general election to Democrat Chris Coons by a margin of 57% to 40%.

Early life and education

O'Donnell was born in Philadelphia and raised in Moorestown, New Jersey. She is the fifth of the six children of Carole (Chillano) and Daniel O'Donnell. Her mother is of Italian descent and her father is of Irish descent. O'Donnell has said that at times, her father had to work three jobs to make ends meet. He worked part-time in community theatre and on local television, and did a brief stint as Bozo the Clown in the 1960s.

O'Donnell graduated from Moorestown High School in 1987, where she was a member of the drama club and a student announcer. She attended Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) beginning in 1987, initially majoring in theater, but later changing to English literature with a concentration in communications. O'Donnell later told The New York Times she had three senior years of college. O'Donnell received a bachelor's degree in English literature from Fairleigh Dickinson in September 2010.

Early career

O'Donnell first held political office in 1991 when she worked the polls for the College Republicans. She was a youth leader for the BushQuayle campaign and attended the 1992 Republican National Convention. While there she began making media contacts, meeting daily with a CNN producer and giving television interviews that offered a college student's perspective on the convention. The following year, O'Donnell worked for three months in Washington, D.C. for the anti-pornography organization Enough is Enough. She then spent two years working in the communications office of the Republican National Committee (RNC) in Washington D.C. O'Donnell later became a spokesperson for the conservative Christian group Concerned Women for America.

In 1996 O'Donnell attended the Republican National Convention in San Diego, moved to Los Angeles, and founded her own advocacy organization, The Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth (SALT), serving as its president. SALT lobbied the U.S. Congress on moral issues and promoted Christian values, including sexual abstinence before marriage, to the college-age generation. In the 1990s, O'Donnell took a public stance against masturbation, calling it "sinful" and equating it with adultery. O'Donnell appeared on Fox News, MSNBC and C-Span as a representative of SALT. She also appeared on MTV's Sex In The 90s, advocating sexual "purity", and was a regular guest panelist on Bill Maher's ABC show Politically Incorrect, appearing in 22 episodes. In a 1996 discussion on CNN, O'Donnell advocated the teaching of creationism in public schools and criticized Darwin's theory of evolution on the ground that it is "merely a theory" or "a myth". She asserted that "there is just as much, if not more, evidence supporting ." In the late 1990s O'Donnell moved back to Washington, D.C., where she continued her advocacy work. In 1998 she published an article in Cultural Dissident entitled "The Case for Chastity". In 2003 she wrote an article, "The Women of Middle Earth," for the Catholic Exchange.

In February 2003 O'Donnell moved to Delaware to work for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), a non-profit conservative publisher of educational materials and bought a house in Wilmington. In 2004, she filed a complaint against ISI with the EEOC saying that she had been demoted due to gender discrimination. Later, on February 26, 2004, she was fired, and in 2005 she sued ISI in federal court for $6.9 million for wrongful termination, claiming gender discrimination and that her firing was retaliation for talking to the EEOC. She said ISI's actions caused her mental anguish and were a consequence of "ISI's conservative beliefs". O'Donnell dropped the suit in 2008, stating she could no longer afford an attorney.

After leaving ISI, O'Donnell started her own media consulting and marketing company. She founded the Catholic Advocacy Network and again began making media appearances. Between the 2006 and 2008 elections, she did pro bono advocacy work opposing the disconnection of a feeding tube for a young woman who was in a persistent vegetative state.

Political campaigns

2006 U.S. Senate election in Delaware

O'Donnell (far left) at a 2006 parade in Georgetown, Delaware, with Senator Tom Carper and other candidates
See also: 2006 United States Senate election in Delaware

In 2006, supporters of the anti-abortion movement asked O'Donnell if she wanted to run against Delaware Senator Tom Carper. O'Donnell ran in the Republican primary for the 2006 U.S. Senate election in Delaware.

In a 2006 interview for a campaign profile, O'Donnell told The News Journal that homosexuals have a psychological defect and that "no Homosexuality is an identity adopted through societal factors." During a primary debate against her Republican opponents, O'Donnell said that China could not be a friend of the U.S. because among other things, it forced women to have abortions and prohibited the reading of the Bible. She also said China was plotting to take over the United States, and that she had classified information which supported her claim.

O'Donnell finished in third place in the Republican primary with 17 percent of the vote, behind winner Jan C. Ting and second-place finisher Michael D. Protack. She then ran in the general election against Ting and incumbent Senator Tom Carper as a write-in candidate, finishing with 11,127 votes, (4 percent of the total votes cast), a number that was considered remarkably large for a write-in and which gave her hope for the 2008 election.

