Has run for the United States Senate three times in Delaware. In 2006, she ran for the Republican nomination but finished third in the primary. In 2008, she won the uncontested Republican primary but lost by nearly thirty percentage points to incumbent
Joe Biden in the general election. In 2010, she announced that she would run for the Republican nomination again, but faced popular congressman and former governor
Michael Castle, and most polling predicted Castle would easily win the primary. O'Donnell saw a popularity surge in the last days before the primary after receiving endorsements from
Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement, and defeated Castle in what was considered a major political upset by the media. Her candidacy in the general election stumbled after video clips surfaced of eyebrow-raising statements condemning masturbation, premarital sex, doubting evolution, and most notoriously stating she dabbled in witchcraft in her youth, which led to parodies on
Saturday Night Live (1975) and
scrutiny in the media. Numerous debate gaffes and charges of financial
misconduct further sunk her candidacy, and she lost to Democratic candidate
Chris Coons in the general election on November 2, 2010 by sixteen percentage points.
