Well, the title is a lie. Yes, we will be going weekly from now on. But a lot more than I expected took place in the waning weeks of 2019, so we get a chance to play catch-up.
1. Bruce Ennis Gets A Primary Challenger. Her name is Kyra Hoffner, and she is quite active in the movement to legalize marijuana in Delaware. There’s no doubt that she has a more progressive agenda than Ennis. Here’s her issues page. It will be interesting to see whether this district has changed enough to enable a true progressive to mount a viable campaign. This will be a fun race to watch.
2. Republican Files For SD 14. His name is Terrance Lee Baker. And he’s running in Bruce Ennis’ current district. Baker is a Vietnam Veterans Of America Service Officer, and he works out of the VA Hospital in Elsmere ‘helping veterans from all eras of war receive the benefits they deserve’. He has no website or social media presence yet. Seems like a credible candidate, though.
3. D Files In Mike Smith’s District. Her name is Louise D’Agostino and…I couldn’t find out anything about her. I mean nothing. No website, no social media, and apparently no accomplishments that could get her listed in a Google search. Does anybody have anything? Louise? Are you out there somewhere? Let’s talk. Speaking of this 22nd District seat, in November of 2018, the registered voter totals were as follows: 7027 D, 6592 R, and 5376 I. The totals as of today are: 7204 D (plus 177), 6542 R (minus 50), and 5487 I (plus 111). Smith defeated Guillermina Gonzalez by 140 votes. This registration trend is not his friend, and it’s not gonna get better.
4. Only One Official Primary So Far. Both incumbent John Viola and challenger Madinah Wilson-Anton have filed to face each other in a Democratic primary for Viola’s 26th RD seat. While we have several announced and likely primaries, this is the only one where both candidates have filed.
5. Debbie Harrington Files In RD 9. The Democrat ran in the 2018 primary in the district and finished second to the woeful Monique Johns, and got a little over 31% of the vote. She is a retired US Army colonel and a member of the Delaware State University Board Of Trustees. I think she’d be a clear upgrade over Johns and could give Kevin Hensley a run for his money. This is her 2018 website. I’ll post the new one when it goes online.
6. Kayode Abegunde Files For Insurance Commissioner. Far be it for me to be too judgemental (he lied), but a lot here sure seems ‘off’ based on my initial reading of his website. For example, is ‘cultural competence’, whatever that is, a burning issue in the IC race? I know I’ve heard the name before (it’s hard to forget it), but I can’t remember where. Perhaps on that local access cable channel?
7. Current Filings. Here’s the link for the list of filed candidates on the Department of Elections website. What do you see there, or don’t see there that interests you?
And what are you hearing out there? This is the place for quality political scuttlebutt. In fact, I’ll end this post by tossing out the first rumor: There is a D looking at running against Ernest Delcollo in the 7th SD. If this person takes the plunge, there’s a real chance that this seat flips back. And I’m told that this person is pretty darn progressive. Wish I could tell you more…maybe later.
Back next week.