After Castle
The latest Hill article on the machinations of our summer drama “As the Castle Turns” has a few little tidbits that are worth sharing. For example:
Castle’s 2010 decision on whether to run for Senate, campaign for reelection or retire is the $64,000 question in Washington, and sources suggest it could be answered as soon as this week. He is not expected to seek his House seat again and has openly talked about recruiting a successor.
And sources suggested that a decision would be reached in June, and again at the end of August. Castle’s latest deadline for himself, as stated on an interview with Allan Loudell on WDEL, was at the end of September. So if that is the case, then it makes sense that he would decide this week on his future, if you really believe the decision has not been made yet. Does anyone anywhere really believe the decision has not been made yet? Whether his decision is to retire (and I think it is clear he will retire) or to run for the Senate, the decision has been made long ago.
The next tidbit in the article is who follows Castle. Even if Castle runs for the Senate, the GOP needs a successor to Castle in the Congressional race. If he doesn’t run for the Senate, then the GOP is faced with a wonderful opportunity, both nationally and locally, to look for new leadership. And lets be clear, for a Republican to have any chance in the Diamond State, he or she will have to be in the mold of Castle. Someone who projects a moderate persona and pragmatism. It will not be a conservative firebrand. It will not be a christianist whackjob.
[S]tate Rep. Tom Kovach, heads the list of potential candidates. He and businessman Anthony Wedo are considered the most likely prospects. Also on the GOP’s radar are a pair of reputable prosecutors in former U.S. Attorney Colm Connolly and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ferris Wharton.
Having met Tom Kovach at Delaware Liberal’s Miles for Melanoma event this summer, I can say he will be a strong candidate and precisely the “Mike Castle Republican” the GOP needs (and those are Kovach’s words describing himself, not mine). Anthony Wedo? He is an unknown. An investment and resturant executive who could self finance a race. I suppose if the GOP is desparate for a sacrificial lamb against Carney in the House race should Castle retire, someone who can self fund his campaign, then Wedo is the perfect candidate, all the while Kovach can run for Senate and give Beau Biden a run for his money.
The Hill article mentions Ferris Wharton and Colm Connolly as the GOP’s ideal candidates. But Wharton is pretty focused on running for the Attorney General job again should Beau Biden run for Senate. And Colm Connolly seems to have no interest since joining the law firm of Morgan Lewis. He said it’s “not something I’m focused on.” Not a Shermanesque statement, but you sense less enthusiam from Connolly than you see from Castle, and I didn’t think that was possible.
If I were a Republican, I would actually want Castle to retire from politics now. For if Castle does run for the Senate, he will only stay until 2014, when he most assuredly will retire to the Florida beaches his wife longs for. That is just delaying the inevitable. If he retires now, you get to bring new leadership and new faces into the party when it desparately needs it. Kovach and Wedo are new faces. Protack, Copeland, O’Whackjob, and even Wharton and Connolly are old faces.
Wharton’s hit-and-run incident ended any hope he had for elected office.
No mention of Copeland?
I spoke to Castle on Friday and asked when he was going to make a decision. He replied that he may decide this [past] weekend. I do believe that the announcement of his retirement is imminent.
That said, I fear that Kovach’s goose may already be cooked with the Sussex Republicans over their fear of a gay planet. Kovach was very straight-up with them about his support of anti-discrimination legislation in Leg Hall. I would be happy to see him get in the race, but with the ascendancy of the crazies in his party he may have a strong headwind.
Smitty would love Kovach.
Copeland was mentioned in the article, but as a recent loser of the Lt. Governor race and a duPont heir would be rake in big bucks. I didn’t include him here because I do not see him as having eyes on the federal offices. He wants to run for Governor or Treasurer (or both), not for Congress.
I think Kovach has a big problem with name recognition. If he’s running for the House he’s going against someone with a much bigger name – John Carney. I also wonder if the Republican party will want Kovach to run because there’s a high probability of a party switch if the seat is vacated.
That would be true if Lavelle ran from his Brandywine district, with respect to his seat switching back.
Wharton – no. Hit and run, plus absolutely hating running last time means he’s out.
Colm – No. Just don’t think he has the fire in his belly (any more)
Kovach – ehh, I guess? But seriously no one in the state knows who the hell that guy is… to say you are “talent” in the Delaware GOP just means you are the smartest person in the remedial class. The Dems have a far deeper and more talented bench.
Copeland – who cares?
Beau is going to run, and the GOP will put up some sacrificial lamb (insert name here).
Carney probably already knows what office he wants in DC.
Remarkably few have leapt from GA to statewide office. It helps to have personal wealth (du Pont, Stabler) or be LG w/ victorious running mate (Minner, Castle, Tribbitt). Otherwise, except for Elliott in ’76, legislature has been a cul-de-sac for political careers.
Bye Bye to Castle, long overdue. Sad to say but he has been the primary cause the Delaware GOP has done so badly over the years and now he wants to hang on to pick his successor. If you are a Mike Castle republican, you are spineless and a sell out to special interests and you do not care about Delawareans.
At the Annual Salute at Vicmead Hunt Club on October 9th Castle will step aside and ask everyone to support Kovach ( he is listed as a co chair). Small point about the GOP leadership, they are losers picking losers. Ross is a joke and Wimer, the ED was Ting’s campaign boy in 2006, you know Ting the Obama supporter and now single payer advocate?
Wedo is Levin light. Another Stooge who will waste his own money and get beat like a drum. If the GOP seeks you out to run, you are an idiot and a sure failure. Wedo as a business/restaurant guy paid minimum wage, screwed his employees and sold out to Wall Street.
There are two guys who could run but neither want to as they are too smart to submit themselves to the glaring stupidity of the Delaware Republican Party. Wharton is not one of them, he speaks like a wooden statue and is let’s face it, he is wierd.
It is time for a third party.
Who are the two guys who are so evil, hateful and christianist that they pass your purist test, Delaware Patriot? I am assuming even O’Whackjob is too liberal for you?
Protack, of course.
“Protack, of course.”
Answering the question, “Who is the commenter whose latest ‘name’ is ‘Delaware Patriot’?”
No, I don’t believe so. Protack usually speaks highly of Castle.
I remember Anderson one time using the Delaware Patriot handle, but even that self-indulgent scorched-earth paranoia (using the anony handle to hide behind the hate) is beneath him. Oh man, the hate. Of course, that frame of mind comes from the same group that now claims the H1N1 vaccine is an Obama plot to poison Americans. I kid you not. The loons are out there and carefully taking the stage by fear, forced or implied.
There are two guys who could run but neither want to as they are too smart to submit themselves to the glaring stupidity of the Delaware Republican Party.
Something tells me they are “too smart” within their own household, but would lose a round of trivia to a stray dog (or router) with that kind of endorsement.
I don’t think so, either. It was longwinded (yes, yes, I know. Pot and kettle) and fairly mean-spirited and vindictive. But (and I’m no expert on the DE GOP) there might have been some truth to it. And it was pretty coherent. Those are not your typical Protackian traits. I think “Delaware Patriot” is just a transplanted Tom Brady fan.
Delaware’s Tom Brady [the real Tom Brady, if you will] would also be wicked to the likes of Delaware Patriot.