The state GOP is holding their special convention today, during which they will elect their new State Party Chairman. Former Chairman John Sigler resigned back in May, and the newly elected vice Chair, Nelly Jordan, a Sussex County tea party activist, took over as Acting Chairman. However, she has had some trouble fundraising and is not running in her own right for a full term. She has instead endorsed the only candidate for Chairman, former State Senator and du Pont heir Charlie Lamont Copeland. So really, today is more of a coronation than an election, but whatever.
Copeland is viewed by others in the party as the ideal candidate to heal the civil war within the party between the Northern establishment business Republicans and the Southern radical tea party Republicans. And that is because Charlie embraced the tea party in 2010 while still having the literal bloodlines of the establishment.
“I think the rumors of the death of the Republican Party in Delaware have been wildly exaggerated,” [Copeland] said. “The myth is that there’s a big difference between Greenwood and Greenville.”
I guess he forgets the 2010 U.S. Senate Republican Primary. I guess he forgets Booth v. Bodenweiser. Rollins v. Urquhart. Copeland is your typical Republican. He doesn’t like the facts, so he pretends that the facts and the reality are myths.
But Copeland is pledging to do something that is sure to cause further division in his party.
Copeland said the party needs to focus on chipping away at the 20 percent minority voting bloc that overwhelmingly supports Democrats in Delaware. He said the party needs to reach out and connect with minority communities that harbor some conservative ideals.
“There are, frankly, some on the right who for their own reasons prefer to have a debate amongst ourselves, rather than say, ‘There are philosophically conservative minority voters and we ought to be talking to those people,’ ” Copeland said.
“We’ve ceded large territories in this state. You can’t give away that kind of vote.”
Yeah, we will see how that goes downstate among the bigots.