Give Donald Trump credit: He has inspired thousands of people to run for office who never considered it before. Among Democrats, that has meant a wave of female and minority candidates for offices large and small. Among Republicans, it has meant a ripple of old white guys going public with the stuff they once hollered only at their TVs.
That’s the takeaway from the Delaware State News profile of the the candidates in the Republican primary for Congress. Looney Tune Scott Walker — no, not the Wisconsin guy, this one’s ours — has turned up here before, but it’s worth reading his quotes for comic value. The more serious challenger is Lee Murphy, a former railroad engineer and dedicated Trump acolyte:
“I support the president. I support his policies, and quite frankly I want to help President Trump in Washington, D.C., and I want to bring that prosperity back to Delaware where I feel we’re languishing behind the rest of the country in jobs, education and just stuck in neutral here.”
Murphy lost his daughter to addiction, an issue he speaks about with hard-won knowledge of the problems, but I don’t think he’ll get to address them from a seat in Congress. In perhaps the best gauge of his chances, his campaign fund contained $5,700 two weeks ago, and not because he spent lots of money already.
Whatever happened to all those conservative folks who used to gather at the watermelon farm? Where’s Don Ayotte when he’s needed?