The local political scene has been slowed immeasurably, but I’ve now got more than enough for an update.
1. Sarah McBride Gets Primary Challenger And General Election Opponent. We already knew that former IPOD member Steven Washington was going to be her R challenger. He has now filed. What we didn’t know was that Joe McCole, who primaried Harris McDowell back in 2016, was gonna file again. Here’s what I wrote about him back in 2016:
One Joseph D. McCole, an apartment dweller along River Road. The only Joseph D. McCole I could find is a realtor with Weichert, he’s in his early 60’s, and he’s a Virgo.
He’s still an apartment dweller along River Road, he’s now in his not-so-early 60’s, and he’s still presumably a Virgo. Don’t think he’s with Weichert any more, looks he’s an e-mortgage broker now. He got 29.16% in his primary against McDowell. I’m taking the under this time around.
2. Lee Murphy Just Can’t Catch A Break. All he wants to do is to have a clear shot at getting 37% or so of the vote in a statewide race, this time against Lisa Blunt Rochester. Presumably to put the ‘Lee Murphy brand’ in the public eye. The Rethuglican Party welcomes it/him. An inoffensive joke of a candidate is less likely to turn off the voters than one of those wacky downstate ‘patriots’. But he keeps getting primary challenges, like he did when Scott Walker, of all people, consigned him to the sidelines last time. Ladeez and gentlemen, may I introduce to you, wait for it, Matthew M. Morris Hathaway. Or is it Matthew M. Hathaway Morris? I dunno. He’s allegedly a recovered drug addict who has now seen the light and is evangelizing on behalf of ‘America First’. He was recently seen unfurling a flag at the Carvel State Building to demand the reopening of the state. Since Murphy is the Delaware version of ‘Bob Forehead’, he’ll probably lose to this guy. Or to a woman from downstate who apparently is considering a challenge. Won’t anybody take pity on this poor hand model?
3. Democrats Who Join With Rethugs To Send Out Lit Should Be Primaried. Especially the drool-infested Rep. Gerald Brady, who sent out a joint lit piece with Sen. Anthony Delcollo. The only person who benefits from this is Delcollo, who faces a reelection challenge in what should be a D stronghold. Brady should be doing a fundraiser for Spiros Mantzavinos, not locking arms with a Trump ass-kisser like Delcollo. Memo to Sean Barney (who, yes, is running for the city council seat being vacated by Bud Freel), primary this miserable excuse for a D and hold a joint fundraiser with Spiros. Even I would support you if you did that. BTW, would it shock you to learn that Barney is now President of Progressive Democrats For Delaware? A Third Way lifer running an organization that once, a long time ago, had some relevance in the post-Dean era.
4. Everybody Into The Wilmington City Council Primary Pool. In the 6th District, incumbent Yolanda McCoy faces three D challengers–Evon Murray, Josue Ortega and Ian Smith. A search turned up nothing, save an address, for Evon Murray. Josue Ortega is a constituent services officer with the City of Wilmington. I don’t know if he is related to former councilman Demetrio ‘Junior’ Ortega, who I thought was a strong advocate for the Latino community during his time on council. Let me know. I tried to find out, but failed. Sean Barney has joined Nathan Field in the 8th District council primary to replace Bud Freel. It’s possible that the perennial candidate has finally found a race he can win, but we’ll see.
5. Navarro Files, Faces A Primary Of Sorts. I knew he was running when I heard his campaign commercials masquerading as PSA’s. He is challenged by ‘Wily’ Kayode Abegunde. Beep-beep.
6. I’m Waiting For These Two Filings: Larry Lambert, who has announced a primary challenge to incumbent Ray Seigfried in RD 7, and Marie Pinkney, who has announced a challenge to Dave McBride in SD 13. Coronavirus or not, she has the community contacts to defeat Lewes local McBride in a primary. Yo, Dave, you’ve got the beach all to yourself down there. Don’t come back. I just hope that neither of these great candidates decide not to run.
7. Two Candidates Who Are Overcoming The Coronavirus Challenges: Madinah Anton-Wilson and Kyle Evans Gay. Madinah had knocked on more doors by the time that the virus hit than John Viola ever could. She has built a powerful grassroots movement. She’s a winner. I may have done the last door-to-door with Kyle before the virus shut things down. Her campaign is doing an incredibly vigorous social media/phone outreach. The campaign’s volunteer coordinator is utterly ruthless when it comes to mobilizing her troops. I won’t mention her name b/c I don’t want anyone to steal her, but this song might or might not provide a clue:
8. Libertarians Have Their Slate. For the record, Nadine Frost is running for the Senate, David Rogers for the House, and John Machurek for Governor.
9. Filings. State Rep. Gerald Brady (“D”/Delcollo Enabler-RD 4); State Rep. Ray Seigfried (D-RD 7); Hunter Hastings (D Candidate-Sussex County Council CD-1); Lisa Hudson Briggs (R Candidate-Sussex CD -2). Briggs could well primary Sam Wilson who, even by Rethuglican downstate standards, is a stone-cold idiot. She got 44% of the vote back in 2016. Here is a right-wing take on that 2016 race.
That’s all I’ve got. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?