Delaware Political Weekly: May 18-24, 2018
Well, not quite weekly. Just wasn’t enough stuff to justify a post last week.
1. Could Two Of Delaware’s Best Legislators Choose Not To Run Again? Yes. And it’s scary. While no final decisions have been made, I’m told that two of Delaware’s best are considering bowing out instead of seeking reelection. To put it mildly, this would be disastrous to the progressive cause. Especially since Rep. J. J. Johnson is also retiring. Since both the Senate and House could be more hospitable to progressives following this year’s elections, my hope is that both will decide to return. Not a sure thing, though.
2. Lumpy Carson Gets A Challenger. A GOOD Challenger. No doubt about it. If I lived in Lumpy’s district, I’d vote for Charlotte Middleton. She ran against Brooks Banta for a Levy Court seat in 2016 and got over 40% of the vote. Not bad for a first-timer. She has now filed to challenge, I’m sorry, I have to say it, the dumbest legislator in Dover. Not just ignorant, but proud of his ignorance. Middleton would be an asset to the General Assembly. Here is an interview with her from 2016. Quite the record of accomplishment, and the kind of accomplishment that would serve her constituents well. I betcha she’d be better on gun control as well. This one isn’t even close. The R’s have the better candidate. Too bad the voters in this district are not known for their intellectual heft.
3. Startzman Files In 19th. Again. Every two years he puts his name on the ballot. Every two years Kim Williams skunks him. He’s back. Here’s all you need to know, in case you’ve forgotten. Looks like he’s a realtor who runs to gin up real estate business. Look for another 63-37 blowout. Williams, of course, faces Megan O’Donnell in a D primary in September. To put it mildly, O’Donnell’s website is sparse on detail.
4. Sussex County Sheriff Robert T. Lee Files. I’d generally mention this in the Filings section, but how can you ignore a sheriff who lives on, wait for it, Shotgun Alley? I can’t make this stuff up.
5. Filings. State Sen. Colin Bonini (R-16th SD); State Rep. Helene Keeley (D-RD 3).
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?
DL endorsing a Republican?!
Not DL. Me. If you knew Lumpy, you’d understand.
only a liberal could justify voting for the republican
only a
liberalperson more interested in good government than tribalism could justify voting for the republican.fixed that for you.
Carson will likely be the nominee for SD14 when Ennis retires. We need to start finding a replacement for him anyways. Not to say it merits a primary opponent (too late, imo) but we should start finding a viable Dem candidate well before 2020.
Not sure about that. Even D party officials recognize that Carson is pretty much the lowest-common denominator. I think they understand that putting him up as their standard-bearer could be riskier than nominating someone with, oh, I don’t know, qualifications.
Aside from not liking the man, perhaps on style grounds, what’s wrong with Bill Carson? Name-calling won’t do it. Beyond previously-stated beefs about his position on guns, what else makes him unworthy to be a Democratic officeholder? And, just for the heck of it, list the positions he’s taken on issues you agree with.
As for Ms. Middleton, she comes across to me as a fine first-time candidate for public office. She got her feet wet against Banta in a year when Trump carried the county, so it’s nice to see you give her a pat on the back.
And finally, would you name names about the two office-holders who you hear aren’t going to run again?
Townsend?
Baumbach?
Kowalko?
Faithful Skeptic: There used to be a lot of D’s like Lumpy Carson in the General Assembly. Rod Dixon, Marian Anderson, Howard Clendaniel, to name but a few. Non-entities who ended up in Dover b/c of their fealty to the good ol’ boys who ran the Democratic committees in their areas.
It’s hard to dislike Lumpy Carson. He’s amiable. It’s the only quality that even partially qualifies him for public office. I first met him the day of the Special Election when he was running to succeed Bruce Ennis, who had succeeded Jim Vaughn in the Senate. Don’t know what I expected, but I expected someone perhaps not as willfully ignorant as Ol’ Lump. Pretty much anybody else, in other words.
I was working for the House at the time. Lumpy was last guy in the building, first guy out of the building. He had his aide read all his e-mail b/c Ol’ Lump didn’t do e-mail. (I was not his aide.) He didn’t treat them well.
To even HAVE positions on issues would require more intellect than Lumpy possesses. He’s a reliable Pete supporter, which is why he ended up chairing the Transportation Committee for awhile.
Have YOU ever met him? Ever talked with him? If you believe that my take on him is inaccurate, please let me know why. I betcha that anybody w/o brownie points to earn is nodding their head in agreement with my description.
Oh, and Ms. Middleton is a second-time candidate, having gotten over 40% of the vote against Brooks Banta in a Kent County Levy Court race.
As to the possible retirees, I’m not biting. I think people in Dover know who I’m concerned about, and I HOPE that they’re working to ensure that they run again.