Breaking News: It’s Official! Bryan Townsend Files to Challenge Tony DeLuca in Primary

Filed in National by on January 24, 2012

Yes, it’s on! Bryan Townsend has filed the paperwork and paid the fees to run for the 11th Senatorial District seat currently held by President Pro-Tempore Anthony J. DeLuca.

From the release:

Townsend, age 30, is a life-long resident of the district, and a graduate of Glasgow High School and the University of Delaware. For the past several months, Townsend has been attending civic association meetings and other events in the community, where he has

Townsend also holds a law degree from Yale Law School and a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge in England. He is an attorney with the Morris James law firmin Wilmington. Townsend is active in the 11th District and Delaware community, serving as a long-time supporter of Special Olympics Delaware and as a Big Brother with BigBrothers Big Sisters.

“The first job of any legislator is to represent the interests of the people in the district,” Townsend says. “I know the people of the 11th. I grew up in Breezewood, attended schools in the Christina School District, worked at the Newark Dairy Queen in high school and at MBNA and Christiana Care as an undergraduate, and for the past fifteen years have been active in the community. This campaign is a grassroots effort and a departure from the traditional power structure we have seen here in the 11th. I am excited to continue meeting with and listening to the people of the 11th District in the coming months and working with them to address their concerns about their families and futures.”

I’m excited about this campaign. Here you have a well-qualified enthusiastic candidate taking on the person who embodies the worst of the Delaware Way, and who has parlayed his position into personal wealth and power far out of proportion to his meager accomplishments.

Townsend’s website, which you can view here, is unfailingly positive, as it should be. Even if you’ve grown disgusted  or depressed with politics, I encourage you to consider supporting Bryan Townsend’s campaign. I’m sure that volunteers and/or early seed money would be greatly appreciated.

I’m dropping any pretense of objectivity here. If Bryan Townsend were to replace Tony DeLuca in the Delaware State Senate, the people of this state would immediately be better off. Since this will be a grassroots campaign, there’s nothing to stop you from helping to make it happen.

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  1. Delaware Political Weekly: January 21-27, 2012 : Delaware Liberal | January 27, 2012
  1. Que Pasa says:

    I knew Bryan growing up. He’d be good for this State, though, I’m surprised he’s a “D-Rat”. LOL!

  2. Aoine says:

    I have always supported Bryan – and will continue to do so

  3. PBaumbach says:

    I have made a contribution. What are you waiting for?

    Join me in supporting Bryan Townsend (DE-SD-11) via @actblue http://actb.lu/yzEwEq

  4. Jason330 says:

    “Townsend also holds a law degree from Yale Law School and a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge in England.”

    Slacker.

  5. MJ says:

    And he’s doing the Polar Bear Plunge in Rehoboth on February 5.

  6. liberalgeek says:

    He and I have the same alma mater. Glasgow, not Cambridge. And as much money as I spent at DQ through the years, I’m certain he made me a Blizzard in the past. I’m probably STILL trying to get that pound off.

    Maybe I’ll work it off on his campaign.

  7. AQC says:

    I just made a donation but I’d like to meet him before I volunteer my time. Anyone know if he has any events planned yet?

  8. DE Idealist says:

    Bryan is exactly the type of person who can take on DeLuca. He’s smart, energetic, and a man of integrity. DeLuca’s got a 6 figure war chest, but if enough of us donate our time and money we’ll not only win the senate seat, we’ll also send a clear message that power flows from the people to the legislature, not the other way around.

  9. Just Some Guy says:

    I take issue with a 30 year old being described as a long time anything:) I wish the young man luck!

  10. Preston says:

    He is a corporate lawyer. He defends the large, greedy, evil, money-grubbing corporations who are screwing the people, raping the land and poisoning our water. You want HIM to represent you in Dover??!!
    Isnt he just the kind of guy that your Occupy Delaware friends despise??
    He attends a few civic meetings and suddenly he is “qualified”??
    Tell me you are joking.

  11. Preston says:

    Does Bryan still live at home with Mommy and Daddy ??

