As always, counting down from #10.
10. RD 32: Andria Viola Bennett vs. Ellis Parrott.
The undistinguished daughter of one of Delaware’s least distinguished legislators (John Viola) has parlayed her homewrecking skills into a run for State Rep, ostensibly as a ‘placeholder’ for her DUI-plagued new husband and soon-to-be former Rep., Brad Bennett. You know, the guy who tearfully lamented the damage he had done to the institution of the House. Ellis Parrott doesn’t get me excited either. An R political aparatchik and long-time Kent County magistrate, now retired. Nothing says ‘political patronage’ quite like Justice of the Peace. The post-redistricting registration numbers are, shall we say, daunting to the R’s: 6133 D, 3143 R, and 3159 I. You do the math. I haven’t the stomach for it.
9. Sussex Council District 3: Councilperson Joan Deaver vs. Don Ayotte.
Sane vs. insane. Deaver has worked hard to protect Sussex County, and has done it within a body that generally supports the entreaties of developers, especially if said developers offer perks that warm what passes for the hearts of said ‘Honorables’. Unintelligible ex-blogger Don Ayotte brings ‘teh crazy’ to the race: a self-proclaimed English major who can’t punctuate, spell or put together a sentence that makes sense. Although his mindless minions do seem to have their barnyard epithets memorized, based on the condition of many of Deaver’s campaign signs. Deaver’s one of the few serious public officials on Sussex County Council, she’s not divisive, so it remains to be seen how effective Ayotte will be. Bonus points to Deaver for opposing the frivolous wasting of taxpayers’ dollars on legal fees to permit Council to recite “The Lord’s Prayer” at the opening of Council meetings. Perhaps the wingnuts have The Lord’s Prayer confused with the Landlord’s Prayer.
8. SD 5: Sen. Cathy Cloutier vs. Chris Counihan.
A rematch of the 2010 Brandywine Hundred contest won by Cloutier by a 55-45 margin, a 1400 vote differential. So, what could possibly change enough in two years to maybe flip this seat? First, redistricting. While the D registration margin has actually shrunk due to redistricting, (a) there are still 1500 more registered D’s than R’s; (b) Cloutier lost key areas that knew her and had voted for her, meaning that there are a lot more voters who don’t know her this time around, always a problem for an aging longtime incumbent; and (c) in a Presidential year, D turnout will be far higher than 2 years ago. Oh, and lest we forget, Cathy Cloutier betrayed supporters of equal rights for gays once again, and this time she got called on it. In this race, Cloutier’s advantage primarily centers around empathy. She comes across as sincere, even though she also comes across as something of a mess. She basically presents herself as one of us, if we all were almost at the ends of our collective ropes. Chris Counihan is not a back-slapping type of guy. Thoughtful, a policy wonk, but doesn’t do the one on one as well as Cathy. They are who they are. If Chris can convince people that his intellect and ideas make him better-suited to serve in the Senate, then he’s got an excellent chance. Especially if Cloutier is forced to defend her record of promising to do something and then taking a walk when it comes time to follow through.
7. SD 21: Sen. Bob Venables vs. Bryant Richardson.
At some point soon, this district will flip to the R’s. It could happen this year. The venerable Bob Venables is well-liked in this southwestern Sussex district. There is a nominal D registration edge, 10671 D; 9979 R; and 5516 I. Venables’ personal popularity has always eclipsed registration, though, and he has a lot of supporters who are not D’s. He is actually a generous and kind-hearted guy, even though he sometimes sounds like the Senator from Mars. He also has a lot of power and pull on the Bond Committee. And he does go out of his way to help constituents, sometimes more than he perhaps should. Bryant Richardson publishes weekly newspapers in the district’s largest towns–Laurel and Seaford. Very active in the Chamber of Commerce. At some point, he’ll likely be the senator from this district, should he continue his political path. The only question is whether now is the time. Barring a significant health issue, I tend to doubt it, but my Sussex Spies likely have a better take on this race.
Important Aside: For the first time since I’ve been in Dover, both the House and Senate will have new presiding officers. The Senate President Pro-Tempore position is open due to Tony DeLuca’s primary loss to Bryan Townsend, and the Speaker of the House position has been left open due to the retirement of Speaker Bob Gilligan. Those leadership decisions, and the others, will be heavily influenced by the winners of these races. You can also bet that any and all would-be leadership candidates will be working hard to get people friendly to their cause elected. For example, it is no coincidence that both Karen Peterson and Patti Blevins were listed on the Host Committee for a recent Chris Counihan fundraiser. The two senators are among those thought to be considering a run for Pro-Tem.
6. Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart vs. Ben Mobley.
Stewart is the favorite in what should be a blue tide year in Delaware. However, 67% of Democrats in the primary preferred someone other than KWS for reelection. Ben Mobley‘s job, and it is a daunting one, will be to galvanize disaffected Democrats in large enough numbers to remain competitive. This would be a much easier task in an off-year, when there are fewer voters and fewer ‘low information’ voters. (Pointless Aside: I do not mean for the term ‘low information voter’ to be a pejorative. These are generally voters who only vote in presidential years, and they tend to be straight-party voters. My point being that these voters, should they venture far enough down-ballot, give Democrats an edge they would not likely have in an off-year election.) Still, Mobley has a compelling personal biography, wounded in combat, pursued his education, active in volunteer efforts. IMHO, he can’t screw Delaware insurance consumers any more than the delusional incumbent has. If he can convince me and many like-minded voters that he would do no more harm than KWS, he’d likely get my vote since Stewart never will. Floor’s yours, Ben.
Coming tomorrow (or whenever I can get around to it…), the Top 5.