Mike Castle: Delaware Senate
The announcement that Delaware attorney general Beau Biden would not run for his father's seat in the Senate left the field wide open for Representative Mike Castle, who held a narrow lead in the polls in a hypothetical match against Biden leading into last week. Unlike many hoping to break into politics in Scott Brown's wake, Castle has been around a long time, anchoring a moderate vision for Eastern Republicans. He was elected to Delaware's only seat in the House after two terms as governor of the left-leaning state and won re-election in 2008 with more than 60% of the vote. Castle also has a 66% favorable rating, something that will be hard for possible Democratic challenger and New Castle County chief executive Chris Coons to beat. Castle is a moderate whose website calls him "an independent voice for Delaware in Congress" and proclaims his support for stem-cell research and the extension of health care to more Americans. He may not fall in with hard-line Republicans, but his election would confirm that even this liberal-leaning state no longer feels much love for its Democrats.