2008 U.S. Senate election in Delaware

See also: 2008 United States Senate election in Delaware

O'Donnell became the nominee of the Republican Party for the United States Senate in 2008 after defeating businessman Tim Smith at the May 3, 2008 state party convention with more than 60 percent of the GOP delegate vote.

O'Donnell's candidacy was endorsed by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former Delaware Governor Pierre DuPont, and conservative writer and policy advocate David Horowitz. Her general election opponent was the state's longest serving Senator, Joe Biden, who was also running for Vice President on the Obama-Biden ticket. O'Donnell questioned Biden's dual campaigns, claiming that serving his constituents was not important to him and criticizing his unwillingness to participate in debates and candidate forums. Opinion polling during the race showed that O'Donnell trailed Biden by a two-to-one margin. In the general election on November 4, 2008, Biden defeated O'Donnell by 65 percent to 35 percent.

O'Donnell's campaign ended the 2008 fiscal year $19,656.29 in debt.

2010 U.S. Senate election in Delaware

See also: 2010 United States Senate special election in Delaware

Following the 2008 election, Biden resigned his Senate seat to become Vice President of the United States, and Governor Ruth Ann Minner appointed Biden's chief of staff, Ted Kaufman, to serve out the first two years of Biden's six year Senate term. A special election would be held coincident with the 2010 general elections to choose who would fill the Senate seat for the remaining four years. In December 2008, O'Donnell announced that she would run for U.S. Senate again in 2010. O'Donnell said that her biggest mistake in her earlier campaigns was not having enough funds. In October 2009, she reiterated that she was running despite the entrance into the race of Republican Congressman and former Governor Mike Castle.

In January 2010, Democrat Beau Biden, a son of Joe Biden, indicated he would not run, and Castle became the favorite to take the seat.

Primary election

On March 10, 2010, O'Donnell officially announced her candidacy before a small group of supporters at University of Delaware's Wilmington campus. In her remarks, O'Donnell criticized reckless government spending, said that Castle was the most liberal Republican in the House, and predicted that the Tea Party movement and grassroots anti-incumbent trends would be in her favor.

When a report from The News Journal in March 2010 detailed her personal fiscal difficulties, O'Donnell attributed the problems to misunderstandings and errors. She also said, "I think the fact that I have struggled financially is what makes me so sympathetic." Her financial problems became a focal point of establishment Republican attacks. The chair of the state Republican Party, Tom Ross, said, "She's a candidate who runs for office that unfortunately lives off the proceeds." Several commentators said the attacks showed elements of sexism. The Delaware Republican Party sponsored last minute robocalls from former O'Donnell staff members charging that O'Donnell was "no conservative" and was financially irresponsible. O'Donnell responded by saying the attacks on her finances were an insult to Delaware voters.

In the final weeks before the primary, O'Donnell became firmly allied with the Tea Party movement which provided last minute funding to her campaign amounting to more than $250,000, according to Fox News, with the Tea Party Express saying it might spend as much as $600,000 backing O'Donnell.

Castle ignored O'Donnell's candidacy and refused to debate her, calling her dishonest. In early September a political consulting firm hired by O'Donnell released a Web video insinuating that Castle was having a homosexual affair. O'Donnell attempted to distance herself from the claim, stating that the consulting firm was no longer working for her campaign. She then appeared on Mark Levin's radio show, accusing Castle of engaging in "unmanly tactics" during the campaign and saying, "this is not a bake-off, put your man-pants on."

National attention brought additional scrutiny of her record, and repeated questions about the accuracy of her statements from national and local political leaders and news media including Karl Rove, the state's largest newspaper, The News Journal, and local conservative radio host and former supporter Dan Gaffney of WGMD radio. O'Donnell's responses consisted of correcting the information, brushing it aside, or downplaying the discrepancies.

O'Donnell won the September 14, 2010, primary election by six percentage points over Castle, garnering more than 30,000 votes altogether, and becoming the eighth Tea Party-backed candidate to oust a GOP establishment candidate in a 2010 primary contest. According to The New York Times, her support largely came from the southern part of the state where Republican voters are socially conservative and against gun control.

Following O'Donnell's primary win, Politico published an article entitled "Meet Christine O'Donnell..." that began with the following sentence:

The Republican Party's hopes for winning back the Senate rest on a perennial candidate with a sketchy employment history who has dissembled about her education, defaulted on her student loan and her mortgage, sued a former employer for mental anguish, railed against the evils of masturbation and questioned whether it would have been OK to lie to prevent Nazis from killing Jews during World War II.

