Polly Adams/Herman Holloway, Jr.: Separated At Birth?
In late spring of 1994, Herman Holloway, Sr., the avuncular dean of the Delaware State Senate, passed away. The Democrats, not exactly staring at an A-list of potential candidates, chose Herman ‘The Lesser’ Holloway, Jr. to run. Holloway had previously been forced to vacate his State Representative seat due to having been convicted of an ‘infamous crime’ (he was replaced by Jim Sills). Upon appeal, and with the assistance of then-Attorney General Charles Oberly, the crime was determined to be a misdemeanor, and the Lesser was back in the political game. By 1992, when Sills was elected Mayor, the Lesser was back in the Delaware General Assembly.
And, following his father’s death, who could be better situated to win this seat with a 3-1 (or maybe more) Democratic edge? The answer: Anybody else. The Beast Who Slumbers had to ‘volunteer’ for his campaign. He saw the Lesser basically not knock on a single door; leave a debate early because of a ‘prior engagement’ (‘I’ve gotta book’); spend most of his days grubbing for money that never seemed to find its way into campaign lit or anything else; and act like he knew it all, a veritable James Carville.
By contrast, the R’s threw a ‘Hail, Mary’, recruited an eminently-credible (and registered D) candidate in Margaret Rose Henry, and put lots of money and elbow grease behind her candidacy. In a special election marked by exceedingly-low turnout, Henry won, and it was on merit.
Without the concerted and well-crafted efforts by the R’s, who, at the time were a much more moderate lot, Henry could not have won. However, the D’s LOST this election as well. The reasons why may sound familiar.
1. The beloved Herman Holloway, Sr. had grown increasingly out of touch with his district. He had not had a challenger of any note in some time and, in fact, had flirted with a run for (‘bulo thinks) City Council President because he was tired of driving back and forth to Dover. He also had no functional organization to speak of.
2. Any residual sympathy that might accrue to the son did not exist. People know the Lesser as an operator, someone who ran the “Martin Luther King Center”, basically a redundant ‘pass-through’ to state agencies, and funded itself largely due the largesse of his father, who served on the Joint Finance Committee and sent money his way. Not to mention that the oleaginous Lesser never hesitated to primary anyone if Danny Rappa came a’callin’ cash in hand. He had enemies.
3. His blatant unwillingness to even put in minimal effort turned off anyone associated with his campaign, most of whom would rather have been anywhere else in the first place.
4. In a Special Election, people have to be inspired to come out. They’ll only vote if it’s someone they want to vote for. That person wasn’t Herman Holloway Jr.
Nor was it Polly Adams Mervine.
In fairness to her, she had a much tougher district to run in. However, the factors leading to her landslide defeat are virtually identical to the Holloway race.
1. While Adams may have still been ‘in touch’ with a certain percentage of his district (a) it had steadily diminished; and (b) within the Democratic Party, people had chafed at his autocratic and exclusionary style.
2. Whatever residual sympathy (and there was some) for Mervine evaporated after the ‘do-over’ vote for the nomination. Regardless of the reasons, Mervine could not escape the perception that some heavy-handed tactics from the Adams forces were behind it.
3. While Mervine might have made an effort to campaign, she never made an effort to understand even the most basic issues she would have to face in Dover. Or, if she did, she was dumber than a rock (she’s not). That came across both in her lit and in the candidates’ forums. Such lack of effort comes across as insulting to would-be voters.
4. In a Special Election, people have to be inspired to come out. In a Special Election this lopsided, and in a district with party registration this closely divided, R’s were inspired to support Booth, and a large proportion of D’s were inspired to drive a stake through the heart of the Adams legacy of entitlement.
Polly Adams Mervine now joins Herman Holloway Jr. as the most disastrous (would-be) heirs to political dynasties in recent Delaware history.
And it is on merit.
Tags: Delaware Politics
I’m also thinking western Sussex is a century or two behind and would have a difficult time electing a woman (other than a tag along like Sarah Palin).
i knowz whne sumonez told they will win if they just show up, when I see it.
Mervine was a terrible candidate.
I think she faltered out of the gate over grief. You morn the passing of your closest relative, and a week later go out into the public and run for office. Not easy.
I seriously think that if she takes some time in the next year to develop herself as a candidate, she can run a successful campaign with much better results. If I were her I would aim lower, maybe challenge Dave Wilson (R) next year or Sam Wilson (County Council) in 2012.
The 19th proved that they don’t want an inexperienced Senator. Time to gather some experience and build your resume.
I disagree Pl. I lived in Seaford right next door to Tina Fallon – she was elected and reelected over and over even though she was a woman. I don’t find Western Sussex people so much anti-female as I find them anti-any-race-other-then-white and anti-LGBT.
