Delaware Political Weekly: July 21-27, 2012

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So, I'm at the Townsend house, waiting to head on out to campaign. I decide to spend some time perusing Tony DeLuca's 'puppy piece'. I come across this line listed under the 'Dedicated' subheading:
(Tony DeLuca...) "Supported SEED and Inspire scholarships for Delaware students".
That's what it said. On a 3" by 9" (or so) palm card, Senator Tony DeLuca claims this as one of his key accomplishments. I got to thinking, waitaminnit, wasn't he the guy who tried to KILL the Inspire Scholarship Program? My memory not being the best, I decided to climb into the Notsowayback Machine.

On the Hustings With Bryan Townsend

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After spending a couple of hours at the doors (aka trying to keep up) with 11th District State Senate candidate Bryan Townsend last night, I can only say this: The residents of the 11th District would be SO much better off with Bryan Townsend as their Senator that it's not even a close call. He is the single best first-time candidate I've encountered since Dave Sokola. And, yes, when elected, he would immediately join Senators Peterson and Sokola as one of the best senators in Dover.

Did Delaware’s Colm Connolly Run Interference For Romney and Bain Illegalities?

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8-Ball sez: "Signs Point to Yes". Now pay attention, kids, this is complicated, as many crimes involving money, corporatese, and coverups are. First, read this article by DailyKos' Stephen Laser Haas. In it, he lays out the massive fraud that Bain got entangled in during 2001.  Massive fraud that Romney's law firm at the time, the New York-based law firm, Traub, Bonacquist & Fox, has now admitted guilt for. As most of you know, there is always a Delaware-based law firm engaged in any Delaware litigation. That law firm in the Bain/e-toys matter was Morris, Nichols, Arsht and Tunnell.

Delaware Political Weekly: July 7-13, 2012

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Not really much more to discuss. Thanks to our eagle-eyed political junkies, pretty much all the developments can be found here and here. And you can find some analysis of the primary battles here. I admit it. I'm addicted to this stuff. There will almost certainly be some withdrawals today, as 4:30 p.m. this afternoon is the deadline for candidates to withdraw and get their filing fees back.

Delaware’s 10 Most Intriguing Primaries of 2012: The Top 5

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The 11th SD is the Big One. Folks, challenger Bryan Townsend is running a great campaign. Exactly the kind of grassroots campaign that you need to knock off a powerful and entrenched incumbent. Meanwhile, in the 23rd RD race between Baumbach, Grant, and Bock, all three deserve to be in public service. I'm not sure I can ever recall a race like this with three great D's running. There is no consensus amongst the DL contributors, and there will be no consensus amongst the voters of the 23rd. Bottom line: The voters can't lose when all the candidates are winners. Man, why can't I have choices like this?

Delaware’s 10 Most Intriguing Primaries Of 2012: Part 1

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Here are my ground rules. Intriguing to me. And races that I consider to be competitive. So much for the ground rules. I admit that I know little about the individual races for Wilmington City Council, and only a little bit more about Sussex County Council primaries. So, I'm counting on all of you to provide insight and perspective. Not to mention your bouquets and brickbats.

Filing Deadline Open Thread: The Final Hours

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Once again, I'll start. We can still look for another strong candidate to emerge in the 1st RD--one with the support of none other than our friend and colleague Mike Matthews himself. While noon today is the deadline for filing, it is not the deadline for withdrawals. There will almost certainly be some over the next few days. There are a lot of intriguing primaries on the docket. I'm gonna try to whittle them down to the "10 Most Fascinating Primaries" in a piece that will appear whenever I finish it. If I ever finish it. We'll talk about all of this on the Al Mascitti Show, this Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on WDEL-1150 Newsradio.

Filing Deadline Open Thread

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OK, folks, here's where to bring your breaking news, rumors, speculation, etc., as to what will happen by 12 noon Tuesday, the filing deadline for individuals seeking to run in the September primaries and/or the November General Election. Updates from the respective Departments of Election most welcome. As are, of course, releases from announcing candidates. I'll start. Look for another quite credible candidate to get into the 1st RD Democratic primary (the seat being vacated by Dennis P. Williams). Look for a credible candidate to file against Sen. Harris McDowell in the 1st Senatorial District.

Delaware Political Weekly: June 30-July 6, 2012

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Speaker Bob Gilligan’s announcement that he would not seek reelection has created quite a seismic shift in local politics. As soon as the election is over, you’ll see all sorts of machinations as to who will get what position in what is virtually certain to still be the House Majority Caucus. But that can wait. Within 36 hours of Gilligan’s announcement, two candidates had already filed for the 19th RD seat currently held by the Speaker.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Sat., June 30, 2012

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To its credit, the House, as opposed to the shrouded-in-secrecy Senate, has an Agenda. Also to its credit, more specifically, Speaker Gilligan's, the House has already gotten the retirement festivities out of the way. Former Speaker Terry Spence used to futz around for hours on end on June 30, with endless hosannas to retiring House members, said hosannas often sung by (I'm not making this up) an Elvis impersonator. Self-indulgence at its worst. I was working in the Senate at the time, and we used to stew at this turning the 'people's business' into some freak sideshow for two hours every June 30.