Endorsements

By July 2010, O'Donnell had received endorsements from the Tea Party Express, which called her a "strong voice for conservative constitutionalist principles". She was also endorsed by the Susan B. Anthony List and the Family Research Council. In the final days before the primary, she received endorsements from the NRA Political Victory Fund, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, Sarah Palin, and conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin.

General election

See also: Opinion polling for the 2010 United States Senate elections § Delaware

Following her primary victory, O'Donnell urged voters to keep an open mind about the unflattering picture that was being painted of her, and suggested that media reports are not always accurate. She delivered a speech to the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 2010, saying that anti-American elites were trying to marginalize mainstream, core conservatives.

After winning the primary, O'Donnell began employing staffers from various states, including Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia, and hired a Virginia public affairs firm, Shirley & Banister, that has served major conservative clients. In early October, it was noted that O'Donnell's campaign had raised more money from outside Delaware than within the state, leading to questions of whether out-of-state contributors will have more influence over the general election than Delaware residents. By September 30, O'Donnell's general election campaign had received nearly $4 million in contributions from all over the country. Those contributions continued despite an October 28 Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll that showed O'Donnell trailing Democrat Chris Coons 36% to 57%.

O'Donnell's educational record came under media scrutiny during her general election campaign. Despite her 2006 campaign website describing her as a "graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University," she had not been awarded her bachelor's degree in English literature until September 2010 – 17 years after leaving the school and two weeks before her 2010 Republican primary. O'Donnell's campaign originally credited the delay to financial issues (alleging that her diploma was withheld until she paid off student loans), but later reported that she had finished a final degree requirement during the summer of 2010.

Also, in a 2005 lawsuit, O'Donnell had claimed her employer broke its promise to give her time to pursue a master's degree at Princeton, forcing her to drop out of attending non-degree courses there. Journalists confirmed that O'Donnell was never officially enrolled in the university and only took non-degree courses at Princeton, as she had claimed. Other criticisms involved profiles on LinkedIn and MySpace claiming she had studied at Oxford University in England (a spokesperson for O'Donnell confirmed it was a reference to a certificate she obtained from a course at Oxford overseen by the Phoenix Institute and denies it was presented "as a course run by Oxford University") and at the Claremont Graduate University in Southern California. O'Donnell's attendance at the Claremont Institute was confirmed, but a LinkedIn profile listed her as attending the Claremont Graduate University. The MySpace page was presented as dating from 2008, but actually listed her age at 41 years old, thereby dating it from August 2010. O'Donnell responded, "I never established a LinkedIn profile or authorized anyone to do so on my behalf."

On September 17, 2010, comedian Bill Maher aired a clip of O'Donnell from the October 29, 1999, episode of his old show Politically Incorrect on his current show Real Time with Bill Maher, in which O'Donnell said, "I dabbled into witchcraft – I never joined a coven. ... I hung around people who were doing these things... We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar. And I didn't know it." Her admission received widespread media coverage, and O'Donnell explained that she had been referring to high school experiences.

O'Donnell followed up with a TV campaign ad for the general election in which she declared, "I'm not a witch." This ad inspired many video parodies, the most famous of which was a parody by comedian Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live. O'Donnell later said that the ad backfired and focused attention on her decade-old statement. Maher apologized to O'Donnell on his show in 2012 stating, "I know when I brought out the witch tape I made your life hell and I'm sorry about that. ... I gotta say, I don't agree with your ideas but it shouldn't have hung on that stupid witch thing." O'Donnell accepted the apology from Maher and blamed herself for the "I'm not a witch" advertisement.

After the September 14, 2010 primary, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) alleged that O'Donnell made false statements on Federal Elections Commission filings and illegally used more than $20,000 of her campaign funds as "her very own personal piggy bank" by claiming campaign expenses during a time when she was not a candidate in 2009. CREW filed a complaint on September 20, 2010, with the FEC and asked the U.S. Attorney in Delaware to investigate these allegations. O'Donnell responded to the accusations, telling reporters there was "no truth to it. I personally have not misused the campaign funds" and refused to answer specific questions about her finances when asked by CNN. In December 2010, the AP reported that federal authorities had opened a criminal investigation into CREW's complaint. On July 15, 2011, the Federal US Attorney's Office announced it had closed the criminal investigation of Christine O'Donnell's campaign finances and has referred the case to the FEC for administrative enforcement. Another FEC complaint filed against the O'Donnell campaign by CREW for improper coordination of events and expenses between O'Donnell's 2010 Primary campaign and the Tea Party Express in California was subsequently dismissed by the FEC when the FEC Commissioner's vote was tied 3–3 on whether to proceed with the case, even through the FEC's own lawyers believed that there was sufficient evidence for the FEC to proceed to investigate these allegations against the O'Donnell campaign and the Tea Party Express.

