1. Looks Like It’s Sturgeon Vs. Lavelle In SD 4. With Dan Cruse’s withdrawal from the race for family reasons, the stage is now set for an epic showdown between Rethug mouthpiece/obstructionist Greg Lavelle and insurgent Laura Sturgeon. Make no mistake. This is a winnable race. There are now more registered D’s than R’s in the district, 12,659 D; 12,173 R; and 9456 I. Lavelle is to the right of a lot of the R’s, especially R women, in the district. He has plenty of material that can be used against him. Both Sturgeon and Cruse were viable candidates. However, in this case, a primary likely would have made it difficult for whichever candidate survived to take on Lavelle. You can’t win in SD 4 just by reaching out to D’s when a preponderance of the registered voters are either R’s or I’s. It would have been daunting to do that with only two months between the primary and the general elections. The general election begins now.
Here’s a refresher course on Laura Sturgeon. Gotta say that I’m not in love, to put it mildly, with her endorsement strategy. Granted, she was facing a primary when this page was cooked up (Patti Blevins???), but I don’t think she can win portraying herself as a connected pol. Ditto her Advisory Board. To me, those are warning signs, based on my experience. If she’s gonna win, it’s gonna have to be via grassroots. Her knocking on doors, volunteers knocking on doors, the whole bit. Yes, she can raise money from those who have endorsed her, but when you plaster their pictures up their, you assume their liabilities. Especially Patti Blevins.
I also would hope that Sturgeon has reached out to Dan Cruse. Not to press him for an endorsement, but as a genuine expression of empathy. Why? Empathy is sorely lacking in the General Assembly nowadays, and empathy has never been Lavelle’s strong point, particularly when it comes to those who have no power. And/or no health care.
Hmmm, now that the primary has been avoided, maybe it’s time to arrange for a DL sitdown with Laura…
2.Krista Griffith Kicks Off Campaign For RD 12. Two D’s in a primary to challenge Rep. Debbie Hudson, who represents only the richest of the rich in Dover. We previously profiled Rachel Blumenfeld. Next week, Krista Griffith kicks off her campaign with an event at Pizza By Elizabeth’s from 5:30-8 pm. Here is her newly-minted website. Color me…ambivalent at best. Carefully-crafted, but I’m searching for the Krista Griffith in there. Lots of ‘help business thrive’, nothing, as far as I can find, about funding for those who are being squeezed, very little that could be perceived as big ‘D’ Democratic. She has an impressive background, and she name-drops Beau Biden (a lot) and Matt Denn (BTW, I don’t like the way she tries to get a rub from the Beau Biden Foundation. Isn’t that a non-profit?). I’m just looking for a little progressivity there. Feel free to scour the site and disabuse me of that notion.
Regardless, I’m gonna do my best John Daniello here. This is a primary that, if not resolved ahead of time, will likely ensure Hudson’s reelection. I don’t oppose primaries in general. In fact, I often welcome them. However, when two D’s primary each other in a district like this, a district that has an R edge, you can’t win a general by only having the two months after the primary to reach out to the majority of voters in the district. It’s only my opinion, but I believe that finding a way to resolve the primary and to unify ahead of what will be a challenging general election is the only way to possibly defeat Hudson.
3. (No) Filings This Week.
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?