Some of you will recall that #2 on my list of Most Vulnerable Delaware Republicans is/was State Sen. Cathy Cloutier.
For those of you who missed my Magnum Opus on this race, or who just want to relive the snark, here is my analysis.
That seat is far more vulnerable today as the Democrats have found a strong and serious challenger for the seat in the person of Chris Counihan. I met with Counihan last week at Brew Ha Ha, and came away with the distinct sense that the race is now his to lose.
Counihan has filed, has been working on the campaign for several months, has put together a very strong campaign team and, most importantly of all, will make a very positive impression with voters. Already, he’s bridged any Democratic Party gaps. He was a Markell supporter, a strong one at that, but his campaign manager is a big Carney backer. His campaign team also features people who worked on different sides of that political divide. He has already begun attending civic and community meetings.
He has a PhD. and teaches international relations at the University of Delaware. In addition to his business background, outlined at his website here, he has also taught at St. Joe’s, Immaculata College, and West Chester University. He will be in a position to wage an aggressive door-to-door campaign, and says that he loves to do so. He has done door-to-door on campaigns, most recently on behalf of Mike Migliore in the 6th R. D. Special Election. He is a member of the 6th District Committee, but has previously lived in Windybush, which is in the 7th R. D., the heart of the senatorial district. He has already reached out to most of the key players in the Brandywine Area Democrats, including all the elected officials.
Based on our discussion, I think he can be a real leader when it comes to economic development. He is very involved with the Claymont Community Center and the Claymont Renaissance, and is working on a very exciting project that could prove to be invaluable to Claymont’s economic recovery. I wish I could say more about it, but it wouldn’t be appropriate right now. Suffice to say that this is not a ‘Secret Plan’, but rather something that will surface well before the election.
As I predicted in my article last year, D registration now outnumbers R registration by over 3000 in the 5th S. D. Cloutier had to make a deal with organized labor, which was stupid enough to fall for it, last time in order to squeak by against Pat Morrison. It looks highly unlikely that she’ll be able to pull off something similar this time, especially with the registration deficit.
For those of you jonesing for some political action, check out his (still in development) website and get in touch with him. You can also e-mail him at counihan5th@gmail.com. D’s have a great chance to replace someone who, at best, is just ‘there’ with someone who can really help Delaware create jobs and the opportunity for long-term economic growth.
It’d be a shame to leave this seat in the hands of an invisible back-bencher. Time to ‘git ‘er done’.