What Could Have Been
Ted Blunt officially ended his campaign for Lt. Governor Friday, by filing the appropriate paperwork with the Department of Elections. Sure, he suspended his campaign months ago, but his name was still on the ballot, and Friday was the deadline to remove it.
This simple act brings me back to Tom Carper’s secret plan to avoid the primary hatched over a year ago.
The plan was for Markell to run for Lt. Governor, Carney for Governor, while Matt Denn would run for reelection as Insurance Commissioner and Ted Blunt would either run for reelection as Wilmington City Council President, or perhaps challenge Mike Castle for Congress. Markell, Carney and Denn had agreed to the plan, but Blunt refused.
And here we are today, except that Blunt’s candidacy never took off, and suffered from lack of fundraising.
Now, this deal smacked of the Delaware Way, and with the deal, there would have been no progressive challenge to the establishment this cycle. But if Blunt had run for Congress, with Obama on the top of the ticket raising African American turnout, perhaps Mike Castle could have been defeated.
Carper’s plan was definitely the old Delaware Way. It would have been great to see Blunt unseat Castle but what a long shot that would have been.
Things have turned out more interesting and win or lose, progressives are sounding the trumpet in Delaware. Sometimes these things take time to gain momentum. I think we’re going to win, but if we don’t we’ve just got to saddle up and do it again in two years and four years, etc.
Tom Carpers IS the Delaware Way. The top leadership picking candidates to “shove” down voters throats. Ted Blunt was not a good City Council President, he was in fact hateful and treated citizens as “so what”, making sure their public comments were not televised, shutting down meeting rooms where community groups had met over and over again. Ted Blunt should have retired from politricks.
Markell nor Carney wanted the Congressional seat..Coons might though!
Nope its the ole democrat machine that has not changed since Leo Marshall ran Wilmington all they do is change the ‘hats”, no change in the politics.
If you all would do your part we can unseat Castle this year…and may anyway with or without your help.
Rebecca
“It would have been great to see Blunt unseat Castle but what a long shot that would have been. ”
I hope you were talking Lisa Blunt
“Ted Blunt was not a good City Council President, he was in fact hateful and treated citizens as “so what”, making sure their public comments were not televised, shutting down meeting rooms where community groups had met over and over again. Ted Blunt should have retired from politricks.”
Why didn’t you say that before he deicded to leave office! Why did the people relected him over and over and over and over?
Ted Blunt is retiring! Fuck! sell your Brooks Brother’s stock! After Gotti went down Blunt became the number one customer!
Liz, Kilroy, Carlin,
I merely meant it would be good to see anyone unseat Representative Castle – gotta get that in since Jason is on vacation. It will happen someday. Perhaps Chris will make it happen.
Blunts . . . . I love blunts. Too bad hippies are too fucking stoned to get his campaign going.
Blunt for Governor
He could make a mint in bumper sticker sales.