The Tea Party Strikes Again

Tuesday's primaries delivered more surprises, particularly in Delaware, where so-called "Tea Party" candidate Christine O'Donnell defeated Rep. Mike Castle in the Republican Senatorial primary.  Castle was expected to be the winner of the nomination and, ultimately, the seat; however the polls quickly turned to a toss-up between O'Donnell and Democrat Chris Coons after O'Donnell won the nomination. Her unexpected Tea Party victory is shared with Rand Paul in Kentucky, Joe Miller in Alaska, and Sharon Angle in Nevada (among others). In New Hampshire, former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte (R) barely beat out Tea Party candidate Ovide Lamontagne.  Ayotte declared victory by only 1,600 votes. Reid Ribble, a roofer by trade, was pronounced the winner of Wisconsin's 8^th district Republican Primary.  Ribble won his four way primary and will face Rep. Steve Kagen (D) in November. Construction business owner Richard Hanna (R) in New York won his primary and will challenge Rep. Michael Arcuri (D).  Hanna lost to Arcuri in 2006 by a very narrow margin and could possibly win the seat this time. Tom Reed and Chris Gibson, both Republicans and financially backed by AGC PAC, won their primaries.  Andy Harris (R) in Maryland will once again run for Representative in the 1^st district.  Thank you to everyone who helped AGC PAC deliver all primary checks before Tuesday. Hawaii's primary - the last official primary of the season - takes place Saturday, and Louisiana will hold its run off race on October 2.