  12. Que Pasa says:

    Preston, don’t be such a jealous loser. I bet he’s more qualified than YOU!

  13. DE Idealist says:

    Preston, how well is DeLuca representing the people of the district?

  14. John Young says:

    Preston, if he is, and really who cares, he is likely just trying to escape the vicious economy that DeLuca has helped to create here in DE. Being committed to one’s family in the name of fiscal responsibility ain’t no liability in my book.

  15. jpconnorjr says:

    Hey Preston, The guy is 30! Lawyers take a while to become evil money grubbing land rapers. DeLuca on the other hand is an experienced legislative grifter. I am pretty sure young lawyer trumps experienced grifter

  16. John Manifold says:

    Preston: The term “corporate” lawyer is often used to describe one who is not a trial lawyer. Most “corporate lawyers” represent regular folks. Even the lawyers who advise large corporations are generally giving advice about the Delaware corporation law, which has nothing to do with the wicked deeds we all abhor.

  17. Preston says:

    @John Manifold:

    This is direct from the Morris James website, John:

    “Bryan is an associate with the Corporate and Fiduciary Litigation Group. He focuses his practice on litigation matters involving complex corporate, commercial and fiduciary matters.”

    Sounds pretty Corporate, with a capital C, to me…and he’s 30, has gobs of education, has traveled the world, lived an apparent life of leisure and privilege up until his job with “The Firm”, and lives in Westover Woods (w/ parents).

    Yeah, seems like a BRILLIANT choice for the Progressives. He has SOOOO much in common with the common man.
    -cough-cough!-

  18. DE Idealist says:

    @ Preston

    From Bryan Townsend’s website:

    “Bryan also uses his legal training to help children in Delaware’s foster care system, veterans who are seeking benefits for service-related injuries, and low-income families in divorce, custody, and protection-from-abuse cases.”

    He seems like a decent guy to me.

  19. PI says:

    I’ve met and talked with Bryan on several occasions. I would not consider him privaleged, Preston. Smart, hard working, well educated comes to mind though….and a real down to earth guy. His energy and enthusiasm will carry him farther than Tony’s war chest.

    Bryan has been and is an active volunteer in the community. He definitely has my support. And, Preston, “privaleged” people don’t grow up in middle class neighborhoods like Breezewood. Maybe you should learn something about Bryan before you type for Tony. You’re sounding a lot like DeLuca….

  20. PBaumbach says:

    I’ve met Bryan last year, and had a good opportunity to chat with him. I urge DL to do an interview quickly. This will get past the made-up crap floating in the responses today.

    Put him up against DeLuca, and there is NO COMPARISON for a Delaware liberal, none.

    I will ask Bryan to attend a PDD meeting or two, however my guess is that he (like Mitch Crane) has a pretty clear plan already for the next ten months.

  21. MJ says:

    @Preston = “has gobs of education…” Jealous that you flunked kindergarten?

  22. Preston says:

    @MJ, nah, you were right there with me repeating Kindergarten bwa ha ha ha!

  23. Preston says:

    @PI i am not typing for anyone, I am typing for myself, he will be my senator if he wins, I am looking out for myself and my family.

  24. MJ says:

    Is that the best you can do?

  25. ARH says:

    Preston: Children of police officers and public school teachers aren’t typically privileged in the sense of “born with a silver spoon in their mouths.” Bryan grew up plain old middle class. But he’s smart, hard-working, enthusiastic, and dedicated. I know the man, and that’s what got him into Yale, not his pedigree. He’s also capable of understand difficult economic concepts, such as the following: not all corporations, even those with a capital “C”, are evil land-raping, people-screwing entities. Most of what you eat, wear, and entertain yourself with was brought to you by bright people working for corporations.

  26. anon says:

    Is Preston a Tea Partier and a supporter of Evan Q? Because the only people in Delaware that equate education with “privilege” are Tea Partiers. I can see Evan Q’s commercial now: He’ll be in a black suit in front of a purple, smokey screen and he’ll say, “I didn’t go to Yale.”

