Palin's 'Mama Grizzlies' Fight Hard, but O'Donnell Is Out

Republicans appeared well on their way to reclaiming the House Tuesday, but results for Sarah Palin's corps of half a dozen conservative "Mama Grizzlies" were less certain.

Palin coined the term "Mama Grizzlies" at a breakfast in May to describe tough Republican women leaders: "The mama grizzlies, they rise up. You thought pit bulls are tough. You don't want to mess with the Mama Grizzlies."

The Grizzlies suffered an early loss Tuesday when Delaware's Christine O'Donnell, a prominent member of the group and a lightning rod for criticism from the left, lost her Senate bid to Democrat Chris Coons. In her typically unorthodox way, Palin endorsed Christine O'Donnell just prior to her GOP primary, on Sean Hannity's radio show. O'Donnell won her GOP primary but fell behind Coons quickly on Tuesday.

California's Carly Fiorina also lost her race to Sen. Barbara Boxer.

But other Mama Grizzlies were doing well. In New Hampshire, former state attorney general Kelly Ayotte defeated Democrat Paul Hodes, and Oklahoma's Mary Fallin, accused of playing the "Mommy card" against her female opponent during her campaign, was also projected to win the gubernatorial contest.

Hopes were also high for Mama Grizzlies in gubernatorial races in South Carolina and New Mexico. In South Carolina, Nikki Haley, the daughter of Sikh immigrants, won her election. Palin defended Haley this summer when a South Carolina conservative blogger alleged he'd had an affair with her. In New Mexico, conservative Susana Martinez, was also projected to win and become the nation's first Latina governor.

Early numbers also looked good for House candidates Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who won her re-election, and South Dakota's Kristi Noem won a tough race against Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin.

Another prominent Mama Grizzly includes Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle, who is challenging Majority Leader Harry Reid. Fox News has projected a Harry Reid victory.

The outcome of the Nevada race may set the tone for whether or not "Mama Grizzlies" are perceived as having a good night. Angle's race appears very close, and the possibility of ousting a sitting majority leader makes it a marquee race of the night.