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Tea Party Express Unaware Of O'Donnell's Finances
August 31, 2010 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Share This
By Jeremy P. Jacobs
The Tea Party Express, the fiscally conservative organization that has helped nominate several GOP underdogs this year, endorsed Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell (R) without knowing too much about her personal financial history.
O'Donnell, a perennial conservative candidate in Delaware, is challenging moderate Rep. Mike Castle (R), the clear favorite of the GOP establishment. But she has come under fire recently for her personal financial problems. Reports have surfaced that she owed $10K in back taxes, defaulted on her mortgage and holds outstanding campaign debt.
Levi Russell, a spokesman for the group, told Hotline On Call that the group was not aware of O'Donnell's personal financial problems before it endorsed her.
"We don't know the exact situation," he said.
When asked if the group discussed the issues with O'Donnell, Russell responded: "No we haven't. We don't really have any contact with the campaign or the candidate."
Tea Party Express concentrates on supporting candidates who share its conservative views on fiscal issues -- cutting taxes and balancing the budget. Russell said that even with these revelations about O'Donnell's financial history, the organization will stand behind her.
"In our view we would rather have someone who owes some back taxes but is not trying to hide them than someone who is trying to sell out the Tea Party," Russell said, referring to Castle.
The Tea Party Express, which spent $600K in support of SEN candidate Joe Miller (R) in AK last week, is preparing to fully wade into the DE primary with TV ads.
The primary between Castle and O'Donnell is taking place Sept. 14.


Eric D. Schwerin
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