Castle Plays The GOP Anti-Hero

With the conservative blogosphere up in arms about moderates in races in FL and CA, one might wonder why Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) is getting a pass.

Now, this lack of attention could be simply for want of an opponent. His likely challenger, DE AG Beau Biden (D), has yet to declare his candidacy. Should the younger Biden decide to throw his hat in the ring, it may well prompt conservative bloggers to start focusing on the race.

So far, conservative bloggers are having a hard time mustering much enthusiasm for the moderate. Castle's lifetime ACU rating of 52.28 makes him the most liberal GOP congressman running for Senate next year, placing him to the left of fellow GOP moderates ex-Rep. Rob Simmons (53.33) and IL Rep. Mark Kirk (55.69).

To make matters worse, it was only five months ago that Castle infuriated the rightroots when he became one of only eight GOP congressmen to vote in favor of the climate change bill -- a group that Michelle Malkin derisively called the "Cap-And-Tax 8."

One would think that conservative bloggers would relish the opportunity to capture a Senate seat in a solidly blue state -- not to mention a seat that was held by VP Biden for 36 years. However, there doesn't appear to be much interest in Castle's candidacy in the conservative blogosphere, at least at this early point in the race. There's been nary a word written about Castle since he announced his bid on 10/6.

So why the inattention to a possibly inspiring pickup, and the seeming acceptance of a moderate nominee? Matt Lewis tells Hotline OnCall that while he finds Castle's voting record "troubling," he expects conservative bloggers will support him anyway.

"I think there's a consensus that Castle is as good as it gets for Republicans in Delaware," Lewis explains. "Moreover, there's a sense that you have to pick and choose your battles."

John Hawkins agrees.

"I expect most conservative bloggers would like to see Castle win," Hawkins said. "But it's asking too much to ask people to get excited about a guy who we know will end up semi-regularly stabbing us in the back on a lot of issues we care about."

"This is a story that doesn't have a hero," Lewis adds. "It has one villain who's worse than the other."

(IAN FAERSTEIN)

Still, the optics of this race aren't lost on conservative bloggers. Lewis suspects that the tantalizing prospect of capturing Biden's old seat -- particularly if it involves defeating his son in the process -- might generate a late surge of support for Castle among the rightroots.

"You might see people rallying behind Castle late in the game, urging readers to donate money to 'Stop Biden,'" Lewis speculates.

Meanwhile, as Castle's moderate record has gone largely ignored, right-leaning bloggers have been giving more attention to CA Assemb. Chuck DeVore (R) and ex-FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R), two conservatives running against candidates perceived by the base as more moderate.

Conservative bloggers have also paid considerable attention to several other GOP Senate candidates running this cycle. For instance, ex-Rep./ex-OMB dir. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Simmons (R-CT) have both been the subject of supportive posts on RedState in the past few weeks.

Whether Castle comes under the scrutiny other GOPers have, or if he benefits from an anti-Biden backlash, remains to be seen. One thing is for sure: Righty blogopshere or not, he's a favorite of the DC GOP establishment.