O'Donnell's year-end campaign financial report to the Federal Election Commission reported that her campaign returned $56,124 of campaign donations between October 2010 and December 2010, and had still retained $654,336.

In 2016, a judge ruled that O'Donnell violated federal law by using campaign funds to pay her personal rent and utility bills in 2010.

During a debate between O'Donnell and opponent Chris Coons on October 13, 2010, O'Donnell was asked what Supreme Court cases she disagreed with. O'Donnell drew a blank and asked co-moderator Nancy Karibjanian to name one for her, which Karibjanian refused to do.

In an October 19, 2010, debate at the Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, O'Donnell challenged Coons on the topic of the separation of church and state, asking, "Where in the Constitution is separation of church and state?" After laughter from the audience, Coons responded, "The First Amendment establishes the separation and the fact that the federal government shall not establish any religion, and decisional law by the Supreme Court over many, many decades clarifies and enshrines that there is a separation of church and state that our courts and laws must respect". O'Donnell replied, "Let me just clarify. You're telling me that separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?" Coons responded, "Government shall make no establishment of religion" (a slight misquotation of the text of the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion"). O'Donnell asked, "That's in the First Amendment?"

During the debate, O'Donnell criticized Coons for agreeing with the United States Supreme Court that teaching creationism in the public schools violates the Constitution. She also stated that Coons' belief that the theory of evolution should be taught in public schools was an example of how he believes in big government mandates and "imposing...beliefs on the local schools". O'Donnell was asked whether she supported the repeal of the Fourteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. She knew that the Seventeenth Amendment concerned the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote and said she would not repeal it, but could not recall the other two.

In the week prior to the general election, the talk radio station WDEL reported that O'Donnell and her campaign manager had threatened to sue if it released a video of an interview she gave at the station. The campaign manager, Matt Moran, was alleged to have threatened to "crush WDEL" with a lawsuit. The O'Donnell campaign subsequently apologized, saying that the incident had been the result of a misunderstanding.

A July 2010 hypothetical match-up poll by Rasmussen showed O'Donnell running ahead of Chris Coons by a margin of 2 points (41 to 39 percent).

Post-primary polls found O'Donnell trailing Coons by 15%, 9%, 17%, 19%, 11%, and 10%, respectively.

On November 2, 2010, O'Donnell lost the general election to Coons by a margin of 57% to 40%.

Political positions

O'Donnell has said she did not believe in regulating private sexual behavior. O'Donnell stated that if elected to the Senate, she would base her political actions on the Constitution rather than her personal beliefs. She specifically disavowed her 1996 anti-masturbation stance, saying "I was a pundit. I was very passionate in my 20s and wanted to share my beliefs."

O'Donnell has identified herself as a member of the "values movement", and supports government restrictions on abortion care. She opposes abortion, including in cases of rape and incest, but if the woman was otherwise going to die, she would allow family members to decide which life to save. O'Donnell opposes human embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and research into cloning monkey embryos. In 2007 on The O'Reilly Factor, O'Donnell expressed her moral concerns about stem cell research, and said, "American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment."

O'Donnell has vowed that she will never vote to increase taxes. She has supported a balanced budget amendment, opposed Congressional earmarks, and supported a simplification of the tax code.

O'Donnell has said that Democrats have prevented the U.S. from attaining energy independence by curtailing the drilling of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. She has supported the building of more refineries, as well as the use of Delaware's agricultural products in gasoline. She opposes cap and trade legislation.

O'Donnell stated that if elected to the U.S. Senate, her first priority would be to vote to repeal the Obamacare legislation enacted by Congress in 2010. She signed the Tea Party activists' "Contract from America," which pledged to replace Obamacare with a health insurance system that is "competitive, open, and transparent free-market."

O'Donnell has favored increasing penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants. She has supported raising the age for receiving Social Security benefits.

In reply to a 2010 question as to whether she would support Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as the Republican leader of the Senate, O'Donnell shrugged and said, "I wouldn't not support him".

Career after 2010

In December 2010, O'Donnell announced the formation of a political action committee (PAC) called "ChristinePAC" to address health care and tax issues. Paperwork for the PAC was filed with the Federal Election Commission in January 2011. The filing indicated that the PAC would not be used to fund candidates for federal office. In a letter to supporters on February 8, 2011, O'Donnell stated that her PAC would allow her "to counter attack left-wing groups, fight the liberal media and support conservative candidates against the liberal-controlled GOP establishment".

In 2011, O'Donnell published Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes To Make America Great Again. In August 2011, O'Donnell appeared on Piers Morgan Tonight to promote the book, but ended the interview after Morgan questioned her about gay marriage.

