I figure it’s time for a clean thread to discuss what might happen in Delaware and nationally during the upcoming election cycles.
I’ll start. Looks like we’re gonna have a Carper proxy vs. a Biden proxy in the D gubernatorial primary: John Carney (Carper) vs. Tom Gordon (Biden). Word on the street is that Gordon would like Trinidad Navarro to run for County Executive. Let’s see…a minority and…a former cop. Pretty much covers Gordon’s core constituencies. Now all he has to do is to gin up a primary…
Serial bloviator Colin Bonini says he’s running for Governor. Greg Lavelle says he might run as well. While I don’t think Ken Simpler will run, he might not be able to resist going after Carney’s congressional seat, assuming that Carney runs for Governor. Hey, if all goes as planned, Governor Carney could then appoint Sean Barney to fill out Simpler’s term. Barf bags all around.
Otherwise, I don’t foresee Sean Barney or Brenda Mayrack as viable candidates moving forward unless they want to run for the General Assembly before perhaps trying to move back up the ticket. Mayrack, in particular, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way (not me, BTW) and is sorta a persona non grata right now among party people who supported her. Barney still has a shot, but only b/c Tom Carper doesn’t give up easily, and Barney has always been a wholly-owned subsidiary of (and prototype from) Carper Cyborgenics. However, I think he’s more likely to cash in his ‘public service’ for a lucrative job lobbying on behalf of the financial services industry. Like most former Carper staffers.
I think Jack Markell will likely be the next Executive Director of the Rodel Foundation, unless Hillary Clinton taps him to be Secretary of Education. I don’t see her winning, so Rodel Foundation, here he comes.
I would like to see Mitch Crane challenge Karen Weldin Stewart again, hopefully this time with fewer additional D challengers and this time with a plan that includes campaigning in NCC.
The biggest unanswered question is: Who runs for Carney’s congressional seat? The progressive bench is thin, assuming Matt Denn serves as AG for four years. Bryan Townsend would be great, but I’m not sure he’s a ‘commute to Washington’ type of guy. So…who runs for that seat?
OK. Have at it.