O'Donnell beating Castle in Delaware

DOVER, Del., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell headed to a win over U.S. Rep. Mike Castle Tuesday in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Delaware, returns showed.

The Wilmington News Journal reported that with 98 percent of the votes counted, O'Donnell had 53.2 percent to Castle's 46.8 percent.

Chris Coons was unopposed on the Democratic side in the race for the Senate seat formerly held by Vice President Joe Biden and occupied by Ted Kaufmann to complete Biden's unexpired term.

In the GOP primary to pick a candidate to run for the U.S. House seat Castle is vacating, former National Capital Planning Commission Chairman Glen Urquhart was slightly ahead of former Miss USA Michele Rollins, 48.8 percent to 47.5 percent. Rose Izzo was third with less than 4 percent, the newspaper said.

John Carney, a former lieutenant governor, finance secretary and congressional aide, is the lone candidate on the Democratic ballot.

O'Donnell had called Castle a closet Democrat, Fox News reported recently. She, on the other hand, fought off allegations of financial problems, denying she owed back taxes and that her home was in foreclosure. She also was pressured to prove she had a college degree.

While state GOP officials were among those questioning O'Donnell's integrity, she rode the endorsement of 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin down the stretch past Castle.