Post Mortem: At least we beat Deluca….
I will be posting a comprehensive General Election preview tomorrow now that the slates are set, but I wanted to post my thoughts on what transpired tonight first.
1. Obviously the alliance between Tom Gordon, Dennis Williams, Harris McDowell (and by extension, Karen Weldin Stewart), and Christopher Bullock controlled the outcome of all their respective races. It was smart politics. It was what saved Karen Weldin Stewart (for the time being). Perhaps if Taschner, Clark, Kelley and Crane formed some kind of alliance, who knows?
2. Tom Kovach is the dumbest man in Delaware politics. Had he, as the current New Castle County Council President, decided to run for County Executive, he would be in the EZPass lane direct to a general election victory right now. I would have voted for him, hands down, with no qualms or regrets. And then, as County Executive, and a Republican County Executive to boot, he would be the new leader of a resurgent GOP, and the frontrunner for the GOP nomination for Governor in 2016. But some duPont talked him into running for Congress so the GOP wouldn’t be embarrassed. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb move.
3. Harris McDowell is a powerful smart politician. His strategy of getting more challengers to run against Karen defused the Crane threat. Yes, it is downright embarrassing to have his protege incumbent Insurance Commissioner get less than a third of the primary vote, but if it was a two person race, she would have lost. If it was a three person race, she still would have lost. But a four person race? I think we will find out very soon how much money he or his allies poured into Spivack and Gallagher’s campaigns. But, hey, it was a successful strategy, and he, and Karen won.
4. I will not, NOT, be voting for Tom Gordon. He is not a Democrat, he is a Corruptocrat. The question now remains, who is Mark Blake? Can he earn my vote? It depends on what type of Republican he is. So I will either not be voting in that race, or I will vote for Blake. We will see. I do think Delaware Liberal will seek to interview Mark Blake.
5. I don’t know what I will do regarding Karen Weldin Stewart, despite what I said earlier in the comments. I am not convinced Ben Mobley will be any better, but I will check him out. But my default position is that Republicans can never be trusted to regulate corporations and protect the consumer.
6. I am impressed with the strong, albeit losing, campaigns that Sean Matthews, Eric Anderson, Bill Dunn, and Victoria Kent ran.
7. How hated is Dennis E. Williams? I like the guy, and I would vote for him, but to only squeak by by 60 votes? Is he in danger in November?
8. My God, Lopez v. Staton is going to be the premiere race in the Senate. I will have my prediction on that race tomorrow.
9. Senator Bodenweiser. It is actually worse than having a Senator Urquhart. The only thing that will prevent that is whether Booth Republicans can see their way to voting for an African American woman.
10. The Senate Pro Tem race is on. The #2 in the Senate is Patti Blevins, and she is in line to become the first woman President Pro Tem. But she is in the Deluca camp. To prevent that, Senate progressives are going to have to settle on one candidate, and I think Karen Peterson is that choice. Peterson v. Blevins will be a race that will be fun to watch.
Jane Hovington for State Senate!
You moron. You don’t have your facts straight as usual.
Like Gallagher getting 9% of the vote. Great call on that one.
Keep drinking the kool aid.
There will be a great many more low information voters coming out in November. With the registration advantage, Obama on the top of the ballot, and the IC race fairly low on the ballot, KWS will win in a walk.
This was the election. McDowell won. I hope he collects enough graft over the next four years to retire in comfort to St Lucia.
Earnesto Lopez won 55% of 3,942 votes. Andrew Staton won 58% of 3,597 votes.
The district contains 12,580 registered Republicans, 13,600 Democrats and 7,800 other.
The GOP won the turnout battle this time, but that could be as a result of the fact that there was some heat between Lopez people and Urquel people down the stretch. It could be because Republicans are just better at voting.
Obama/Biden will help Staton and if teabags stay home on this because of sore feelings, that would help too.
So much for Shahan being a good guy. He immediately started sucking up to the new king.
From TNJ:
Shahan was at Gordon’s headquarters and said Gordon’s victory was a win for him as well.
“What was in there now needed to be out – and now that will happen,” Shahan said.
Thank god Urquhart lost last night. I’m so sick of his signs polluting Sussex county every three feet… they’re almost as bad as the “starbucks is putting in a new store in the bathroom of a starbucks” joke. The fact that this was one of WGMD’s anointed one’s makes it all the sweeter.
