Delaware’s Most Intriguing Primaries Of 2020: Part 4–The State Senate Races
There aren’t very many races, but I find them all to be interesting, albeit often for different reasons:
State Senator District 14 (R Primary): Craig Pugh vs. Terrance Baker. Gotta say it–I like this Craig Pugh. No, not b/c he is a progressive (he’s not), but b/c he strikes me as a hard-working guy who has lived the kind of life that would make him a good fit for his district. A salt-of-the-earth guy. He reminds me that there was a time when R’s were not merely Trump/anti-government surrogates. I think he would be a reasonable public official. His opponent? Does the phrase ‘9-12 Patriots’ ring a bell? That’s who has endorsed the campaign of Terry Baker. He is running against Carney’s handling of the pandemic:
“Gov. Carney, you need to heed our word. We in Delaware will not comply,” Baker told the crowd. “We will not sit idly by as out livelihoods are destroyed. We will not allow our children to be burdened with hunger and poverty. We will not allow you to disregard and infringe on our God-given rights described in the Delaware and U.S. Constitutions.”
It’s up to the voters now.
State Senator District 14 (D Primary): Bruce Ennis vs. Kyra Hoffner vs. Terrell Williams. This is probably the final go-round for longtime legislator Bruce Ennis. (Remember, kids, all state senate districts will be up in 2022, following the redrawing of the legislative maps). Although, when it comes to politicians giving up the stage, nothing is for certain. Both of his challengers bring strong issue positions to the table. Hoffner, without a doubt, is the leading voice for marijuana legalization running this cycle. Williams is a strong advocate for criminal justice reform. As we know, Ennis is a retired state trooper who has opposed any sort of gun control and has not supported LGBTQ rights. He has, however, fought for the rights of mobile home residents and has supported minimum wage legislation. I think it will be tough for either of the challengers to defeat Ennis, not least because they will likely split the votes of those who are looking for someone new. But I hope that, should they not prevail, we hear from them again, hopefully in two years.
State Senator District 13 (D Primary): Dave McBride vs. Marie Pinkney. This is, without a doubt, the single most important legislative primary this year. As the leader of the State Senate, McBride broke his word and killed common-sense gun control legislation and buried, buried, legislation raising the minimum wage b/c John Carney and his Chamber financiers opposed it. Democrats can’t afford that kind of leadership as McBride, along with Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, are impediments to a Democratic agenda. (So is Carney, but that’s another screed for another day). Marie Pinkney is the real deal. As in a Masters Level Social Worker who assists victims of gun violence. Here is her platform. Here are just some differences between Pinkney and McBride. Uh, not to mention that Pinkney actually lives in the district. I’m serious, if you only have time to volunteer for one legislative campaign, make it this one. I firmly believe that Pinkney would have been a shoo-in w/o the pandemic, which curtailed elements of her grassroots strategy. But this contest is right there for the taking, and it would cause a sea change in Dover.
State Senator District 5 (D Primary): Kyle Evans Gay vs. Eric Levin vs. Denise Bowers. I hope that my friends in the Kyle Evans Gay camp will still be my friends after I write this. I support her campaign and I’m all in on her race to flip the 5th this year. Having said that, I don’t see this primary as being competitive at all. Only Kyle has run a full-fledged campaign, and it’s been something to see. I know that some political operatives don’t think that signs have much of an impact. But her sign campaign has given her tremendous name recognition and, coupled with all of the outreach that the campaign has done despite the pandemic, I look at this race as a dress rehearsal for what happens after September 15, when the winner takes on Hockessin’s Cathy Cloutier. Yes, the district is in Brandywine Hundred, and, yes, Cloutier still has a family manse in Heatherbrooke. However, she has remarried and has moved to Hockessin, meaning she no longer lives in the district. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Pretty much everyone, including a lot of political heavy hitters, have coalesced around Kyle’s campaign, and she has a nice progressive agenda. I like Eric Levin, and I like his platform. He took one for the team when he ran as a D against Greg Lavelle in a State House race over a decade ago. But his campaign just doesn’t have the resources to compete. Yes, he has yard signs in right-of-way, but that’s the extent of his visibility. Denise Bowers, who was a late entrant to the race, was little more than a ‘name on the ballot’ when she ran or, more accurately, stood, for election against Cloutier in 2016. Why she threw away her filing fee for a spot on the ballot this year is beyond me. She has been completely invisible. This primary has had the effect of enabling Kyle to campaign district-wide and to build her name recognition without taking any hits. I don’t see Cloutier’s traditional mom-and-pop operation being competitive against her in November. Don’t plan to take any chances, though.
