Delaware Political Weekly: Week Ending November 13, 2025
“We are kings of our bikes. So, we are again really lucky to live in Rehoboth, when we park a car, we have to get back into the car. We can hop on our bikes and our ritual is that we are always biking from our home to L(ewe)s. We do a little bit of walking around, a little bit of margarita, a little bit of good food – there’s amazing food then bike right back. So the ritual, on our bikes, every chance we can, any place we can go, and eliminate the cars.”–Dan Cruce.
1. A D Primary For State Treasurer? Assuming that incumbent Colleen Davis is running again, I can only ask why. His name is Theodore Lauzen, please don’t confuse him with Bob Forehead. Although:
He’s a Marine pilot, a pentathlete, and a partner at a wealth advisory firm. He graduated from Duke, which raises red flags to me. So why is he running in a Democratic primary? What are his Democratic bona fides? I’m searching. Let’s see–their kids all go to a private day school in Newark—his wife is on the board there–and that’s about all I can find. He sounds like a perfect R candidate for State Treasurer.
I’m not saying that Colleen Davis should get a free shot at reelection. In fact, I’ll be posting a piece on at least one concern that I’ve come across, probably on Monday. I’m just saying that this guy will have a lot of work to do to convince Democrats that he’s a real Democrat. He’s starting from Ground Zero. Colleen Davis had work to do to convince Democrats that she was a real Democrat. She convinced me, and I’m a notorious skeptic.
You say you want more on Bob Forehead? Here ya’ go:
Congressman Bob Forehead is `Washingtoon’s central character and the new D.C. synonym for “airhead media pol.” A former television talk-show host who now heads the “JFK Look-Alike Caucus,” Forehead is the protege of one Gerard Oxboggle, owner of the Glominoid Corporation, who has groomed him to be the savior of the “tycoon sector.” On Oxboggle’s behalf, Congressman Forehead introduces such measures as a “Dumping Rights Act,” which would recognize Oxboggle’s conviction that `nature has already provided a river that is perfect for the job of disposing of hazardous wastes.’ Glominoid’s “Credit Card Bomb” would eliminate the threat of nuclear war to economic growth by destroying only those people who don’t carry credit cards.
Until otherwise disabused of the notion, this guy reminds me most of Ken ‘Drink Up, Chuck And Di’ Simpler and fellow Duke alumnus Charles ‘Bouvier des Flandres’ Copeland. Prove me wrong.
2. Two Very Different (Prospective) Candidates For NCC District 4. Penrose Hollins is retiring. At the beginning of his career, he was part of the reform wing of the Democratic Party. He leaves as kind-of a rubber stamp for developers. We already have one announced candidate, Jason Hoover, who ran for NCC Council President in 2024. His website is perfect–if he was running, say, for Dee Durham’s suburban seat. This is constructive criticism, not snark: Please tailor your message and your website to the voters in Council District 4. You don’t need to change your positions, just change your emphasis. It is a poorly-kept secret that some insiders are paving (perhaps literally) the way for Stormin’ Norman’s stepson. Oliver has demonstrated contradictory impulses. His generosity is well-known. In fact, he just recently donated $200,000 to Delaware State, his alma mater. But he is consistently involved in malodorous Delaware Way insiderism. Remember that TV station that was the beneficiary of BHL’s opioid fund giveaways? Was this before or after?:
https://detvch.com/community-crossfire-with-norman-oliver-june-9-2024/
At least they kept their clothes on. You may have noticed that I didn’t write anything about Norman’s stepson. Because (insert joke here) I’m confused. Norman Oliver Jr. is a producer for CBS News. I doubt that he’d be the one running for County Council. Although…with CBS now firmly in control of Trump propagandists, perhaps he’s the one. Anyway, you guys know more than I do here, so fill me in.
Keep an eye on this race. Also, just wondering, is Jea Street retiring? I’ve always liked him, but he’s turned into the ‘Get Off My Lawn’ guy on County Council. I mean, it’s/he’s embarrassing.
3. Guess Who ELSE Is Retiring: The odious Janet Kilpatrick, NCC District 3. Wonder what Matt Meyer has lined up for her. River and Bay, maybe? Chances for an upgrade in this district are very good.
4. How Many Verbal Gaffes Will Dave Lawson Commit Running Against This Opponent? While it’s only an Exploratory Committee for now, this will almost certainly be a competitive race. Meet Nisha Lodhavia. It’s kinda hard to find an area of Delaware life that she hasn’t been involved in. Member of the UD Board Of Trustees. Member of the Delaware State Board Of Education. Former Member, Board Of Professional Responsibility Of The Supreme Court Of Delaware. Former Board Member, Meals On Wheels. Former Board Member, Easter Seals. Masters In Public Health. You name it. Something tells me that fundraising won’t be a problem.
15th SD voter registration numbers: 11,172 D; 14,271 R; 14,163 I’s. We’re talking western Kent County. Make no mistake, this is a very heavy lift for a Democratic candidate. But I don’t think you could find a stronger potential candidate than Nisha Lodhavia. If she ultimately decides to run, she’ll be running to win. She has the Paradee family firmly behind her.
That’s all I’ve got this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?
seeing Fetterman go to the hospital brings back those giddy “trump has severe covid” feels
He did a face-plant due to atrial fibrillation.
At least, that’s the story.
All right-thinking hate the Duke basketball team. But I guess I don’t understand what’s particularly wrong with the university as a whole, unless it has kowtowed to Trump in some way I don’t know about.
… But wait! Just before sending this I discovered that Stephen Miller went to Duke, so maybe that’s reason enough.
To me, Duke has been an assembly line for the Charles Copelands of this world. Privileged preppies.
Again, it’s POSSIBLE this guy has some D cred, but I’ve searched the intertubes and can’t find any.
Your suspicions of Lauzen’s Dem street cred are certainly warranted. You mention his wife, Sarah. Maiden name? Burris. Of the same Burris family (John, Dave…) that has been entrenched in downstate GOP circles since the beginning of time? Yep. I know it’s a stretch, but you can’t overthink how the in-laws might influence him (and help finance his campaign).
Seems like a conflict of interest from jump to have a “wealth advisor” (what a polite term for “gambler”) serving as state treasurer. Fuck this guy and the marine helicopter he flew in on.
As for Lauzen, he sounds like somebody I wouldn’t want to vote for.
Tipsters Rule! From Open Secrets, here is who Lauzen has contributed to:
https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=lauzen+theodore
Simpler, Mike Smith, Anthony Delcollo. Oh, and this guy:
https://www.kanegop.org/chris_lauzen_announces_re_election_campaign_for_kane_county_treasurer
Could it be that his filing as a Democrat was simply a paperwork error?
“Ted currently lives in Rockland, Delaware with his wife, Sarah, and their young children: Caroline, Jack, Emily, and William.”
Who is he trying to impress? Rockland? Us normal folk just say “Wilmington.” That he uses “Rockland” in his corporate bio says all I need to know about him.