O'Donnell, Coons have lively Senate debate

By RANDALL CHASE and BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writers Randall Chase And Ben Evans, Associated Press Writers – 42 mins ago

NEWARK, Del. – Trailing by double-digits in most polls, Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell went on the offensive Wednesday, attacking Democrat Chris Coons as a career politician who breaks promises, would raise taxes and rubber-stamp Democratic policies.

Coons, meanwhile, during a nationally televised debate portrayed O'Donnell as an extremist more interested in clever sound bites than offering solutions to the problems confronting the nation.

O'Donnell, a tea party favorite, has drawn attention for her comments years ago that she dabbled in witchcraft as a teenager. She said past statements on issues such as evolution, sexual abstinence and homosexuality are not relevant to the campaign.

"We're moving past that; were talking about the issues," O'Donnell said when asked by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer why she had opened a recent television ad by declaring "I'm not a witch."

Coons, meanwhile, took several digs at O'Donnell, saying she had misrepresented his record while offering confusing answers to questions that are posed to her.

"I don't have any classified information about China or its plans," he said in response to O'Donnell's assertion that she had received classified intelligence while working with a humanitarian group years ago.

Wednesday night's nationally televised debate at the University of Delaware pitted Coons, who excelled as a debater in Amherst College, against O'Donnell, who has appeared as a conservative pundit for years on TV talks shows such as Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect."

O'Donnell has been in the spotlight since she stunned the state by beating popular former governor and current congressman Mike Castle in the GOP primary last month. She has been relentlessly parodied by comedians and others for some of her past statements.