Christine O'Donnell: Evolution Is a Myth

Sept. 25, 2010— -- A new video featuring Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell from a television appearance in the 1990s has been released, and while not as eccentric as last week's infamous 'Witchcraft' video, it still presents the GOP's rising star in an unflattering light.

On Friday night Bill Maher aired on his HBO show, "Real Time," a clip from his previous show, "Politically Incorrect," of O'Donnell saying to a groaning audience, "Evolution is a myth...why are monkeys still evolving into humans?"

O'Donnell appeared on the political talk show on 22 different episodes, and Maher has said he will air a clip of O'Donnell every week until she agrees to appear on his show.

"It's like a hostage crisis," Maher said last week. "Every week you don't show up, I'm going to throw another body out."

Last week Maher and O'Donnell made headlines after he aired a video clip from "Politically Incorrect" of O'Donnell admitting to experimenting with witchcraft.

"I dabbled into witchcraft -- I never joined a coven. But I did, I did. I dabbled into witchcraft. I hung around people who were doing these things. I'm not making this stuff up. I know what they told me they do," she said.

"One of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar, and I didn't know it. I mean, there's little blood there and stuff like that," she said. "We went to a movie and then had a midnight picnic on a satanic altar."

Earlier this week O'Donnell told Fox News' Sean Hannity that many of her past statements do not reflect her current opinions, explaining that her witchcraft phase was an act of "teenage rebellion."

"Some people dabble in drugs to rebel, that's how I rebelled. You know? But who didn't do some questionable things in high school and who doesn't regret the '80s to some extent? I certainly do. And I most certainly regret bringing it up to Bill Maher."

O'Donnell's outspokenness on conservative social values, particularly her support for abstinence and opposition to the use of condoms and masturbation, has set her apart from many prominent Tea Party candidates, who've primarily focused on economic issues.

O'Donnell told TV talk show host Phil Donahue in 2002 that "condoms will not protect you from AIDS." And in a 2006 appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor" she said efforts to promote condom use are "anti-human."

She has also received new attention for comments she made in 1996 on MTV's "Sex in the '90s" in which she likened masturbation and pornography to adultery.

O'Donnell has raised close to $2 million in campaign funds online and won a financial pledge from the National Republican Senatorial Committee of $42,000, the maximum allowed. Aides say the cash keeps coming in.

But now the sudden flood of funds into her campaign coffers puts her on course to compete at least even-handedly with her opponent in the race for the Senate seat, Democrat Chris Coons.

The news appeared to have Democrats scrambling Thursday with the White House dispatching Vice President Joe Biden to Delaware to campaign for Coons, who has been the early favorite in the race.

Coons and O'Donnell are vying for the senate seat Biden held for 36 years. If O'Donnell were to win the seat it would be a huge victory for Republicans, who are trying to regain a majority in the Senate.

ABC News' Devin Dwyer contributed to this report.