US Elections Analysis: Obama Wins, But Romney Stakes Claim to Be Commander-in-Chief

See also US Elections Video: The 3rd Obama-Romney Debate

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resident Obama won the third debate, but did Mitt Romney win the White House on Monday night?

At times, as the debate progressed, Romney looked like a bystander, stage-struck to be so close to the actual president of the United States. Towards the end, before he recovered with a strong finish, Romney even began to babble, not quite sure what defence to mount against Obama's continual attacks on his flip-flopping in foreign policy statements. But, for all this...

Mitt Romney truly believes he can become commander in chief, convinced that the tide that turned in his favour after the first debate will continue through November 6.

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US Elections: And Now Delaware Becomes Very, Very Important

EA Worldview's US Politics correspondent, Lee Haddigan, writes:

Hours after the polls closed across Delaware in the Republican primary for the US Senate, the campaign of the victorious Christine O’Donnell --- favourite of the Tea Party and "insurgent" Republicans --- announced they had reached their fundraising target of $750,000 and were aiming for $1 million. This was not a target for the campaign to November's general election, but only for the day after the primary.

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, after a much criticized delay, announced they would be helping O’Donnell in her general election bid, despite the animosity in the primary with "establishment" candidate Mike Castle. And Wednesday evening the Tea Party Express sent out an email requesting donations to O’Donnell’s campaign.

So here is my last word on Delaware until late October when the new registration figures come out: if I am offered odds of 2-1 or higher on O’Donnell, I'm taking them.

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UPDATE US Politics: Delaware (and Others) Vote for the Tea Party

p>Yesterday, EA's US Politics correspondent Lee Haddigan took a close look at the bitterly-disputed Republican primary for the US Senate in the small state of Delaware. Reviewing the battle between the "establishment" candidate Mark Castle and the Tea Party's choice, Christine O'Donnell, Haddigan concluded: "When the state returns to obscurity after the primary, at least until next month, there will be injuries from this surprisingly nasty struggle that will not be forgiven or forgotten, inside and outside the state."

Maybe, but this morning, O'Donnell is celebrating victory. And the Tea Party has another claim for success in New York, where their favourite Carl Paladino defeated Rick Lazio in the Republican primary for Governor.

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"Oh, Boy": How 500 Delaware Voters Are Splitting America's Conservatives

Delaware has been thrust reluctantly, after the initial thrill, onto the front page of political news. But when the state returns to obscurity after the Republican primary, at least until next month, there will be injuries from this surprisingly nasty struggle that will not be forgiven or forgotten, inside and outside the state. As Tea Party-backed candidate Christine O’Donnell exclaimed to a reporter on Sunday night, after being informed of a Weekly Standard article attacking her: "Oh, boy."

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US Politics: Grassroots Activism, American Style (Haddigan)

On Thursday afternoon, on a national radio talk show, Sarah Palin finally endorsed Catherine O’Donnell’s campaign to be the next Senator from Delaware. Within hours, after Palin repeated her backing for O’Donnell via Twitter and Facebook, the Internet was swamped with the news. Nothing too surprising about that: this is the way politics is conducted in the US. To people in Britain, "activist" conjures a picture of a small group trudging through streets posting leaflets every election year. Some folks might occasionally remember a canvaser knocking on their door to solicit their vote. But the grassroots activism of America is an alien concept.

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