As of February 2015, O'Donnell was employed as a columnist for The Washington Times.

In a March 2016 CNN appearance, O'Donnell spoke out against Donald Trump. O'Donnell stated that she could not tolerate Trump as a Republican presidential nominee, accused him of "inciting riots", and added that she could not understand why evangelical leaders supported him. Trump would later go on to be the party nominee for the next three elections.

Electoral history

Year Office Election Winner Party Votes Pct Opponent Party Votes Pct Opponent Party Votes Pct
2006 U.S. Senator Primary Jan C. Ting Republican 6,110 43% Michael D. Protack Republican 5,771 40% Christine O'Donnell Republican 2,505 17%
General Thomas R. Carper Democratic 170,567 70% Jan C. Ting Republican 69,734 29% Christine O'Donnell Write-in 11,127 4%
2008 U.S. Senator Primary Christine O'Donnell Republican n/a n/a Uncontested
General Joe Biden Democratic 257,484 64.7% Christine O'Donnell Republican 140,584 35.3%
2010 U.S. Senator
(Special)
Primary Christine O'Donnell Republican 30,561 53.1% Michael N. Castle Republican 27,021 46.9%
General Chris Coons Democratic 173,900 56.6% Christine O'Donnell Republican 123,025 40.0%

Personal life

O'Donnell is single.

Financial issues

In October 2007 O'Donnell stopped paying the mortgage of her Wilmington house and the mortgage company obtained a judgment against her in the spring of 2008 for $90,000. The house was to be sold at a sheriff's auction in August 2008 when she sold it the month prior to her Senate campaign to an attorney who was also her boyfriend at the time.

The day O'Donnell filed to run for Senate, her tax records were accessed by a Delaware state employee. Records of the access were destroyed according to officials of the State of Delaware. The same day, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filed a lien in 2010 (on the day she announced her run for the open U.S. Senate seat), on the house that O'Donnell had not owned for two years, claiming that O'Donnell owed $11,744 in back taxes and penalties as a result from a formerly owned house. O'Donnell posted documents on her website showing that the lien was a mistake, as the audit was not yet complete and there was not yet any final determination of whether she owed any further taxes or not, and noted that the IRS agent handling the matter claimed he was perplexed by the agency's actions. The lien was later removed, as the IRS said it was an error caused by a computer glitch. O'Donnell believes she was politically targeted. In 2010 campaign finance reports, she listed herself as self-employed.

In November 2014, the IRS placed another lien on O'Donnell's accounts, claiming she owed $30,000 from a house transaction. O'Donnell disputed the lien, and was informed it was an error, and her account would be restored. The lien was removed but O'Donnell claims the IRS also emptied her account before unfreezing it and said that as of Christmas Day 2014 the funds had not been returned.

Religious views

Raised as a Catholic, O'Donnell found her interest in her family religion waning during her teenage years while she considered various beliefs and searched for spiritual truth. As noted above, on October 29, 1999, in an interview for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, O'Donnell stated that she had "dabbled into witchcraft".

Originally a political liberal who believed in abortion rights, O'Donnell has said she experienced an epiphany at age 21 when she saw graphic descriptions and pictures in medical journals of how an abortion is performed. "There's only truth and not truth," O'Donnell said she realized at that moment. "You're either very good or evil." She dropped her acting aspirations, began thinking about moral issues, and became an evangelical Christian, due to the appeal of the moral certainty she felt the movement offered. She chose to live a chaste life, began espousing sexual abstinence, and joined the College Republicans.

In a 1998 interview, O'Donnell said: "We took the Bible and prayer out of public schools. Now we're having weekly shootings. We had the '60s sexual revolution, and now people are dying of AIDS." O'Donnell identifies as a young earth creationist, and in 2011, on the subject of evolution, she said, "You know what, evolution is a myth... Why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans?"

In 2010, O'Donnell stated that she was open to attending both Catholic and Protestant services. In an interview on September 4, 2011, for Florida Daily NewsMakers with Jeff Lytle, she stated that she was a devout and practicing Catholic.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. Write-in votes were not counted as part of the official tally of election results for candidates on the ballot, which is why the vote totals add up to 103%. See, "The Power of One Vote: State of Delaware 2006 Election Results" (PDF). Delaware Commissioner of Elections. pp. 2, 28ff. Retrieved February 26, 2010.

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External links

Party political offices
Preceded byRaymond Clatworthy Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Delaware
(Class 2)

2008, 2010
Succeeded byKevin Wade
Categories:
Christine O'Donnell: Difference between revisions Add topic