I was thinking about this last night, and I think it was 2000 when State Chamber of Commerce President John M. Burris, the endorsed candidate barely squeaked out a 50 vote victory over retired judge Bill Lee in the Republican primary to face Ruth Ann Minner.
In a way Delaware’s traditional Republicans lost by winning that race. I have always regarded Delaware Republicans as slightly smarter and less wingnutty than Republicans in general, but after that race the Delaware Republicans seemed to have learned the wrong lessons. From that point on, the pro-business Delaware Republicans got fully mobbed up with George Bush and Dick Cheney, and went gutter.
Whereas prior to that primary, the DE GOP was a somewhat highbrow organization made of mostly business people like John Burris and Pete DuPont who tolerated the social conservatives, after that primary, Dave Crossan and a couple sitting DE Senators (who were full blown Rove disciples) decided that constantly spoiling for high profile fights in lieu of party building was the way to go. In 2003 the front door to Vicmeand was opened to the “Christian”-GOP rabble like Atkins, Booth and Hocker who promptly moved the party off of it’s relentlessly pro-business message in favor of trying to make Jesus of Nazereth the official deity of the Indian River School District.
Mike Castle’s leadership (which could never be regarded as muscular) dissipated into the air like steam from a cup of warming tea and there you have it. Delaware’s GOP in 2009. No mission other than being “we are not Ruth Ann,” not party building strategies, and most telling, no candidates.