Delaware Political Weekly: May 31 To June 6, 2024
I am El Somnambulo, and I am a political junkie. This is my kind of week.
1. State Rep. Rae Moore Draws Primary Challenger. Well, it’s a candidate from the past. One Matthew Powell. He ran in a three-way primary to succeed DINO Quin Johnson in 2020. Despite having Johnson’s endorsement, Powell finished behind both Moore and Yvette Santiago, garnering about 27% of the vote. I think Moore has solidified her support, and it looks like it’s gonna be a two-way primary. Doesn’t sound like a winning formula to me. RD 8, which is in the Middletown area, has a solid D edge–9925 D; 4735 R; 5891 I.
2. Three-Way Cluster-Bleep In RD 10. I don’t envy the voters in this Brandywine Hundred district. Believe it or not, the committee has reportedly overwhelmingly endorsed Dennis Williams after he pledged not to support Val Longhurst for Speaker. Dennis Williams was responsible for inflicting the Schwartzkopf/Longhurst team on us in the first place, and went back on his word to do it. That alone should be a disqualifying offense. He is also unfit for public service. I don’t care if his opponent is Val’s long-lost sister. His never-ending pursuit of public office verges on the pathological. Having said that, the word is that Val’s Chosen One has made a singularly unfavorable impression. Or so I’ve heard from people involved with the 10th RD committee. Her name is Melanie Ross Levin. You (meaning I) would think that her background would make her the strong favorite. I honestly don’t know why she has met with such disfavor. Enter Stephen Jankovic. A chiropractor whose practice is in the 10th RD. Don’t know if I can recall a chiropractor running for office, as the profession’s interest largely began and ended with the Title 24 licensing requirements. I have some spies in that district w/o a dog in the hunt. Guess I’ll give ’em a call. Whoever survives the primary will face R Brent Burdge, an anti-abortion candidate who ran against Sean Matthews in 2022 and got less than 35% of the vote.
3. A Couple Of Interesting Wilmington City Council Primaries. Featuring one of my favorite prospective candidates, Christian Willauer. Here is her profile from the Delaware Community Foundation:
Christian Willauer is a coordinator for Wilmington Neighborhoods Coalition (WNC). Prior to founding the WNC, Willauer launched the Wilmington Land Bank, a nonprofit managing vacant real property. From 2009 to 2017, she worked at Cornerstone West CDC, where she established West Side Grows Together and coordinated a comprehensive community development initiative that leveraged more than $75 million in neighborhood improvements, including affordable housing, parks, streetscapes and youth programming.
Willauer lost to Bregatta Fields in City Council District 5 by the narrowest of margins in 2020 (OK, virtually the narrowest of margins): 617-594. Willauer is the kind of person who could make City Council more functional and responsive were she to win.
Incumbent Chris Johnson has filed for reelection in District 7, and will face Peggy Brooks in a primary. I like Chris, and supported him in his run for AG back in 2018. He has been a little all over the place on Council, so we shall see whether this is a serious challenge. There are people who read this who know much more about city politics than I do, so what do you think about these races?
4. Carney Could Well Lose This Mayoral Race. Just take a look at the 2020 primary, and you can easily see why. Purzycki only won reelection in 2020 because, stop me if you’ve heard this before, two Black candidates split the vote. Final primary results? Purzycki: 43%; Jones-Potter: 36%; Justen Wright: 21%. Two questions: Tell me how Carney wins in a two-person race. And/or who will the Black spoiler be? Especially since whatever Potter stench has existed has likely begun to dissipate. I think people who view this as a coronation are all wrong.
5. Old Candidate. New District. Not ‘old’ old. R Alex Homich, who was demolished by Kendra Johnson in RD 5 in 2022 (19% of the vote??) is now prepping to be demolished by Kim Williams in RD 19. Oh, he was also demolished by Marie Pinkney in 2020 for the SD 13 seat. Got 24% in that one. Could we have an embryonic Dennis E. Williams on our hands?
6. Filings. D State Senator Trey Paradee (SD 17); D State Rep. Eric Morrison (RD 27); D State Rep. Kendra Johnson (RD 5).
What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?
Homich has some interesting press clippings pre 2020 in the Newark Post. Not up on his past 4 years😎
Might be a relative. Be careful about stuff like that…
Carney/potter literally is the lesser of 2 evils. A do noting v. A do everything for me.
Me: Anyone is better than Sean Matthews!
Me, a few months later: ehhhhhhhh
I know.
Hard to believe.
What happened to Sean Matthews? When he was newly elected, he had great constituent services and was a pretty good progressive voice.
