The Hill News

Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell can "absolutely" win her race, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday evening.

The Senate's top Republican expressed confidence that O'Donnell, the surprise conservative candidate to upset centrist Rep. Mike Castle in a GOP primary on Tuesday, could prevail in the general election in usually-Democratic Delaware.

"Absolutely," McConnell said on Fox News when asked if O'Donnell could win. "This will be a good year for Republicans."

Political prognostication services are less optimistic about O'Donnell's chances against Democratic candidate Chris Coons. Castle had been seen as the likely winner in the race, but projection ser! vices now rate it as a "likely Democratic" win, meaning the GOP would lose an opportunity to pick up the seat.

A flash poll conducted Wednesday by Public Policy Polling (PPP), a Democratic-leaning firm, showed Coons leading O'Donnell 50-34 percent in the immediate aftermath of the Delaware primary. That poll has a 3.2 percent margin of error.

McConnell said he believed that the voter anger that resulted in some GOP bloodletting in primaries this year would be turned toward Democrats come November.

"All of this energy that you have seen on display in Republican primaries will now be directed 100 percent against Democrats," he said. "None of these tea party candidates are running as independents. It's all part of the Republican movement to improve our numbers in the ! House and Senate."

The Kentucky Republican will need hig! h voter intensity in Delaware if he has any hopes of becoming majority leader next year. Republicans need 10 seats to win back the majority in the upper chamber, and the Delaware opportunity was seen as a key step in the GOP's path to victory until O'Donnell's primary win. 

To that end, Republican leaders have closed ranks around O'Donnell, pledging support and donations for her race this fall.