This is what momentum looks like: Part 2
Kerri lives in Kent County, works in New Castle County, and advocates in Sussex County. Kerri is a working person, parent, and someone who is constantly improving.
Here’s some of the stats on this race:
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We’ve communicated with over 100,000 voters in Delaware
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We’ve raised over $175,000 (which was ahead of our goal and allowing us to increase our budget and reach out to even more voters!)
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We’ve developed over 800 volunteers
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We’ve been averaging 2-3 press hits a day over these past few months (we even had to get a bigger venue for tomorrow’s election night watch party to accommodate all the press and volunteers coming)
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Kerri won the debate with Sen. Carper (even his supporters told me Kerri won)
What was once impossible, is now inevitable.
Drew Serres
Campaign Manager
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Bethany Hall Long is the best retail politiican in Delaware. As I’ve mentioned here many times, what she lacks in ideas she more than compensates for in work ethic.
When she was my state Rep I watched her speak to voters, and at the end of the conversation she’d write the person’s name in a book she carried. She was totally driven to add names to her list of supporters and she knew making her case face to face was the way to go.
I think BHL may be about to lose her title. Instead of a book, Kerri Harris has been logging supporters on a spreadsheet. The following pictures are maps derived from that spreadsheet.
Alas for Kerri Harris, “We’ve communicated with over 100,000 voters in Delaware” is like getting to first base on a HBP. Delaware is such a small state that voters, particularly regular primary voters, know their politicians. Carper has been at it for a very long time, people have formed their opinions of him, and those opinions are seriously positive.
No disrespect to KH, but she’s going to lose this primary. My guess is 58-42. Now that’s not bad, but it’s a loss. Will the margin give Progressives hope that the next step, taking out Chris Coons, is do-able if she can continue to build a base of people who have formed good opinions of her? And even if she could achieve this (it takes repetition here, not passing blows), will it work against Coons, who has far less baggage than Carper? I have serious doubts.
Note that the two big successes of taking out Democratic incumbents have been HOUSE districts. Okay, late start, but riddle me this: who for real do you target? A big state senator like Schumer? A small state senator like, well, whoever. You get the idea.
Two years toward Coons is a very long time. KH will have the time to get around (as I said, small state), but can she develop a message that is specific to Coons that has anything going for it other that I can do better? Doubtful. I say flash-in-the-pan, ala I am not a witch or Lacey Lafferty.
It is entirely possible that Carper survives this primary. It happens.
KEH has done a hell of a job. She has a future. This is a movement, not an election.
Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.
He sounds pathetic and desperate saying they won the debate. Who cares. She has no real traction and tomorrow will prove that. Don’t worry, we’ll welcome you back with open arms.
Are you going to vote tomorrow? For Carper? Why?
And what makes you think we want to “come back” to people like you? We intend to take over, and bury you in the process.
Who doesn’t like a little projection on primary day eve?
“I say flash-in-the-pan, ala I am not a witch or Lacey Lafferty.”
In other words, you’ve never heard her speak. She’s not an idiot, unlike the two you mentioned. YOu could have mentioned lots more idiots, on both sides of the aisle, who have run vanity campaigns in Delaware over the past two or three decades. Several of them are running in this election.
You apparently missed this, but Christine O’Donnell was a grifter who ran for office because it paid her bills. Lacey Lafferty is just another run-of-the-mill sad sack who spent enough time in Sussex County to get the impression she’s got something to offer (see McGuiness, Kathy, for a Democratic version of this mistaken belief).
Kerri Harris is a bright woman who came up the hard way. She’s no idiot, and if you had seen her make Tom Carper look like a tired old dishrag in that debate you wouldn’t be so confused.
Nice to see my primary prediction has traction.
True, KH is bright, articulate, hardworking. And of course there are one-hit wonders in both parties. Will KH be around in 2020, or will she be a footnote? She did a good job in the debate that we all plus 50 others watched (me the next day, thank you NJ), and half of them were at the debate for the smackdown between Truono and Arlett.
Let’s find some quality candidates to come along at the General Assembly level. When we put up sad sacks for statewide office, the Simplers win, because they’re better. Build the farm team.
Build the bench and build the voter file. Predictions and polls are useless. The only thing that matters is the work, and the people willing to do it.
“Will KH be around in 2020, or will she be a footnote?”
The more important question is whether this movement will be around. Given that Trump isn’t going anywhere without a long fight, I think it will. If it is, the banner-bearer doesn’t have to be Kerri. The key, for me, is the person has to have grass-roots funding and the skills to do the job, and given how Republican congress critters do the job, that bar is pretty low.
Agree 100%
Throwing you candidate overboard before the returns are in? Cool. One hopes the Resistance flourishes with the help of a Democratic House of Representatives and doesn’t go crazy overboard like the Kavanaugh hearing egotripers. One of KH’s weaknesses as a candidate was, as @Alby aludes to, is “skills to do the job.” KH in that regard was hopeless. Too bad there won’t be an election she could run for at a more local level, win, and get on the ladder. I know, I know, you don’t believe in that, but it does work, unless you’re rich (looking at you, Ken Simpler).
The calm objective observer pose is falling away fast. Yes. It is going to be a long 24 hours for you guys. Good luck.
Seriously, what skills do you think she lacks? Familiarity with the people who are going to try to bribe her?
She’s not “my” candidate. Your prism on this is one of a sports spectator. I don’t have time to school you out of that.
I said months ago that if she identifies 40,000 people and makes sure they vote she’ll win. She might do it with less, because I’ve been surprised by how many people want Carper retired.
“Ego-trippers”? You’re calling politicians ego-trippers? Isn’t that like calling slugs slimy? Did you just notice this?
As much as I like Kerri and what she stands for, I’m don’t thinks she’ll win.
Contacted over 100,000 voters? Where? It certainly wasn’t here in Kent County that I know of.
Why is it that candidates seem to focus more on the upper and lower parts of the state but seem to forget about the middle of the state?
I have noticed some Kerri signs in Sussex, but not many. Don’t know that she has spent much time here. I think I remember seeing some function or other where she was in attendance.
Regardless, considering the population and demographics in Sussex, she probably gets more bang for her buck campaigning in Kent or NC.