A lot of people have the same question.
Although, when you succeed Dennis E. Williams, you look so much better just in contrast.
10th RD: Any way you choose to vote, you lose.
Wilm Mayor: You’re coming around to what I’ve been thinking all along. All the Haskell/du Pont/Castle-era Republicans in the city have already switched to registering D. Carney’s base has little room to grow. Not going to be a cakewalk for Velda, especially since Carney will have a huge cash advantage, but she can relate to the voters who comprise the majority of the city’s electorate. Any stench from her forgettable half-term as the appointed state treasurer, her half-hearted election campaign and the shenanigans from her work in cousin Dennis Williams’ mayor’s office has pretty much evaporated. If Velda hits the streets, pays attention to the neighborhoods and builds a solid ground game, she can have Carney doing nothing in his living room rather than inside City Hall.
And if BHL doesn’t get elected, he can’t even look forward to a cushy spot on the Delaware River & Bay.
I’d be surprised if he wasn’t rewarded either way.
Don’t count out some of the people who support Sarah voting against carney. And those are among his prime voting bloc. I know a lot of people for whom that was the last straw.
You’re absolutely right. Carney had a snit fit and said he wouldn’t sign the paid medical and family leave bill unless Sarah weakened it.
Since the bill didn’t have enough votes to override a veto, Sarah had no choice but to add a weakening amendment.
Hey, there’s a reason why Carney endorsed Eugene Young, and it’s decidedly not that Carney is a progressive.
Powell was blitzed at the First State Dinner last year and ended up being escorted from the premises by the state police. Hopefully he got counseling and help that he needed since then.
But Rep. Moore is going to wipe the floor with him either way.
He kept trying to sit at Tom Carper’s seat next to his wife when TC was giving his speech. I was told he was also touching the rear ends of a few guys during the happy hour portion.
He’s also a big big BHL supporter. Maybe he’ll be a cabinet secretary if this doesn’t work out.
I wish him well! He’s a great guy with loads of public service and professional success.
BLT, this is not The Onion or the BabylonBee. I hear they’re hiring and would love to have you.
BLT, this is not The Onion or the BabylonBee. I hear they’re hiring and would love to have you.
Good one! I’m glad he filed. Maybe he did it to wake her up, because she has done nothing in 4 years.
I was sitting near by and he was just trying to grab a picture, but Carper s aide was belligerent, made a few racist remarks and ran to get security. Shame on her. I hear this is why Carper is not running again. Also Ms. Moore is a fired school teacher. She was fired for cursing at her students. She is a disgrace at Leg Hall by not following floor protocol. She brings no intelligence to the building. Powell would blow her away any day on the job.
Pro-tip for other commenters: when you post from the same computer five times from four different names within half an hour, the profile pic still shows up the same.
Oh, thanks a lot, Karl. I’d really rather the dumb ones remain easy to flush out.
Especially when the dumb one in question is the SAME GUY WHO GOT TOSSED OUT OF THE DINNER.
Wasn’t even smart enough to enter a phony e-mail address.
Powell and friends must not be familiar with DL because the reality is who cares what DL says. It’s nothing but a phony tabloid anyway.
Every single one of those comments defending Powell was posted from the same IP address. Normally I’d just delete them all, but I want them there so everyone can see what a bullshit candidate this person is.
Sounds like this is the page for him: nothing but mud-slinging and bullshitting.
Wow, you’re just brilliant, dipshit. Same screen name you used under the other IP address.
Fuck off, and fuck off permanently.
On second thought, get some help. If this is how you conduct yourself in a bid for office, you’re under some serious delusions about your own abilities and possibly your own sanity. Take mental health seriously.
Remember that Wil Beatty guy from awhile back? Powell reminds me of THAT guy.
Usually, even the nut-jobs have the good sense to keep from embarrassing themselves on the blog. Beatty and, of course, Pornstache were the exceptions.
Until now.
Oh, who is/was Pornstache, you ask?
This guy:
https://apnews.com/article/congress-delaware-dover-sentencing-7f0df33d151703cf4e683f910157b127
Powell was in rehab earlier this year. I mean all the best on getting sober but to be running for office so soon after screams narcissism.
I’m sure he could have put the filing fee to better use elsewhere.
How do you know that? Did he tell you? Things like that are usually kept confidential and frnakly should stay that way.
It’s not a surprise to anyone who has been to any MOT or other function that Powell is usually a drunken mess who clearly struggles with an addiction. He has said things that would make you blush and been kicked out of numerous events. There is no outing here, Powell has outed himself as a drunk through his own actions.