Tea Party vs. GOP  Battles
HARRIS: A Tea Party favorite and a GOP candidate locked in a tight race. A longtime congressman battles ethics charges and five opponents. It is Primary Day in seven states and the District of Columbia, the last primaries before the November elections, and we are spotlighting the hot races to watch. CNN producer Shannon Travis joins us live from the site of one of those races. He's in Delaware. Shannon, good to see you. So, Delaware and New Hampshire really topping our list because of what we like to call the Tea Party factor. Look, you have been covering the Tea Party for a while now. So how is this movement a factor where you are?</s>SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: It's a factor because, I mean, the Tea Party movement is coming into literally one of the bluest states in the country, and could actually make an impact there. They're definitely getting a lot of buzz right now because of this endorsement of Christine O'Donnell, this conservative candidate, and their slamming of Congressman Mike Castle. So the Tea Party, it's just a sign of yet another bold move by the Tea Party movement, that they're not just focusing on red states that they think they can win, and they're even coming in, some might even say infiltrating, blue states. So they're having some impact.</s>HARRIS: Yes. And Shannon, we know Tea Party activists have little love for Democrats. But what you're pulling together here, what we're discussing here, is another example of the Tea Party activists going after Republicans just like we saw in Alaska.</s>TRAVIS: That's right. I was in Alaska a few weeks ago covering that race between Joe Miller and Senator Lisa Murkowski. A lot of the activists I talked to called it a rhino hunt, and Mike Castle, Congressman Castle, is taking heat. Take a listen at what he told our Brian Todd earlier.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Was Lisa Murkowski's loss in Alaska a wake-up call for you?</s>REP. MIKE CASTLE (R-DE), SENATE CANDIDATE: Well, it was an added wake-up call. I mean, we had watched some of these elections around the country and saw what was going on. I actually received a call from Lisa at the election just saying, "Mike, you need to be prepared. They will come at you hard."</s>TRAVIS: "They will come at you hard." Listen to those words that Congressman Castle said about -- at least from Senator Murkowski's advice to him about the Tea Party movement. And that's what they've been doing, basically branding him as a liberal who will be a rubber stamp for the Obama administration. So it's a nasty race, it's a tough race, but one that will be decided later on today.</s>HARRIS: I think you're absolutely right, Shannon. OK. We'll be following you throughout the day. Shannon Travis for us. In New York, Congressman Charles Rangel is in perhaps the toughest fight of his political career. Rangel faces five challengers, including the son of the late congressman Adam Clayton Powell. In the past, re-election has been a slam-dunk for Rangel, but this time he is also facing an ethics charge in the House later this year. Igor no longer the only other hurricane in the Atlantic. Julia upgraded from a tropical storm. Chad Myers tracking both hurricanes when we come back. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.