Christine O'Donnell

"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
Born
Christine 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.[1][2][3]

O'Donnell's primary win caused an uproar among the political establishment.[4] 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%.[5][6]

  1. ^ Chase, Randall (September 15, 2010). "O'Donnell in spotlight after Del. primary victory". The Beaver County Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  2. ^ Cameron, Carl (September 15, 2010). "Tea Party-Backed O'Donnell Upsets Castle in Delaware GOP Race". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference watchdog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Tea Party-Backed O'Donnell Upsets Castle in Delaware GOP Race". Fox News. September 15, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  5. ^ Hartstein, Meena (November 3, 2010). "Democrat Chris Coons easily wins". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  6. ^ Evans, Ben; Randall Chase (November 2, 2010). "Tea Lacks Punch in Delaware as Coons Wins Senate". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.