FIRST POST-PRIMARY DELAWARE POLL – THERE'S WORK TO DO – AT 6:10 P.M. ET:  Scott Rasmussen has released the first poll in Delaware taken after Christine O'Donnell's surprise victory in the GOP Senate primary:

Democrat Chris Coons holds a double-digit lead over Republican hopeful Christine O’Donnell in the first Rasmussen Reports post-primary survey of the U.S. Senate race in Delaware.

Coons earns 53% of the vote to O’Donnell’s 42%, with leaners included. One percent (1%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.

The Delaware race is now viewed as Solid Democrat in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings.

The discouraging thing here is the undecideds.  The undecided vote is only four percent.  Even if O'Donnell picks up all of them, she'd still trail, 53% to 46%.

I'm afraid Rasmussen is right.  As of now, Delaware must be counted as solidly Democratic.

However, the election isn't being held now.  O'Donnell has seven weeks to produce a miracle.  That means not only winning all or almost all the undecideds, but convincing those who have already made up their minds not to vote for her to switch.  This will be in the face of a sustained campaign, not launched by a GOP primary opponent, but by professional Democrats and a good chunk of the "yes we can" media.

I didn't support her in the primary, but I'm rooting for her now.

By the way, her primary opponent, Mike Castle, has acted badly since his loss, refusing to endorse Christine or even call to congratulate her.  He could have gone out in style, but chose to go out as a petty poor loser.

September 16, 2010