The incumbent: Bryon Short.
The district: The 7th RD encompasses some of the more Democratic areas of Brandywine Hundred. The district includes the Ardens, much of Claymont, Radnor Green, Ashbourne Hills, Holiday Hills, Graylyn Crest and Darley Woods, among other communities. The current registration is 8289 D; 4482 R; and 4203 I. Almost, but not quite, a D majority. The district was made R-proof in 2012, when more affluent communities were excised from the district, with Foulk Road becoming the westernmost boundary for the district, which eliminated Foulk Woods, Chalfonte and Brandywood from the district.
Bryon Short broke the R stranglehold in northern NCC in 2007. Recently-reelected Wayne Smith (Delaware’s Newt Gingrich) had been angling for a big corporate job, and he got it with Christiana Healthcare just after the election. He handpicked, wait for it, his next door neighbor Jim Bowers to run for what was a swing-R district. The D’s chose Short over Carl Colantuono after both Dave Brady and I (yes I once ran in this district, once was enough) withdrew from consideration and endorsed Bryon. It was a real fun race, and Bryon edged Bowers, then defeated him handily in 2008. A breakthrough for D’s in Brandywine Hundred.
So, why challenge him? There are two Bryon Shorts. There is the man who has been great on social issues, supporting gay marriage and rights for all LGBTQ citizens.
The problem, and it’s a major problem, is that Short has used his position to, in almost every instance, place the interests of the Chamber and the moneyed class over the needs of those who have been routinely screwed by, well, the Chamber and the moneyed class. You name it. He was first given a committee from which he could collect massive campaign funds should he ever decide to run for office. A newly-created (back in 2009) committee called the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance/Commerce Committee. That about covers Delaware’s avaricious. To this day, he has been the only chair of that committee. From that perch, he has buried minimum wage legislation; enabled the Highmark/Blue Cross-Blue Shield merger that Beau Biden begged him to stop (operative quote from Short: “There’s nothing I can do.”); sponsored and, wait for it, now serves on, the top-secret Public-Private Partnership scheme that Short helped to ensure is exempt from FOIA. He also voted to eliminate the Estate Tax, which only impacts, wait for it, 0.2% of the population. He also opposed John Kowalko’s attempt to increase fees on LLC’s, largely because Bryon Short, wait for it, creates LLC’s all the time in his business. He funded his issues-free campaign for Congress largely from the political insiders who raised $$’s for Carper and Markell along with those for whom he did favors from his Business Lapdog Committee perch. He didn’t count on there being three Carperites in the race. One of whom got elected solely because she is a ‘Woman of Color’. But, I digress.
Dave Brady got 36% of the vote against Short in a 2014 primary, which took place after Bryon ‘big-timed’ the three candidates who had announced in good faith for the seat when Short said he wouldn’t seek reelection. As much as I personally like Dave Brady, he’s not a mo’ better Democrat. He continues to run b/c he can’t get over having gotten screwed out of his House District back in 2002. I’m not making that up.
But Short now has some enemies. In the past few years, he has been far less visible around the district than before. He has let it be known that he doesn’t enjoy being in Dover. His constituent services are not as strong. And he has that voting record. I think someone running as a real Democrat, and contrasting their positions on minimum wage, the social safety net, the Estate Tax (were I a candidate, I’d run to restore it), and the secret corporate giveaway that Short helped to engineer, can win. I think Short’s ready to be taken down. If only a progressive candidate will step forward to challenge him.