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How did Chris Coons win his U.S. Senate seat in 2010?

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Chris Coons won a special election in 2010 to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Joe Biden, who became vice president. Coons defeated Christine O’Donnell, a controversial candidate backed by the Tea Party, by nearly 17 percentage points. He took office in November 2010. Before this election, he had served as New Castle County executive (2005–10), following his earlier election to the New Castle County Council in 2000.