Polly could have won this one IF she had a real message to take to the people and real knowledge. People assumed she could win because of her Daddy and Western Sussex people don’t really like if you expect them to do something a certain way (or shall I say if people from the north think that that we should do things a certain way and we ahve the feeling that they attempt to force it down our throats).
Her loss was as much as her not connecting with people and not appearing approachable and neighborly, a growing tiredness of her father, and choosing a person people know what to expect from, as it was showing a middle finger to the powers that be.
As it stands, I believe she has made herself absolutely unelectable because people will never forget this. You are allowed to screw up once people know you (shall I mention Atkins?) – but before they get to know you and before you show them you have ANYTHING to offer OTHER then the things they didn’t like about your father — that was stupid.
“Mervine could not escape the perception that some heavy-handed tactics from the Adams forces were behind it”
Very true – I still believe there was a lot of behind the scenes stuff going on. Especially since the do-over followed Venables telling the other candidates family members that he wishes it was an adams that ran.
“Such lack of effort comes across as insulting to would-be voters.”
Yep
“a large proportion of D’s were inspired to drive a stake through the heart of the Adams legacy of entitlement”
Especially after she herself was quoted as calling it HER legacy – don’t EXPECT and demand but graciously accept if offered.
Suzanne,
I also think the forced withdrawal of the earlier candidate did her in. I just don’t think Democrats were inspired to go out and work for her.
Very true UI. I normally would have worked my ass off and I didn’t do a thing.
There were a few reasons – one of them was an email circulating to LGBTs asking them to support her because she was better then her father (not true) and that she even “sat and had lunch with gay kids” — what kind of statement is that? Did she ask them all if they were gay? Is having lunch with gay kids different from having lunch with straight kids?
Secondly, she did not want to have the support of the stonewall democrats and did not care for their endorsement AND she did not want any money from them. Just like Daddy – scared it could rub off? After he husband pretty much called her a lesbian (the clear space incident) – wow – i bet she had to take a 3 hour shower just to wash it off.
Secondly, her campaign literature and website had NO information. everything sounded regurgitated and included only talking points that you could have taken pretty much from any amateur website. And everything included a reference to her Daddy – I don’t vote family lines.
Lastly – A Senate District is pretty large, I’d really prefer someone with some experience in politics rather then just experience in stenciling walls.
Just an incredible appreciation here for 4–count ’em FOUR candidates here who went after this seat. The fishbowl experience is not an easy thing to do, and while detractors are everywhere, you can only be in one place. These four have a lot of guts to even have gotten out there, and try to be the representative voice of their area. I won’t malign any of them.
That being said, what I do find a chuckle was Markell endorsing the Delaware Way–when the Delaware Way dissed him. He could have stayed mum–especially in light of the coup that took place in Bridgeville. He beat ’em, he didn’t need to join ’em!!
I couldn’t agree more Joanne. It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to put yourself out there and I’m grateful to anyone who is willing to do it. I found it very uncomfortable. I suspect you did too. I’m a lot happier working behind the candidate.
NOW DRAT – ANOTHER Special Election.
We need a post on the usual suspects expected to run for Booth’s Rep seat. I’m guessing Polly, if she lives in that district. Otherwise, this could be one of those fun free-for-all races.
She lives in Bridgeville, the 35th, as others have posted on another thread.
TNJ has an overview of the prospective candidates up: http://delawareonline.com/article/20090804/NEWS02/90804025
Helpful tool: To check if a potential candidate is in a given district, visit http://pollingplace.delaware.gov and punch their first and last names. Voila.
Or could the violence be due to bigots like you guys?
Indeed, The Senator ran for New Castle County Council in 1986 as Gene Reed’s candidate for the City District. Three clean candidates [Penrose Hollins, Myriam Melgar and winner Ed Ianni] split the vote. Holloway came w/i 300 votes of winning, but the primary represented a massive repudiation of the old man, who only scored 23 percent of the vote after 22 years as a state senator.
Rumor has it the republicans have a woman realtor to run in the 37th. The good thing is it won’t be the SCCOR guy. But, I can imagine him getting in under a different banner and messing it up for the R’s. There are ways the D’s can take the House seat, but it will take hard work on the part of the candidate and the Democratic organization. Afterall, we are still in a very red part of Sussex.
Kudos to anyone and everyone willing to run for any office. Most people have no idea how hard it is mentally and physically. And the effort isn’t made any easier when it’s a short race.
people have no idea how hard it is mentally and physically
Have you run before, PI? I haven’t run, but I’ve been a critical component of campaigns and worked them on a daily basis (literally each day) and you are so right!
So when is the meeting of the 37th Dem Committee to nominate candidates?
I wouldn’t run for office in a million years. You’ve got to be half-crazy, no offense intended to anyone.
You’re putting yourself out to be the target of every angry person in the district. Anyone who has a gripe, complaint or problem is going to call you, at home, at 11:30 p.m., whether you’re responsible for it or not. Call a state senator about trash pickup? Sure, that sounds logical. Call a county council member about the dogs running loose in your neighborhood? OK, do it.