State Senate District 1 (D Primary): Sarah McBride vs. Joseph McCole. OK, kids, dare to dream. Imagine Sarah McBride, Kyle Evans Gay, and Marie Pinkney joining a caucus that already includes Tizzy Lockman, Laura Sturgeon, Bryan Townsend, and Dave Sokola, along with other D’s who are ‘gettable’ on an array of issues. It could happen. Sarah will immediately enter the Senate as a powerhouse and a leader. A proven national leader. More than any single person, she made gay rights and gay marriage realities in Dover. She built a national network to accomplish that. She is driven by the notion of equal justice for all. It’s also impossible not to like her. Oh, there’s a primary? Well, yes. Sarah is running to succeed Harris McDowell in this Wilmington-to-Claymont district. I love Harris, but it was past time for him to retire. He enthusiastically endorsed Sarah. Sarah will face Joseph McCole, a realtor, who primaried Harris 4 years ago and got 29% of the vote. His campaign has been invisible.
Coming next: The statewide races.
If the election is influenced by voters seeing candidate signs, Ms Pinkney doesn’t stand a chance. I deliver meals for homebound seniors in that district and there’s a Dave McBride sign everywhere I look, and not just on the right of ways… all over people’s fences and yards. He must spend a fortune on signage to blanket the district the way he does.
“kids, dare to dream. Imagine Sarah McBride, Kyle Evans Gay, and Marie Pinkney joining a caucus that already includes Tizzy Lockman, Laura Sturgeon, Bryan Townsend, and Dave Sokola”
I just threw up in my mouth a lil bit
Seriously McBride is a fucking hero
One more go around for Cathy Cloutier same for Ennis then both seats will flip in 2022.
Cloutier is out. Ennis maybe squeaks through.
Kent, do you have any take on that R primary in SD 14?
Kent, please expand on your surface-insane notion that “McBride is a fucking hero.” Of what, segregation?
I THINK he meant Sarah McBride, but I could be wrong.
based on his Finance reports Dave has a future as a shake down artist:).
R primary in 14th: Pugh is the heavy favorite backed by all the party insiders. If he wins I doubt he beats Ennis but could set himself up well for 2022 in the event Ennis retires. That is if Lumpy doesn’t decide to run for Senate. That was originally the word on what was going to happen THIS year which is why Pugh originally filed for 28th rep.
“McBride is a fucking hero”
He killed the gun control bills in committee, he is a hero.
Not to most Democrats, and not to most Democrats in his Senate district.
BTW, I can’t envision Lumpy winning a primary against a credible opponent.
Keep in mind–we don’t know what the districts will look like in 2022.
Fortunately the old saying “Signs don’t vote” remains accurate. McBride’s signage on actual lawns is modest at best. His printer loves him but voter contacts say the voters don’t.
This is a guy who has advocated the return of the whipping post, killed common sense gun legislation and expanded a cancer causing dump on top of his own constituents. Dude admits he spends half his time in his Million dollar McMansion in Lewes, there is evidence to suggest 100%! The district’s seniors, union members and black and brown voters are not amused. Marie is in the community and OF the community. She is running a fantastic grassroots campaign. She is endorsed by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Mom’s Demand, Delaware United and the Working Families Party! Help her so she can help us all in Dover send her a few $$$$ Please!
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/marie4senate
I dunno. Challengers must develop name recognition. Absent name recognition, people will opt for the familiar. I’d like to see Marie have some signs out there.
Hey, you do what you can with the resources you have.
Hey in a perfect world……. her total inventory is distributed on homes. my uneducated guess is he out paces her on that but not by a lot. McBride has an embarrassment of riches which leads to a placement of as many as 4 signs on one house with 2 highway size 4×4’s and a yard size stapled to the top. On the ground McBride’s effort has a strong scent of astro turf. Anecdotally Even some McBride decorated houses have at least one Marie vote inside:).
A quick review of his finance report that is up on the DOE site shows that 98.4% of his contributions are above $100 and his average is looking to be about 75% of the maximum $600 for the 2019-20 cycle. Marie is doing great with about 20% of the bucks. Dave’s finance report appears like he gathered his caucus in a room and demanded support and did the same with the lobbying community. His small dollar and in district numbers are anemic. Can Marie pull it off with chewing gum and duct tape? I hope so but i Know that a few more dollars sent her way would be a big help:)!
http://marieforsenate.com/about-marie/
Joe you said to me signs start conversations. They don’t vote, but I’ve made a few conversions thanks to my sign. Anything helps…. I will plant my sign at my polling location on primary day
On a side note my wife asked me why don’t we have a Biden/Harris sign? I said it’s irrelevant in Delaware. Nonetheless she ordered one and it arrives tomorrow.
