The News Just Got Bigger: Mitch Crane Endorsed by the Del Dems.
The Delaware Democratic Party has endorsed former judge Mitch Crane in the Democratic Primary for Insurance Commissioner. This endorsement is as important for the Crane campaign as it is monumentally devastating to incumbent Karen Weldin Stewart. Indeed, has a Democratic incumbent not been endorsed for reelection by his or her own party? I can’t recall it happening in my politically aware lifetime.
Crane Campaign Manager Brian Boyle echoes my thoughts:
“I don’t know the last time our State Party endorsed a challenger over an incumbent in a primary. This endorsement is a strong statement by our Party that we hold our elected officials accountable. The current commissioner campaigned on Democratic promises, but has governed as a Republican by looking out for the narrow interests of insurance companies over consumers. We need to elect a Democrat who will govern as a Democrat and look out for the interests of the people, the policyholders. That’s what Mitch will do.”
Mitch’s reaction:
“I am humbled by today’s endorsement. As a lifelong Democrat who believes that the role of government is to protect people, I’m proud to have the support of our Democratic Party. I look forward to protecting and advocating for consumers if I am privileged to become our next Insurance Commissioner.”
I now wonder if Karen will drop out. I almost would expect her to.
She will not drop out because she has a warped perception of her own importance. She’ll rely on her political connections, especially McDowell, and will run as dirty a campaign as she did when she lost in 2000 and 2004 and when she inexplicably won in 2008. Her attacks against her challengers will come just before the primary as they always did before.
At every event I have seen him in and heard about, Crane has been inoculating himself against her attacks.
KWS, had no primary in 2000 as there wasn’t one and lost the general to at the time a 3-term incumbent. Lost the Primary in 2004, lost to Karen Valentine, at the convention in 2005, She didn’t have the party endorsement in 2008 either. The Party has never been a huge KWS, fan.
I called this over a week ago and it was not at all surprising. When you have the endorsements of Erik Schramm, Jim Paoli, A plethora of RD’s before the convention, not to mention Abby Betts, and Ed O’Connor I don’t understand how it wasn’t an expectation for Mitch Crane to get the endorsement. Framing it as surprising is frankly shocking.
I still like Dennis Spivack, because he is in my corner.
Josh – Karen Weldin Stewart has MUCH less support throughout the state than she did in 2008 and she barely squeaked by then.
Today, she only has some support in the City of Wilmington and that is diminishing daily – and wait until they find out her campaign is broke, then see have fast her remaining supporters jump ship. KWS can’t raise money because potential contributors know she doesn’t have the numbers, money or support to win.
Let’s look at the 2008 Primary Election, there were two 3-way Primary races. Both races involved a woman running statewide against two men. Karen Weldin Stewart received 28,080 votes/39.3% – statewide and Karen Hartley Nagle received 35,995 votes/55.4%. Hartley Nagle received a whopping 7,915 more votes than Weldin Stewart. With the number of times KWS has run statewide she should have surpassed KHN in votes, but she did not come close.
Wow. While most will focus on what this says about KWS, this news speaks volumes about Crane’s campaign.
Josh, how is Spivak in your corner? He hasn’t done anything and has no background in insurance issues.
Jason – You’re right. This does speak volumes about Crane and what a great campaign he is running.
Also, I believe DelDem is correct in pointing out that this may be the first time an incumbent has not been endorsed by the party. It appears Crane has impressed quite a few to pull off this feat.
I think this is pretty big. Congrats to Mitch Crane. BTW, KWS was at the convention with her enormous campaign button on. Interestingly she didn’t say hi to me.
That hardly anyone showed up for this http://www.deldems.org/events/fundraiser-karen-weldin-stewart may have clinched the Del Dems decision to endorse Crane.
Anon- Dennis Spivack, beat KHN…
MJ- Mr. Spivack, has a background in solving problems of all sorts too including insurance problems.
Mitch Crane is a stand up guy and deserves the party’s nomination, he also deserves republican votes.
KWS was the least qualified of any of the candidates in 2008 and is the least qualified now. She should be made to correct all the lies in her bio on the DOI website that she’s using for her campaign about her fake “Weldin Group” and her fake claims to a VP position that never existed. She was an admin at the company but was canned after less than 6 months because she failed her background check and was found to be grossly incompetent, just like she’s been as IC. If she hadn’t been elected, she would have been kicked out of the DOI, too.
Josh wrote:
“MJ- Mr. Spivack, has a background in solving problems of all sorts too including insurance problems.”
Please tell us what insurance problems Spivack has solved (other than his own). You’ve made the assertion. Floor’s yours.
Geroge, What Kws lacks in brains and credentials, she makes up for in chutzpah and her friendship with McDowell.
Hey Josh, you’re doing a great job shilling for McDowell and his diversionary tactics, but no one’s buying it in case you hadn’t noticed. Did he promise you a job too?
EL Som- Personnel experience is an outstanding harbinger for future performance. I don’t off hand know of any experience other than his own. That is what I was speaking towards.
George- I have never in my life even met or spoken with SEN. McDowell. So no I haven’t been promised a job. I’m gainfully employed in the private sector with three employers may be five in two weeks.
