Christine O'Donnell: God "Called Me" To Run for Office

Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell attributes her political success to the work of God

(Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell attributed her political success to prayer and said that she was "called" by a higher power to run for office.

"God is the reason that I'm running," O'Donnell said in an interview with CBN's David Brody. "If I didn't believe that there were a cause greater than myself worth fighting for; if I didn't believe that it takes a complete dying of self to make things right in this election cycle, I would not be running."

O'Donnell cited prayer as playing a "direct role" in her victory against nine-term congressman Mike Castle in the Republican primary for Delaware's Senate seat.

"The day that we saw a spike in the polls was a day that some people had a prayer meeting for me that morning for this campaign, so I believe that prayer plays a direct role in this campaign and I always ask, please pray for the campaign; please pray for our staff; please pray specifically that the eyes of the voters be opened," O'Donnell said.

The candidate - who has taken heat for a range of past comments, including her admission of dabbling in witchcraft and her opposition to masturbation - also told Brody she probably wouldn't have made those comments if she had known she would eventually be running for political office.

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"I'm not someone who has always planned her life for when I run for office one day, obviously, or I wouldn't have said all those things on TV," O'Donnell said, adding that she didn't regret the statements. She said she saw them at the time as "an opportunity to share my newfound faith with a television audience."

"I know that God called me to this," O'Donnell added. "I pray: 'God you gave me this desire. You gave me this desire of my heart to serve the people of Delaware to go in there and be your voice in Congress. Help me here!'"

The Tea Party-backed Republican also said she thinks conservative women suffer from a double standard in politics, invoking the words of Gloria Steinem.

"...she said you can look at a double standard if they wouldn't attack the male opponent that way - and there's no doubt that they wouldn't say the things they're saying about me, they wouldn't do the things that they're doing if I weren't a woman," said O'Donnell. "I'm not whining but there certainly is a double standard especially when it comes to conservative woman."

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