On another side note why are all the Walker signs so cheap and look like they were made by a 12 year old? I took my kids to the DR this morning and the one on the churchmans road exit southbound has been rearranged and flipped and now it says “kazeu”. Probably by a 12 year old. Fitting….
I SAW that sign. There’s a reason I call him The Driftwood Grifter. They are made by people who come as close to being slave labor as you apparently can legally get away with in Delaware. Here’s some background:
http://delawareliberal.net/2016/10/27/i-told-you-scott-walker-was-a-slumlord/
He may be the most despicable person in Delaware.
Nice call back skills. 2016. Well done.
Some things never change I suppose. Those signs are a laughing stock. What serious candidate would let them stand. Oh wait…… I answered my own question.
In that Party, he has a legit chance to win the primary. He’s done it before. Might even be the favorite.
Why would the Gay (Evans Gay?) camp not be happy with you? You were very complimentary lol
Because they are running full-speed-ahead for the primary, a primary that I’m minimizing. I’m telling you, this campaign is a juggernaut. I don’t think Cloutier stands a chance. But, as always, I’m getting ahead of myself.
However, I’ve already identified the race that is most analogous to this one. Didn’t work out well for the incumbent then, either.
SD 5 is going to be a battle and I’m glad Kyle has a warchest of supporters and volunteers as the fight begins. Cloutier is running scared- already sent out two mailers. Nothing she sends out or publishes online says she is a Republican – she is as ashamed as she should be – but I hope that Kyle’s team can get the word out about that. We have to make sure that people get involved with her team and don’t only volunteer over the border.
Literally. People don’t know that she’s a republican. That’s not ok.
For over a decade now, she’s whispered to D’s that she’s ‘not really a Republican’, that she only remains one because her beloved husband Phil was a Republican. (Betcha Phil wouldn’t be an R today, but I digress.)
Here’s the problem–the D constituency that has held her fate in their hands are the construction trade unions, which is why she votes against gun control legislation. They don’t want it, and they’ve made clear that they will dump her if she crosses them. She also has support from the cops, which means that she will be useless on the issue of police reform.
These groups have veto power over her votes. She can say whatever she wants, but her votes are what she is.
Cloutier doesn’t live in district anymore? Why is this not a big story???
Her own legislative website says that she has remarried. I’ve met him Her husband’s a nice guy, I think he’s an officer for the New Candlelight Dinner Theatre. Her website doesn’t say that she now lives in Hockessin. But she does.
Figured I’d wait until after the primary to write that story.
Hope you have the proof I want to see an actual D win
My campaign is “invisible”? Then you don’t see much of Claymont or Bellefonte do you?
Rather than the usual platitudes, I have a pragmatic platform of 1) Creating a comprehensive recycling bill (it’s a disgrace Wawa has a recycling and regular trash disposal while as a substitute teacher (I am no longer a realtor for sometime) in NCC V0-tech there is only ONE trash container! Delaware has one of the worst recycling programs in the state. That will change if elected. I would also like to see a 3-6 month mental health facility in at least NCC. Insurance co just bounce out patients usually after a 2-wk stay. Also a disgrace. The old merchandise mart (mostly vacant on Gov. Printz) is a no brainer to me. A hotel anchoring one end and the other a Walmart maybe. The kicker is it will be a Public/Private venture, anchored by a community center serving the needs of All of us. That coupled with fireworks and the Delaware river as a backdrop at Fox Pt Park, could be a tremendous area or even regional draw someday. And if you’re a senior, you can give me your email address and I’ll make sure you get updates from soc. security.
So get your story straight. Just because I am not a presence on social media doesn’t not mean everything. If you ever read my campaign sign it reads: New Voice, New Vision, New ideas. And I have a lot of them. That said I view my job s state senator to serve constituents. Traffic construction thru neighborhoods, road conditions etc will be the nuts and bolts of my tenure. I want to serve the people in my district first then Delaware. That is the way it is supposed to work.
Get it right the next time!
I see a lot of Bellefonte and a lot of Claymont. I’m in Claymont almost every day, and I frequent the Bellefonte Cafe (takeout only now) frequently. I’ve seen a (very) few of your signs.
Oh, and the best legislators pursue legislative priorities while providing quality constituent services. It’s not a question of either/or.
Sticking by my prediction. You get less than the 29% you got last time.
Let me turn this around. You got 29% last time. You’re facing a more energetic and better-funded opponent. What makes YOU think that the result will be different this time?
So Joe, lets talk, money isn’t everything in a campaign but per your report you have received not a single dollar in contributions, not 1!
I live in Gwinhurst I am registered I have gotten no call, no lit piece, nothing. You do have some signs, congratulations.
You have provided zero incentive for any voter to support you but good luck:)