Editorial: Castle's challenger

In 2006, the lightbulb went on for Democrats, at that time the minority party in both houses of Congress. To build a majority, you reach out to a wide range of voters, which means ignoring the party's fringes when recruiting moderate - even pro-life or pro-gun - candidates.

Thus, '06 was a good year for Democrats, in part because Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Jim Webb of Virginia, and Jon Tester of Montana helped switch some Senate seats from R to D.

In most places, a similar bulb went on this year for Republicans, who hope a moderate or two can help flip some Senate seats long held by Democrats - à la Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

One such hope is in Delaware, where the prize is the Senate seat long held by Vice President Biden. The GOP-endorsed moderate contender is Mike Castle, the longtime congressman and former governor. Polls show him with a comfortable lead against Democrat Chris Coons in a general-election matchup.

But first there is Tuesday's primary against tea-party favorite Christine O'Donnell. Polls show that race close, with an upset possible.

The main gripe conservatives have against Castle is that he's not one of them 100 percent of the time - more like 52.49, to use the lifetime rating of the American Conservative Union. Yet that's precisely the kind of independence voters should reward in these hyper-partisan times.

This year alone, Castle voted against the president's health-care reform bill, but for the cap-and-trade energy bill. And yet, as governor, he balanced his budgets and cut taxes. His financial credentials are solid enough to have earned the recent enthusiastic endorsement of a conservative superstar, New Jersey's Gov. Christie.

O'Donnell, who lost two previous statewide races, is regularly questioned about her finances, her education, and her integrity. She attacks talk-show hosts and polls that don't go her way, and her unsupported accusations against the Delaware GOP - "They follow me home at night," she told one reporter - are just odd.

Washington doesn't need more oddness. It needs thoughtfulness and independence. Mike Castle would supply plenty of both.