Sen. Chris Coons may be best-known for beating tea party candidate Christine ODonnell in 2010, but he is working hard to make a name for himself in the Senate.
“We have gotten to know each other better and better,” Coons said. “I never would have guessed a year ago ... that I would be here and develop a genuine sense of respect for his values, for his priorities. I have actually voted with him several times, which I never would have expected.”
“We have plenty of differences,” Coons said. “But building that kind of respect for somebody ... makes a real difference.”
Despite being viewed as an accidental Senator by political watchers, Coons feels confident that, without O’Donnell’s involvement, he still could have beaten Castle, a person Coons has known for 30 years and calls a friend.
“I just saw in terms of Congressman Castle’s energy there was a sense that his party had moved to the right, and he really was no longer comfortable with the positions they were taking,” Coons said.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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