Republican At-Large Rep. Mike Castle ended months of speculation today when he announced at a noon press conference that he would run in the special election next year to finish out the remainder of Vice President Joe Biden’s Senate term. Conventional wisdom had been building for several weeks that Castle would not be a candidate since he had missed his self-imposed Labor Day deadline for a decision. Castle’s candidacy is a major recruiting victory for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Castle’s decision sets up what will be one of the most hotly contested and expensive races in the nation, since the presumptive Democratic nominee is state Attorney General Beau Biden, son of the Vice President. Biden has not yet officially announced his candidacy. While Castle is likely to get nominal primary opposition, the outcome of the GOP nominating process is not in doubt. He remains one of the most popular political figures in the state, and a Castle-Biden match-up pits two of the state’s political institutions against one another.
Castle, 70, has been a fixture in state politics since he
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