Urquhart will be back, he only lost $100,000 of his own money this time.
Mark Blake is an amazing person and really smart about what’s going on at County Hall. You will not be sorry at all to cast your votes for him in November. He’s a personal friend of mine. Get to know him.
As for Shahan, SW, he made no secret that he was in it for the right reasons and that was Any1ButClark. Your typically nasty and personal hatred for Gordon has to taint EVERYTHING no doubt. Wonder why. You must be one of the scads of wealthy New Castle Countians who’ve finally settled into life at the beach in their retirement years. Maybe you are Sherry Freebery herself who is known to be a Tommy hater these days. 🙂
I never thought about Peterson for Pro Tem but I like the sound of that.
There’s a place in hell for the IC spoilers and their sponsors.
I think the task now is to document KWS’s doings in detail as they affect the interests of corporations vs. the public. I’m not very knowledgeable on OIC policies but I can get that way. I’d hope to see more policy analysis of KWS actions; less snark and dishing.
Indeed.
Take your best shot kids.
Why? Your inexplicably horrible candidate won. Congratulations. You deserve to laugh it up and say I told you so, so go ahead.
See us at Return Day
Hey, JP, perhaps in KWS’ next four years she will actually deny a rate increase! Stranger things have happened.
Overall we seem to be witnessing the dissolution of the Democratic party. Just as in Afghanistan the will of the leadership is being challenged by an amalgamation of warlords.
The party for the first time ever, took sides in a primary race and supported Mitch Crane, Paul Clark, and Tony DeLucca, as well as Tom Carper. It looks like their endorsement only mattered for Tom Carper.
The warlords have risen and are more powerful.
LOL, Delaware Dem will love kavips’ hyperbole.
KWS is like Rolling Rock beer – she has a “33” stamped on her (for 33%).
She is yet another poster child for national health care. Private health insurance breeds corruption and influence-peddling into every level of our politics. JP, that is nothing to celebrate.
For those of you who thought outsourcing public health care to private insurers was the “pragmatic” thing to do, maybe this IC race is the 2×4 over the head that might change your thinking. It’s happening everywhere, not just in Delaware. Private insurers are now more empowered in our politics than when Obama took office.
I like to think that there are enough reasonable people that Ben Mobley has a shot at this.
I would also add that there was a major grassroots mobilization for Marie Mayor who won by a landslide. This shows that if progressive candidates run, people will turn out to work and vote.
And I hope we can get the Party to stop endorsing in the primary, after yet another example of their endorsement having no positive impact.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I hope I am wrong because I think KWS may be nice person but it would not surprise me to see her behind bars within 4 years .
Puck, Hold on a sec. Rolling Rock beer has been a friend to the middle class.
Del dem and Puck ….. You realize there has never been actual proof of the crsp you pedal but feel free to support the R it goes you your hypocritical natures.
I haven’t made a decision on that. Indeed, I doubt a Republican will be any better than KWS. In fact, Ben Mobley might be significantly worse. Like I said, you can never trust a Republican to regulate businesses and protect the consumer. The problem I have is that I also cannot trust KWS to do it either.
“there has never been actual proof of the crsp you pedal ”
Leave my bike out of this.
Consider taking the high road Jp. Your girl won. That gives you an opportunity to rise above this kind of thing if you want to.
While KWS no doubt benefited from the four-way race, I no longer think McDowell masterminded that; I think the weakness of the incumbent lured them in.
I talked to Paul Gallagher at some length, and he seemed to be legit. He’s not the first insurance agent I have known who tried to run for that office, but he got further than most.
Dennis Spivack is, at this point, a serious candidate for a mental health evaluation. At the Universal-Unitarian forum he kept pounding the table and yelling about Vietnam vets, completely off topic and seemingly off his rocker.
One nice thing about the continued attacks here on Karen is that you all seem accepting that the county and city will be led by Tom and Dennis;)
Gallagher lost my vote (although by that time I was already onboard the Crane train) the minute he referred to the Democratic party as the Democrat party. Attention Democrats, do not EVER speak Fox News to me.
