Delaware Political Weekly: Feb. 25-March 3, 2022
1. Sen. Bruce Ennis Announces Retirement. Which opens up the SD 14 seat. It has a strong D edge, and should remain in the Democratic column. The only candidate who has filed is R Mark Pugh. However, D Kyra Hoffner is expected to run. She finished second in a three-way primary behind Ennis in 2020, getting 24.7% of the vote. There will almost certainly be other candidates. I wonder if Jaci Hugg, who ran against Dave Lawson in 2020, has been drawn into the 14th. Betcha she has. There’s also gotta be another ex-cop in that district just itchin’ to go after another state pension.
2. Psst, There’s A Special Election Tomorrow. Not special as in special, but as in obligatory. ‘Proud To Be Yer’ Bud Freel (D) and Ted ‘Horsey D’ Kittila (R) face off to fill out the term of disgraced former State Rep. Gerald Brady. The stakes couldn’t be lower: Less than four months as a lame-duck legislator in a district that will cease to exist. One can only hope that several members of the all-white D 4th Committee who rubber-stamped the former O’Friel’s owner as their standard-bearer also cease to exist as committee members. I, of course, expect Freel to submit his resignation from the Industrial Accident Board on Monday, just as state law requires. One question: Is Stapler Club obligated to keep its doors closed until the polls close?
3. Good News, Bad News In SD 12. Well. A flurry of activity in the district of Sen. Nicole ‘No Longer’ Poore this week. Two candidates filed, one R, one D, neither of whom are Nicole Poore. Although I can’t imagine her giving up her payday. Along with her other ill-gotten sinecure as the Executive Director of the worthless Jobs For Delaware Graduates. The bad news is that the Rethuglican is both a former cop and a department head at, wait for it, Del-Tech. Terry Campus, easy commute to Leg Hall. Yes, of course, ‘criminal justice’. His name is Bill Alexander, and he’s one of the white guys in this picture of cops, past, present and future. Don’t know which white guy, not that it matters:
We’ve seen this play before. Ex-cop/Del-Tech, now going for state pension #3. It’s a flop.
The D who has filed is one James Welsh. I know nothing about him, no social media presence as of yet, no website. Can anybody help me to fill in the blanks? Poore deserves a strong primary challenge. Don’t know if this guy can provide it.
4. Take Note Of These Filings. Both Nnamdi Chukwuocha and (gaack!) Stephanie Bolden have filed for reelection in the 1st and 2nd RD’s respectively. We can do better than Nnamdi, especially on the gun safety issue, and Stephanie Bolden simply must be challenged. Perhaps a renter in her district can hold her accountable for denying renters legal protections against heartless landlords. I’m very surprised that Mimi Minor-Brown has filed for reelection in the 17th RD. I’d been told that she was definitely going to primary Darius Brown in SD 2. If Darius Brown escapes with no primary challenger, all I can say is, the voters in SD 2 get the government they deserve. A senator who would sell them out for campaign contributions, and has.
5. Marie Pinkney Files For Reelection. Already one of Delaware’s best legislators. I’d be surprised if she gets a serious challenger, but I’m more than ready to help out if she does.
6. Answer To Last Week’s Trivia Question That Nobody Cared About. To refresh your memories, in discussing Collin O’Mara’s consideration of a run for governor in 2024, I asked the question: “Who officiated at the marriage of this happy (O’Mara/Vignarajah) couple?” The answer? Chris Coons.
That’s all I’ve got. (Isn’t that enough?) What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?
I don’t think he is interested, but I’d love to see our County Council Person Dave Carter step up for that 14th seat. I don’t see anyone else in the district trying to build any momentum outside of their own RD committee clique.
Dave is well known and he knows how to win an election.
I promised a close comrade and friend (who will remain nameless) that I’d log a protest vote Ted Floatilla. I’ll post a photo on Twitter tomorrow.
I will say the establishment quickly coalesced around Bud. Fancy mailers, signs in the neighborhood, canvassing with the elites. They took it seriously.
Which makes feel even better about my joke vote.
I’m all in for Ivermectin Ted!
Ennis was a good representative and senator to his constituents, but a lousy Democrat in terms of political philosophy.
I disagree. Sorta. No, he wasn’t progressive on gun issues or LGBTQ issues. But he always supported a higher minimum wage and fought for the little guy. His work on behalf of those living in mobile home parks was noteworthy.
In other words, he supported his constituents, and largely voted their interests. He wasn’t in any way a Chamber of Commerce D. He was far better than the old-guard Sussex County D’s, who were barely D’s at all.
He had his pet issues, and those snuck him into D territory. Barely.
He was happy to have the party backing, but he never did the driving.
Let’s meet in the middle and say he was the least unlikable ex-cop wasting space in the General Assembly.
Owing to his advanced age, no doubt
Hmmmmmm. Generational, not geriatric.
He certainly was not keeping up with the changing times, but he was never a D firebrand in his old boys club hopping days either.
Sometime I don’t know if people like Esalia realize that as a big tent party, you’ll never get Smyrna-Lepsic Democrats excited about gun control. Just like you won’t get New Castle Liberals excited about hunting licenses. You don’t blame the legislator for representing their district. We should attack them for not representing their constituents. If that’s the case we’ll never add another Democrat below the canal again. We have to convince the voters that these issues are important. Which would require liberal Democrats to actually talk to people below the canal in districts we do not control.
I agree with that. Unlike Chamber D’s, Ennis always stood with both labor and the underemployed. Joe Manchin he wasn’t.
El Som I agree with your assessment of Bruce Ennis. He is a good man and his support for the manufactured housing community and working families is genuine and strong.
Representative John Kowalko
Reliable sources are saying Smyk is running for the 6th Senate District.
Someone should ask Ryan Peters why he isn’t dropping out of the D primary, since he donated to Smyk last time around.
If Jaci Hugg runs and is elected, that makes for a strong power couple in Kent County. Her husband just got named Dover city manager.
She was also Ennis’ legislative assistant in the Senate.
She is still in the 15th
If so, I’m very surprised. I figured it was a fait accompli that she’d be redistricted into the 14th.
Well, we should have a VERY interesting primary in the 14th then. Who else is interested? C’mon spies, help me out. Wasn’t there some school board member who considered running last time?
As to the 6th Senate race, maybe Ryan Peters registered as a Democrat for the first time last fall by mistake? His wife is still a Republican. They seem to vote in the same elections. They have never voted in a Primary. More egregious for someone seeking office “to serve the people” is the fact that he hasn’t voted in school board races.
As to Smyk, he barely beat Bucchioni in the 2018 20th House race. Bucchioni probably would have beaten him in 2020 (every Democrat on the ballot carried the 20th that year) and his political views (not to mention the sexual harassment law suit) do not fit the views of the 6th Senate District as newly drawn. He would be better off fighting to stay in the House- the 20th is a lot easier for a Republican to contest than the 14th RD is, and those RD’s constitute almost all of the 6th.
The House has let him skate on the sexual harassment charges, no doubt due to his close ties to the Kop Kabal leadership. The gloves should be off if he enters that Senate race.
Nice research.
He really can’t claim that he filed in the wrong party primary by mistake. You have to write the party name on your form.
Poore went from 16 to having no primary or general election opponent to having both.
I have no information however on the dem challenger. No media presence is a red flag that it may just be a crazy guy
Yeah. It’s almost certainly a red flag.
In the 12th SD, heard Alexander is more of an independent than a real R and he’s also a vet which could make this interesting for Poore or the other guy.
He’s yet another ex-cop, the last thing we need.. I’d vote for Poore if he were the opponent. And I think she’s ethically bankrupt.