Christine O'Donnell tells voters that her views on people's sexual conduct would not be a focus of her agenda. O'Donnell seeks to reassure voters

WILMINGTON, Del. — Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell attempted to assure voters Thursday night that previous views she expressed about people's sexual conduct would not be a focus of her agenda if she makes it to Washington.

Asked about what the proper role of government should be in sexual matters during a two-hour candidate forum sponsored by The Jewish Federation, O'Donnell echoed the sentiment of one audience member, who shouted, "It's personal."


"I agree with you; it's personal. When I go to Washington, D.C., the litmus test by which I cast my vote for every piece of legislation that comes across my desk will be whether or not it is constitutional," she replied.

Since her primary win over nine-term Rep. Mike Castle, O'Donnell has had to deal with past comments as videos of them have surfaced. She used the forum to reintroduce herself to voters, while acknowledging her public image has taken a beating over the past month.

"It's no secret that there's been a rather unflattering portrait of me painted these days," O'Donnell said. "I am fighting two political parties here in Delaware."

In her first joint appearance with Democratic Senate nominee Chris Coons, O'Donnell addressed the controversial comments that have rocketed through the blogosphere and cable news as national notoriety about her candidacy increases.

A video of O'Donnell equating masturbation to adultery and saying that sex acts should be reserved for married couples has been featured prominently on blogs and news shows since Tuesday's primary. O'Donnell, who is single herself, recorded the videos in the mid-'90s when she was president of the Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth, or SALT.

The tea party candidate also once wrote that she knew many virgins who were not "sexually pure" because they had looked at pornography. "The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. You can't masturbate without lust," O'Donnell wrote more than a decade ago.

"I was in my 20s and very excited and passionate about my newfound faith. But I can assure you, my faith has matured, and when I go to Washington, D.C., it'll be the Constitution on which I base all of my decisions, not my personal beliefs," she explained Thursday to cheers.

Coons, who has been careful not to go near any of the controversial aspects of O'Donnell's record, appeared to agree that her commentary on sex should be off-limits.

"It's my hope that in the general election campaign, my opponent and I can focus on our policy proposals, on the constructive ideas that we've got ... I don't think [voters] are particularly interested in statements that either of us made 20 or 30 years ago," he said in a line that also won applause, including O'Donnell's.

Around 300 people packed into the Jewish Community Center, where a standing-room-only crowd assembled to watch O'Donnell and Coons tackle issues from health care to relations with Israel.

In one of the more surprising moments of the evening, the anti-abortion O'Donnell said she would support a woman's right to choose if her life was at risk — an exception that has not been made by many of her tea party counterparts.

"I would support abortion in cases of life, not health, but the life of the mother. That is one situation that my family personally experienced with my sister a couple years ago. But that's a family decision where it's one life or the other," O'Donnell said.

"I was not always on this side. I am pro-life, and I was not always pro-life, because I began to look at the truth of this issue, that there's a heartbeat beating at 18 days. I began to change my position," she said, lamenting the "profound loss of respect for life in this country."

Coons, who favors abortion rights, invoked President Bill Clinton's infamous line about wanting the procedure to be "safe, legal and rare," but added that Roe v. Wade is "settled legal precedent."

Earlier in the debate, when O'Donnell was articulating her opposition to the health care bill, she invoked an argument that many Democrats in the audience found hypocritical, considering her position on abortion.

"Uncle Sam has no business in the examination room coming between you and your doctor," O'Donnell said to a mix of groans and cheers. One elderly woman seated at the back of the room was seen mouthing, "What about abortion?"

The exchanges between O'Donnell and Coons were courteous and mostly positive, a marked change from the Republican primary fight, where the state party took a no-holds-barred approach to lambasting the tea party favorite.

O'Donnell referred to the tensions within her party at several points Thursday night — in one instance, thanking Coons for debating her on the issues rather than on personal charges and attacks.

"Let me say, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have an opponent who wants to talk about the issues, so I thank you for that gentlemanly approach," she said, gesturing to Coons.

Coons said he hoped the debate would be framed on experience and ideas, rather than ideology. But he also pointed out that his view of the role of government is vastly different than O'Donnell's.

"In my view, government can be an important ally in protecting all of us and providing for our people," he said.

Afterward, while Coons lingered in the hallway, the cameras and reporters rushed the stage to O'Donnell, who addressed the media only briefly before being whisked back behind the curtain of the stage.

She said polling showing her down by double digits doesn't faze her because she was down almost the same amount to Castle a month before primary day. "We're going to work just as hard in the next coming weeks. We're going to have town hall forums where we're going to tackle each issue specifically," she said.

Asked by POLITICO whether she believed women should be able to serve in the military, O'Donnell replied "Yeah, of course." Democrats had begun circulating a video Thursday of O'Donnell where she states that integrating women into military institutions "cripples the readiness of our defense."

When pressed on that comment as she walked away, O'Donnell said, "Perhaps it was combat. We'll talk later about that."