It was endearing Sussex county speak first
Not “accepting,” more like “resigned to”
JP, accepting is different than endorsing it. I will not vote for Tom Gordon. I will vote for Mark Blake and I will schedule an interview with him on DL. DL may actually endorse Mark Blake. But we can acknowledge that Gordon is likely to win. As for Dennis running the city, I don’t necessarily have a problem with that. I liked Kelley better but I like Dennis as well, and he was great when he came out to speak to the PDD on the budget process in Dover some months ago.
JP, I do not pander to Sussex County Republicans, and neither should any Delaware Democrat.
Wtf was that a reference to?
This:
It was endearing Sussex county speak first
I assumed you were defending use of the “Democrat Party” slur.
So to all of the people who thought I was crazy when I said a stiff primary hurts dems in the end, I guess Gordon, Bullock and Stewart will be our litmus test?
JP: Dennis obviously is going to be the next mayor. Tom will probably win in November, but I wouldn’t put it in the bank yet. It’s one thing to defeat as flawed an incumbent as Paul Clark; there were two big groups helping in this race, the pro-Gordon and the anti-Clark factions. Clark couldn’t even count on the anti-Gordon vote.
In the fall Gordon will have lots of people voting Democratic by reflex, but nobody will be voting against Blake, who will get the anti-Gordon vote. The election will be decided by how many anti-Gordon voters there are out there.
I was it is common in Sussex among actual democrats
“it is common in Sussex among actual democrats”
I think they call that Stockhold Syndrome.
Or, when they spell it correctly, Stockholm Syndrome.
The Delaware Democratic party is now the victim of its own success. Anyone who wants to win runs as a D, so we have a slate full of people who have NO relationship with the party or its platform going into the general carrying our standard. I can’t even tell you how many of the people at polls and in the campaigns of these people are not even registered Democrats in Delaware, but they included most of the ones I talked to yesterday. I’ve had my own RD talk about putting people on the committee who were active in a campaign but ARENT REGISTERED DEMOCRATS.
Anyone want to firm up the rules in the party? Make candidates sign off on the platform? because although the folks that showed up to vote yesterday, registered Green, or I, or whatever, weren’t allowed to vote, that doesn’t mean they’re not picking our candidates.
A note on city council…Nnamdi Chukwuocha won in the First District defeating Sam Guy. Nnamdi lost 4 years ago to Potter by just 70 votes. Hicks Anderson’s son, Nnamdi has integrity, credibility in the streets and among the elites, and lots of experience working with city kids and community building. Most importantly, he didn’t have to form convenient alliances in order to be successful. Its a win for one of the good guys!
As an independent and as a previous life and health insurance sales person, I’m going to teach the insurance commissioner how to sell Medicaid insurance in early October. Hopefully, Liberty Mutual will sponsor the event. I don’t think its understood well in Delaware.
Daniello needs to go! Mike Barbieri came to headquarters last night, after working polling locations the entire day and delivering food to all the workers (and not seeing any other candidate in sight all day) and Daniello says “here comes the missing one”! How the hell are you going to attract people to the party by offending the ones who really work for it?
Yeah, the top priority for us after this election is the retirement of Daniello. There are many allies among elected officials who want Daniello gone.
And who would replace him? I have someone in mind: Erik Raser-Schramm. And that is not to imply that Erik wants Daniello gone or is in any way involved in any effort to remove him. Erik is just someone I like as a party official who I think would be great in the job.
Erik would be awesome, but why would he want to? That job’s gotta be like being pecked to death by chickens!
Well, Erik was the House Chief-of-Staff, so he’s used to being pecked by chickens. Plus, he is or was a Jack guy, and you’d think Jack would want someone like Erik in that position.
Plus, I think Erik’s by far the best person for the job. He’s serious about candidate recruitment, and he’s very good at it.
Oh, and he’s an honest broker. Which may or may not be a plus.
That’s all true, but, why would he want to?
Erik’s a good choice but Daniello’s position is a non-paying job and I would think a young guy like Erik would like to be payed for his efforts. Executive Director is a payed position and Erik would be awesome in that position.
AQC: Perhaps he’s a masochist? Otherwise, I dunno.
Pretty angry by Jud Bennett letter in State News and his racist comment pointing out that Bodenweiser was running against an Afro-American woman. Why identify her by race?