Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell didn't get too much national media coverage before upsetting the Republican establishment and winning the Delaware primary in September. But since then, O'Donnell's been all over the news—confirming she's not witch, questioning the separation of church and state, appearing in newly surfaced "Politically Incorrect" clips from the late '90s, and starring in a salacious Gawker story. 
 
 In fact, O'Donnell has vaulted from zero national name recognition to garnering more coverage than any other 2010 candidate, according to research provided by Pew's Project for Excellence in Journalism. 
 
 "The amount of coverage she's gotten in a short amount of time is dramatic," said PEJ Associate Director Mark Jurkowitz. 
 
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 The PEJ tracks news coverage from 52 news outlets across five platforms—broadcast networks, cable news networks, online outlets, newspapers and talk radio. The nonpartisan organization looked back at all election stories from the beginning of the year through Oct. 31 and tallied those in which the 2010 candidate was the lead newsmaker, featured in more than half the story. 
 
 President Obama was most often the lead newsmaker in stories focusing on the 2010 election. 
 
 But O'Donnell ranked first among 2010 candidates. She was lead newsmaker in 160 stories, a remarkable number considering that most of the stories appeared in just the past two months. 
 
 The amount of coverage shows that the media will focus on a candidate who -- despite little chance of winning -- makes headlines with provocative statements and actions out of character with most mainstream politicians. The media similarly pounced on little-known candidate Alvin Greene after he came out of nowhere to win the South Carolina Democratic primary and began making a series of bizarre comments. 
 
 Tea party activism was one of the biggest narratives of the 2010 race, and that media interest is reflected in the amount of coverage given to O'Donnell's fellow movement-supported conservative Senate candidates. Kentucky's Rand Paul came in third among candidates with 88 stories, and Nevada's Sharron Angle appeared as lead newsmaker in 80 stories. (The PEJ's chart, shown here, transposes Paul's first and last names, and it misspells Angle's first name.) 
 
 The irony is that the aforementioned candidates have given very little access to the national media in recent months. Angle even refused to answer the questions of reporters who weren't sympathetic to her campaign or willing to let her solicit donations on the air. 
 
 Two other tea-party-backed candidates also got a lot of coverage in 2010 (as well as had notable run-ins with the media). New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino threatened to "take out" a New York Post reporter; Paladino tied for eighth place among candidates, at 52 stories. And Alaska Senate hopeful Joe Miller—who comes in 10th among candidates, at 47 stories—had a reporter handcuffed by private guards for asking him questions. 
 
 Here's a rundown Pew's top 10 candidate newsmakers in 2010 coverage: Christine O'Donnell (160); Meg Whitman (90); Rand Paul (88); Joe Sestak (85); Sharron Angle (80); Harry Reid (74); Charlie Crist (67); Blanche Lincoln (52); Carl Paladino (52); Jerry Brown (49); and Joe Miller (47). 
 
 (Photo of O'Donnell followed by reporters after her Oct. 14 debate with Democrat Chris Coons: AP/ Rob Carr. Chart: Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism.) ||||| No. 2 - Rank of Christine O’Donnell among 2010 election newsmakers 
 
 With the U.S. economy and the role of government emerging as crucial issues in the midterm elections, it’s not surprising that President Obama has been the top newsmaker in the 2010 election coverage to date. According to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, Obama and his administration led in 343 election stories from January 1-October 31, 2010. (To be a lead newsmaker, someone must be featured in at least 50% of a story.) 
 
 But the No. 2 campaign newsmaker rose from obscurity to become a household name in a matter of weeks, if not days. Christine O’Donnell, the tea party-backed candidate who won a stunning victory in Delaware’s GOP senate primary, dominated 160 election stories examined by PEJ. O’Donnell’s upset over Congressman Mike Castle—as well as her penchant for controversial statements (some of them well in the past) about everything from dabbling in witchcraft to the separation of church and state—has made her a media favorite. 
 
 Indeed, four of the 10 top election newsmakers are representatives of the tea party movement, which has emerged as a key element in the election narrative. Kentucky GOP senate candidate Rand Paul ranked 4th (at 88 stories) and Nevada Republican Sharron Angle, who has mounted a very stiff challenge to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, ranked 6th (at 80 stories). (Reid is the No. 7 newsmaker, showing up prominently in 74 election stories). And Carl Paladino, the tea party’s GOP candidate for New York governor, is tied for ninth at 52 stories. 
 
 Two of the other top headline generators are involved in one of the more high profile races in the country—the hotly contested gubernatorial contest in California. Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate who has spent well over $100 million of her own money and who was ensnared in a controversy over an undocumented worker in her home, is the No. 3 newsmaker (90 stories.) Her opponent—veteran politician and former presidential candidate Jerry Brown who made news when someone attached to his campaign referred to Whitman in crude terms—finished in the tenth spot (49 stories.) 
 
 Pennsylvania’s Joe Sestak, who defeated party-switching incumbent Arlen Specter in the Democratic senate primary and is in a tough fight against Republican Pat Toomey, is the No. 5 newsmaker, at 85 stories. 
 
 *Includes Obama and Obama Administration as a newsmaker
– When it comes to the most covered candidates of the midterm elections, is it any surprise that Tea Partiers claim five of the top 10 slots? The Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism analyzed the election stories produced by 52 TV networks, websites, radio stations, and newspapers since Jan. 1 and added up those in which a candidate was featured in more than 50% of the story. Its results: Christine O’Donnell: the lead newsmaker in 160 stories Meg Whitman: 90 stories Rand Paul: 88 stories Joe Sestak: 85 stories Sharron Angle: 80 stories Harry Reid: 74 stories Charlie Crist: 67 stories Carl Paladino, Blanche Lincoln: 52 stories each Jerry Brown: 49 stories Joe Miller: 47 stories See the chart here, or check Yahoo! News for more.