Polls
State Attorney General Beau Biden, the vice president’s son, has pulled ahead in the 2010 Delaware U.S. Senate campaign. U.S. Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), whose votes have taken a partisan turn, is going down in flames. A new poll shows Biden leading Castle by 5 points, after trailing him by 21 points last April. What’s changed?
According to the pollster, the shift “may be a result of negative publicity [Castle] received in the state after casting a ‘no’ vote for President Obama’s health care reform bill in the U.S. Congress.” Castle, who has thrived as a moderate Republican in an increasingly Democratic state, has been casting more partisan votes — against the stimulus package, for the Stupak amendment — that have been well-reported in Delaware.
Respondents were asked if the vote were held today, whether they would choose Biden, the Democrat, or Castle, the Republican. Forty-five percent took Biden compared to 40 percent who selected Castle. Another six percent wanted someone else, and 8 percent were undecided. In April, 2009, 34 percent picked Biden while 55 percent said Castle.
What many of these politicians don’t seem to understand is: there is life after Congress, and voting along party lines in opposition to the people who sent you to Congress, can sometimes come back to bite you. I’d rather be a one-termer and do something that really helps the average citizen than ignore the pain and suffering I know is happening and not lift a finger. I’ll be sure to donate to Beau’s campaign to help him out.