Our PAL Val Tries, Fails, To Designate Her Successor As Speaker From Beyond The Political Grave
We start, however, with a juicy bit of schadenfreude from primary night. Turns out Val didn’t see her defeat at the hands of Kamela Smith (!) coming. She and her political team are in her basement adding up the totals while, upstairs, a joyous victory celebration is taking place. Because the celebrants don’t see it coming either. Val and her people realize that they have lost. Rather than going upstairs to address her supporters, Val has one of her political team go upstairs and, wait for it, throw everybody out of the house. Classy until the very end. Oh, the source(s)? People who got thrown out of the party.
Never let it be said, however, that defeat has caused Val to reflect on how to best live the rest of her life. She instead, has tried to exact retribution on someone she now regards as a turncoat by pushing for, wait for it, ‘Sellout’ Kerri Harris to succeed her as Speaker, presumably in exchange for a guarantee from Kerri that the money spigot to the Police Athletic League will continue to flow. She thinks that Mimi Minor-Brown was a stealth supporter of Kam. All I can say is that, in all the times I was down there and knocking doors and being involved with Kam’s campaign, I never heard even a whisper about that. Oh, and also that, if Kerri ‘runs’ as hard for Speaker as she ‘ran’ for Congress, she has no chance.
Anyway, both Kerri and Mimi are running.
I am told, however, that there is a third candidate, someone with ties to both moderate and progressive elements in the caucus. I can’t say for sure who it is, but I’m also told that, from a personality perspective, this person would be the Anti-Val as Speaker. Someone who would help to restore a collegial environment in the House. Based on that, give me Door #3.
More to come if/when people’s lips loosen.
“Her political team”
Don’t be shy. It’s Laura Wisniewski. Famed political expert and skilled strategist.
Is Val planning a 2026 rematch? I don’t see why Laura would care how Val feels next year.
What?
Sounds like they’re asking if Val will challenge Kamela Smith next term and stating that Laura Wisniewski shouldn’t need to care about Val’s wishes anymore.
No clue if that’s accurate, however.
If Val couldn’t win with an over $100K war chest and the indentured servitude of her senior staff, she’s not winning a rematch.
Especially not after people get to know Kam Smith.
My guess is that Carney gives Wisniewski a ‘pity job’ with the City.
Carney is without pity or empathy and the jury is out on a soul. He also is gonna have more cronies and hangers on looking for gigs than gigs to give. Cut throat musical chairs will amuse him though.
I’m blown away reading here about Kerri having had fallen in with the worst elements. High hopes dashed. A real WTF for me.
Those of us on the ground of her campaign for the House saw her in action, so it hasn’t been a surprise. Sell out is accurate.
I’ve been out of commission for the last two years recovering from a cancer diagnosis and lingering chemo brain issues so I missed it all.
There’s a saying, “Money changes everything.” I have found that it explains a lot that’s otherwise puzzling.
I share your schadenfreude.
This woman made a lot of people miserable for no good reason. Fuck her and fuck Kerri, too.
Does her PAL gig come with benefits? This bitch needs a lobotomy.
Scratch that, lobotomies can’t fix the soulless.
Can’t type your handle but spot on. Color me anybody but Kerri or Mimi! We are on the cusp of sanity in the House we do not need apprentices of the worst speaker ever, she eclipsed Pete in awfulness in just one term, impressive.
Kerri sellout Harris cannot be allowed to be speaker. She had her 15 minutes running against Carper then showed her true colors.
Damn, I’m really missing Paul Baumbach right now!
The bad news: If only he’d have waited.
The good news: Mara Gorman will be his replacement.
Not sure why Val is so upset.
I mean, “This is an opportunity for (her) to learn.” 😉
Congrats to you, El Som.
Who doesn’t love a juicy schadenfreude story?
She doesn’t realize it, but the voters did Val a favor.
She can now sip (or guzzle) her espresso martinis w/o the burden of having to knock on doors afterwards.
I was in the presence of about a half dozen members of the General Assembly tonight some who supported Val and some who worked for Kam and not one of them mentioned the vanquished lossr, it was glorious!
I worked KH’s Representative campaign twice now. The Carper campaign was overly ambitious, that being said-I have never seen a candidate work harder to gain a seat, or to retain it. Your observations are not the Whip that I know and continue to support. Wasn’t it a 5 way primary??
You should be more concerned about the Resolution that Jesse Chadderton presented to the NCCEC. THAT resolution, along with the State Party REJECTING LBR’s commitment to fund the CC- has created a war among us all. Question Kat Caudle’s motives, question Jesse’s… question why that resolution was tabled at the State Party meeting
You are SO far off base on your assumptions about LBR and KH. The battle to support our candidates is ongoing and all that happens here is a personal bitching session.
Laura W is a bully, just like Chairman Caudle. They both need to be replaced. If you would focus on the ground level, you would know what’s been going on since Feb.
I’ve seen a lot of gossip on this “blog” but have never seen anything about the power grab by NCC, and the resulting fallout.
Yeah, I expect my comment will end up in the garbage. The fact is-if the R’s would organize, we would not be a bluish state.
“You should be more concerned about the Resolution that Jesse Chadderton presented to the NCCEC. THAT resolution, along with the State Party REJECTING LBR’s commitment to fund the CC- has created a war among us all. Question Kat Caudle’s motives, question Jesse’s… question why that resolution was tabled at the State Party meeting”
Can you elaborate?
I confess I have little knowledge of the inner machinations of the Coordinated Campaign. I, however, focus on the ground level if the ‘ground level’ means going out and knocking doors, which I’ve done a whole lot of. Including yesterday evening, in fact.
I think we all agree that Laura W is not a plus for the Party. BHL and Our PAL Val would now likely agree.
However, your defense of Kerri is disingenuous. I originally volunteered and was knocking doors for her until I realized that there was no THERE there. Ended up volunteering for Chris Johnson instead (hey, I never SAID I only backed winners.)
One more comment–had my first encounter with the Coordinated Campaign yesterday. Picked up lit for Monica Beard and Sarah McBride, and did door-knocking up in the 22nd RD. It was well-organized, and the MiniVan app was well-synched between all the D statewide campaigns and Monica.
In other words, the coordinated campaign was–coordinated.