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.