1. Potential Sussex County Fallout
So let me get this straight. Jeff Christopher and Glen Urquhart knew about an alleged illegal affair between Vance Phillips and a teenager and, instead of alerting the the criminal justice system or, in Christopher’s case, pretending to be the law in Sussex County, they and/or someone affiliated with them, sent an anonymous letter to every member of the House of Representatives? Uh, why? Why didn’t they alert the authorities, or pretend to be the authority? Was someone blackmailing Phillips? If so, who? At this point, we can’t see how this will play out, and we don’t yet know what’s true or not, but this is certain to impact, and perhaps end, the political careers, such as they are, of Phillips, Christopher, and Urquhart. And there could well be others who were in on this. Tea baggers, perhaps? Other than what I’ve said, I don’t know what to say. Other than that, even before this possible scandal, Ernie Lopez was an infinitely preferable candidate for the 6th Senatorial District than Urquhart.
2. Party Endorses Crane, Changes the ‘Calculus’.
Up until now, the calculus, at least as I saw it was simple: The more challengers who oppose an incumbent, the more likely the incumbent will win. However, the Democratic Party’s endorsement of Crane, an endorsement that, according to Party Chair John Daniello, “wasn’t close”, changes all that, IMHO. Crane had already built a strong grassroots organization, a lot stronger than Stewart’s. Crane had already raised a lot more money than Stewart. And now, the Party, and especially the district committees who strongly backed Crane, will line up behind his candidacy. The 10-15 people who gather on Harris McDowell’s porch can, in no way, counteract that. I’m speaking as an analyst here, not as a partisan (Crane partisans, of whom I’m admittedly one, no doubt will cringe when I say this), but, barring something unforeseen, I now see Crane as a strong favorite to win this race, and I’m not sure that even the combined ‘forces’ of Stewart, Spivack, and Gallagher can put up a serious threat.
3. Three-Way Battle in the 23rd.
I’m jealous. Jerry Grant, former Newark Councilman, Assistant Chief of Staff to the House Democratic Caucus, previously assistant to both Terry Schooley and John Kowalko; Paul Baumbach, head of the Progressive Democrats of Delaware, and a key advocate for progressive causes; Claudia Bock, President of the Christina Education Association. Any of the three would be infinitely preferable to 2/3rds of the flotsam that…float, flaunt and flout in Dover. BTW, a pretty strong R source tells me that it is unlikely that Paul Pomeroy, an in-law to the Soles family, but an R, will join the race.
4. 1st D Files in the 32nd.
And offers a stark contrast to the riches in the 23rd. This is the seat that Brad Bennett will leave this November following his latest DUI. The guy’s name is Michael Tedesco, and he spouts bullshit. Such as:
I can’t just sit by while our so called representatives destroy our once great State and Nation. Join me, and together we can save our future for the next generation…I want to fight the abusive tax increases that our citizens are unable to afford…
Oh, and his big issue, the one he was going to run against Bennett on? The fact that Bennett supported the so-called ‘watered-down’ home invasion bill instead of Sen. Lawson’s equally BS ‘stronger’ bill. As I’ve pointed out numerous times, neither bill was necessary b/c there are already something like 150 offenses in addition to the new crime of ‘home invasion’ that would send poopetrators (Rugrats reference) away forever. Doesn’t stop this Tedesco guy from falsely claiming that, “With offenders back on the street in no time for good behavior, their victims are once again exposed to retribution.”
This guy may have filed as a D, but he is no Democrat. His rhetoric reads like a Tea Partier trying to get the nomination by default. Don’t think that’s gonna happen.
5. Candidate vs. Former Campaign Manager in 10th RD.
Dennis E. Williams(uh, you might want to lose that test pattern flag, Dennis) vs. Sean Matthews in a 10th RD Democratic Primary. This could be the kind of primary that costs the D’s a seat, and I think it’s unnecessary. But, it’s now official.
6. Longhurst’s Opponent Is Legit.
James Burton, adjunct faculty member at University of Delaware’s Wilmington campus, bachelor’s degree in business administration, Penn State University; master’s degree in social administration, Temple University. He ran for office once before in 2004, finished second in a three-way primary for the New Castle County district won by Bill Bell. Longhurst loves to use intimidation, which is great when you’re on top. But when you start to lose your edge, there are people with long memories just waiting to assist you on your way down. Don’t know if Longhurst is there yet, but Burton is a viable alternative.
7. Intrigue in the 8th Wilmington City Council District.
You all remember that Stephen Martelli resigned the seat to go to work for the US State Department. Last week, Ken Matlusky, who lost to Richard Korn in the 2010 primary for State Auditor, filed to run for the seat as a Democrat, and is currently the only filed candidate. However, one of our ‘spies’ has told us that At-Large Council Member Bud Freel, will not run for an at-large seat, but will rather run in the 8th, where he’d almost certainly be a prohibitive favorite. These things don’t happen in a vacuum, so there is more political intrigue to follow. Who has Bud anointed to run at-large? Could his initials be MM?
8. Reverend D Suspends His Campaign.
Bowing to the reality that there would be no imminent change to the legal opinion that held him to be ineligible to hold office due to his criminal past, Reverend Derrick Johnson ‘suspended’ his campaign for mayor. While I can understand his desire to run, Johnson strikes me as someone who can make a greater contribution out of political office than in it.
9. Withdrawals, We Have Withdrawals!
Frann Anderson, who had filed as a D to challenge incumbent Rep. Debbie Hudson in the 12th RD has withdrawn from the race. Too bad, I liked her background, and thought she would be a credible challenger, although the district admittedly is a real tough one.
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?