Plus during the campaign you’ve got to try to work your job, keep your family intact, get enough sleep and eat properly, all while running flat-out 25 hours a day, shaking hands, knocking on doors, making calls and putting up with snarky bloggers and incessant calls from the press. And during a special, you’ve got to multiply that tenfold, at least.
No way, Jose. I wouldn’t wish that on my biggest enemy.
And on top of that every content person, leaves an angry one behind to hear from..and that’s who you hear from…..whether it’s the night before school starts and they are just realizing they don’t like where the bus is picking up their child, to the night before Christmas, and they were just wondering when the offices were going to be open again to enroll their child (not kidding..9:30pm).
Nope, never ran but have been in the trenches up to my eyeballs enough to know how much it takes to run and win. The lack of sleep, sore feet, tired ears from listening, pulling loose ends together, and the never ending election day are enough to keep me from even thinking of running. Not to mention the number crunching and vote counting and the absolute uncertainty that any of your efforts were worth a tinkers damn until it’s all over.
Oh, and I should not forget the most important fact: I do not have the temprement to run for office. I have a potty mouth and I’m not shy about speaking my mind even it if it is offensive.
people have no idea how hard it is mentally and physically
Amen,
We did what many would consider a half ass job and it was absolutely draining. I don’t know how many nights were spent late working on the campaign only to have someone call three hours after you fell asleep.
At one point my sleep disorder demanded I place the cell phone in another room before I went to bed. When I got up, I would have 3-5 missed calls and about 10 texts to answer.
It got to the point where I was thankful to be at work so I could get away for a few hours. Other times I wished I could take a vacation so I could do more. It was only one month and it was grueling.
I honestly don’t know how Wendy did it with her back surgery in the middle of it.
Brian, the only criticism I have about Wendy is that she was not totally forthcoming about who she is. Well, that and some of her stands on issues. We talked about this at Drinking Liberally. Yes, it’s not an issue, but better to put everything out there then have to deal with rumors and inuendo.
I’ll tell you Brian that a special election is incredibly more rough than a General or Primary. The latter pair certainly is longer and you need the stamina of a marathon, but specials take all of that work and crams it into about five weeks on non-stop effort. On top of that, the best thing a candidate can have for a special is already-established name recognition. It doesn’t mean that you get to work less than you would for a General or Primary, but you already have an instant edge over someone like your candidate had. Basically put, your mountain was much higher than that of Booth or even Mervine…much higher and much steeper. You two weren’t half-assed, so get that out of your head. You just had a bigger challenge with almost zero name recognition at the gate.
I agree MJ. I think that instead of aligning herself with everyone’s views, and blending in, she should have stood out. Her reversal on Del Pointe was not my doing, and IMO she played with wording to gain votes that never came. She didn’t change her SB121 position, though, that is really how she feels.
You are right about being forthcoming. She had opportunities to give perspective, and didn’t. Fear of backlash aside from the voting booth was the main motivator.
Smitty, yeah, the SE was definitely a crash course into the election cycle.
Brian, totally understandable.
“Brian, the only criticism I have about Wendy is that she was not totally forthcoming about who she is. ”
Do you mean what I think you mean?
~“Brian, the only criticism I have about Wendy is that she was not totally forthcoming about who she is. ”
Do you mean what I think you mean? ~
She would have gotten way more votes, IMO, if she had been “forthcoming”.
Plus, Brian didn’t have a big organization of people experienced with elections to tap into.
I agree Maria.
Plus, I have a problem with people not being forthcoming that then want get elected – If I can’t trust you to be yourself and you don’trust me with information about you — how can I trust you as a politiican? Isn’t that exactly why Bill was impeached – loss of trust? Well..and more…
In some ways, running in a Special Election is easier than running in a primary or the general–at least if you have the endorsement of the D’s or R’s. The bigwigs in both parties will help raise the money and will organize the grassroots effort. Because it’s ‘the only game in town’, the parties generally circle the wagons. So you don’t really have to spend the time raising $$’s and building your organization from the ground up that you would ordinarily have to.
It’s by no means easy, just easier.
‘Bulo also salutes the two minor party other candidates for getting out there. He does not know Matt Opaliski, but he was very impressed with that showing. That guy’s got a following.
Jones has some very extremist views. Completely unelectable IMO.
Another one in the D-fray for the 37th:
Plus Bob Stickels, an R and former county administrator, is considering it.
Stickels is a pros’ pro, and would be a worthy candidate. He may not be sufficiently ‘out there’ to get the whackos’ seal of approval, though.
and with the assistance of then-Attorney General Charles Oberly
Note that Oberly is an elitist Republican who came out against reform of the Delaware concealed carry law a few years ago.
What was the ‘infamous crime’?
Oberly is a Democrat and quite far from an elitist.