Tag: Tony DeLuca Delaware
The 62 Project: #’s 23 & 39
Bethany Hall Long found herself in the spotlight this session as she was one of the identified ‘undecided’ votes on gay marriage. At first, she reportedly told confidants that her father would disown her if she voted for the bill. However, the right-wing evangelicals in her district spewed their hatred, and Hall-Long had had enough. She made clear that such intolerance was unacceptable and, along with Sen. Cathy Cloutier, her yes vote made the difference in passing HB 75 in the Senate. She also supported transgender equality later in the session. She voted against putting an end to the death penalty, but voted for the minimum wage increase. Her bill sponsorship is largely focused on health-related bills, which makes sense as she chairs the Senate Health & Social Services Committee. However, her knowledge of the intricacies of these issues enables her to be more than just a sponsor pushing through administrative initiatives. She is often involved in working groups developing consensus best-practices proposals.
John Viola was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, defeating longtime incumbent and JFC co-chair Rich Davis, 1897-1802. Davis, a classy guy, said that Viola won because ‘he outworked me’. No recriminations, just a tip of the cap on his way out of Dover. Viola has not had serious opposition since, with the R’s polling no more than 20.1% in those odd instances when they bothered to muster a challenge at all. The best that you can say about John Viola is that he ‘does no harm’. Some people are confirmed bachelors, Viola is a confirmed back-bencher. Nothing especially wrong with that. He’s generally a reliable vote for Democratic priorities. He supported gay marriage, transgender equality, payday loans, criminal background checks for gun purchases, and most other positive initiatives. My main issue with Viola is that he is a legislator who benefits from Delaware Way shenanigans.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thursday, January 24, 2013
Big doin’s, today. BIG doin’s.
Senate Bill 3 is on today’s House Agenda. I’d first like to thank everybody who made this vote possible. From sponsor Sen. Marshall; to Sen. Blevins, who assigned the bill to a favorable committee; to the 11 yes voters in the Senate, to the Speaker, to committee chair Bryon Short, and to everyone who has made consideration of this bill a priority. I’m not sure that this gets done without the blogs, the media, and some damn good public servants.
This bill also demonstrates that elections matter. Think about it. The Senate vote was 11 yes, 9 no, 1 not voting. Had Tony DeLuca been reelected instead of Bryan Townsend (a yes vote), it would have been due in large part to the extraordinary intervention of Governor Markell in that election. Meaning that SB 3 could well have been buried in DeLuca’s Executive Committee, never to see the light of day. If it had somehow made its way to the floor, DeLuca quite possibly would have sided with the Governor, leaving the bill one vote short of passage. Perhaps two, had Nicole Poore not defeated Dori Connor, since not a single R voted for the bill.
Now onto today’s doins…
Delaware Political Weekly: Sept. 8-14, 2012
What we learned from the Primary: 1. The Gordon machine was the single most effective game-changer during the primary; 2. For once, Wilmington really made the difference this year; 3. Grassroots campaigns work, and they cost a lot less than the alternative; 4. Jack Markell is in danger of becoming a Drawbridge Democrat; 5. Tons of lit cannot compensate for personal unpopularity; and 6. Primaries are GOOD;
On the Hustings With Bryan Townsend, Part II: Things I Learned.
Told’ja I’d go back, and I went back yesterday evening to campaign with Bryan Townsend, who may be running the best single state legislative campaign in Delaware this year. Well, his amazing staff is running the campaign, Bryan’s the Incredible Campaigner. Here’s what I learned.
Delaware’s 10 Most Intriguing Primaries of 2012: The Top 5
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?
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show, Weds., June 6, 2012
Brad Bennett announced he would not seek reelection to the 32nd Representative District seat. He did it publicly on the House floor, he did it with dignity, and I wish him success in addressing the issues that led to his announcement. The legislative agendas ran true to form yesterday, with both the good and the […]
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