So, Josh, are you saying that Spivack got a great rate for himself on homeowner’s insurance? Is that what you’re saying? If not, what are you saying? YOU were the one who suggested that Spivack has experience in ‘solving…insurance problems’. You have not yet provided us a single example to prove that assertion.
I’ll make it easy for you. What insurance problems has Spivack solved that should, in the minds of voters, make him the best-qualified candidate for the position of Insurance Commissioner?
History shows the party endorsement is the kiss of death.
No anon, the kiss of death is incompetence, stupidity, and arrogance. Karen Weldin Stewart has plenty of all three.
No, I am saying after he lost his job he experienced finding Health Insurance for his wife whom has had multiple bouts with cancer. He understands finding health insurance in the most dire of circumstances. His personnel experience fighting for the health care coverage his wife deserved, gives him the experience necessary to, advocate for anyone in a similar situation related to health insurance. That in my opinion makes him plenty qualified. He is competent at problem solving at a personnel and professional level which I believe makes him qualified.
I have no idea what rate he has on homeowners insurance. I do know he was a real estate attorney, and now is a deputy attorney general.
It wasn’t a kiss of death in 04′ for Matt Denn, or in 06′ for Dennis Spivack.
Need I point out the obvious difference? KWS is an incumbent who has been rejected by her own Party. Unlike every other example that has been offered here.
It’s important b/c it demonstrates the enmity and/or concern the Party feels about KWS’ performance. It also demonstrates the comfort level that the Party has towards Crane.
Granted, endorsements don’t win elections, but I’m betting that, based on what I’ve seen, Crane’s operation will outsmart and outwork KWS’. The RD committees are generally the first wave of grassroots workers. They overwhelmingly went for Crane. I’m honestly not sure what KWS’ base is, other than about 10-15 of Harris McDowell’s supporters, if there are that many left. Which may or may not be enough to reelect the Senator, but won’t be enough to keep Stewart competitive, IMHO.
El Som–I really think the IC race is the one to watch this year. Ben Mobley is
a great guy and choice candidate pick of the Rs. Your team may have 2 laps to run in this race!
The party has never liked Karen and have overwhelmingly went for the losers of every recent primary. This time will be no different.
anon, why don’t you learn proper grammar before you go spouting off your bullshit prognostications.
“His personnel experience fighting for the health care coverage his wife deserved, gives him the experience necessary to, advocate for anyone in a similar situation related to health insurance.”
You’ve gotta be kidding me. He got involved in one case, his own, and so he’s now an expert?
I don’t know where a market exists for bullshit that aromatic.
It seems like everyone has overlooked the obvious here.. If Dennis Spivack had worked closely with Matt Denn and been both involved and instrumental in the change-up of the Insurance Commissioner’s Office making it again the overseer of the “We the People’s” interest, then, perhaps, he might be the better candidate.
He didn’t. Mitch Crane did. It doesn’t mean Dennis a bad man. He’s just not the best candidate for this time.
Kavips: I challenge you to find a comment anywhere good or bad from Lt. Gov. Denn regarding the candidates performance in his office.
To the above:
Uhhh, why should he? I’m not even going to bother looking….
It is, what it is…….. There are two teams… One good, one bad. Mitch was on the good team. He is the only one running who was on that good team….
(It is way too early for endorsements, anyways).
In other words you make a claim and when challenged you feel no need to demonstrate truth?? endorsement not the issue job performance is……mmmmm Houses of cards inevitably fall ….pfffft
Uhh, (knock on head).. what are you talking about? Endorsement? Challenges? Truth? House of Cards? None which were implicit in my quick sentence…..
Am I the only one seeing this as an extreme disconnect?
Way to go Mitch! You deserve this endorsement based on your experience and your platform. The Insurance Department should be helping protect consumers and that is exactly what Mitch Crane will do.
dissemble, deflect or evade, the bottom line is that you put something out there you can’t or won’t support, Cheers
JP: Whereas you have never even tried to claim KWS can do her job. Your only reason for supporting her is that you owe her. Why should that matter to the rest of us?
Josh, if Spivak has so many skills at solving things, maybe he can pay off his campaign debt from 2006.
And Josh, it’s personal, not personnel, unless Spivak is hiring people.
Well we’d finally found one a real live Spivak believer. I can’t believe you folks are actuallt having a discussion like he’s a real candidate. The questionj shoild be Is he a Harris McDowell shill or just plain shithouse crazy? The answer is BOTH. they are not mutually exclusive. Congrats to Mitch Crane the next Delaware Insurance Commissioner
MJ, It’s Spivack, not Spivak, unless he changed his name.
Not tracking any current debt, as none was reported in his June 2008 filing with the FEC.
I acknowledge the fact that the majority of the people on this blog think Dennis, is a shill for McDowell, I don’t see it. I also don’t see any current support in the party for the incompetent incumbent.
Again, to quote LG Matt Denn, “Anything can happen in a primary.”
Why I totally would back Ezra, in the already crowded primary in the 23rd district. I’ve known him for over a decade, and believe he did an outstanding job for Newark while in office, and would again.
“Again, to quote LG Matt Denn, “Anything can happen in a primary.”
But it usually doesn’t. In this case, Spivack will get his 6%, and with Gallagher’s 3% it might be enough to throw the election to KWS. That’s the plan, whether you see it or not.