  27. Rich S says:

    We have enough highly educated lawyers running our state and country. Where has that taken us? How has it worked out for us?

  28. Preston is more Evan Q than DeLuca. The Q’s only chance, and it really isn’t a chance at all, is to run against DeLuca. So Townsend must be destroyed.

    Ain’t gonna work. Not many people will be able to convince themselves that Townsend’s tireless work on behalf of, say, the Special Olympics, to cite but one major example, was part of an evil plan to fatten the corporatocracy.

    Would it be stating the obvious to point out that these embarrassingly-amateurish attempts to nip this candidacy in the bud are merely the result of incompetent desperation? If so, call me Captain Obvious.

  29. John T says:

    Bryan Townsend has an impressive educational resume and may be a good guy, but I respectfuly believe he is wrong for public office.

    Many highly educated (full disclosure, I want to be a history professor) people are terrible at policy decisions. Our last two Presidents were ivy league educated. How is that turning out for us?

    Like Rich S said, and he beat me to it. We have enough highly educated lawyers in state and federal government. How has that worked out. I am not comparing Evan Queitsch to Washington, or Lincoln, but many scholars believe them to be the two greatest presidents and both have little formal education.

    On a side note, I cannot see Preston as a Tea Partier or Evan Queitsch supporter. Evan Queitsch and the Tea Party are respectful to dissenting opinions. Preston is doing more harm than good. I implore him to use facts to back up what he says. Using insults and demagoguery is something he should let progressives use.

    Bryan Townsend seems like a typical person who goes into politics. We do not need the status quo. We need something different in Delaware. Enough of the union members and lawyers; we need someone like Evan who has dedicated himself to learning policy and has hands on experience with campaigning.

  30. Just Some Guy says:

    You are absolutely correct ,John. We should not replace an arrogant power hungry double dipping buffoon with a well educated young man because he chose to practice law. He has forever forfeit the right to public office due to his legal education. We definitely need to keep an undereducated bully who is so far above his Peter Principle position that he is suspended from a balloon:)
    John thanks so much for helping me understand.

  31. Jason330 says:

    “Our last two Presidents were ivy league educated. How is that turning out for us?”

    The one that was a legacy sucked ass, and the one that worked his ass off to get there is good.

  32. cassandra m says:

    The legacy admit crashed this economy like it hasn’t been crashed in decades, while the merit admit has been working to bring the country back from the mess made by the legacy admit.

  33. cassandra m says:

    Sorry, I just want to laugh at this:

    Evan Queitsch and the Tea Party are respectful to dissenting opinions.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  34. liberalgeek says:

    Rich S and John T – You are a sockpuppet (you are the same person). This is grounds for banning. Do not do it again.

    This is your only warning.

  35. John T says:

    If all of you call $15 trillion healthy. Entitlements that cripples peoples’ will to work or do anything else, and taxes we don’t see as progress, than everybody should read some statistics from history. Where has your progressive, green energy, uptopian, bureaucratic, big government policies worked? When the European countries practiced capitalism in the late 1800s to early 1900s they were extremely wealthy and successful. Now they are almost worthless. Where is the Soviet Union? Why did the pilgrims stop their socialist policies? Because they almost starved. There was no incentive to work.

    You progressives love to site the Scandinavian countries as successes. We do not look at them as a world or economic power.

    If big government worked, we wouldn’t have the problems that we have now.

    If Obama is so great, where are the NET job growth? Why are businesses cutting hours of employees because of ObamaCare? Why has he accumalated so much debt. I forgot it was Bush’s fault. He does one conservative domestic policy, cut taxes, and you jump on him for being a conservative. He acted as a big government Republican. You should be proud.

    Without the insults, sarcasm, or condescension, we can have a useful debate. If all of you contnue to do this, I will not respond. It will be a waste of time.

  36. Jason330 says:

    “Where has your progressive, green energy, uptopian, bureaucratic, big government policies worked?”

    Here. August 8, 1935 until they were foolishly eliminated beginning in 1980.

    Anything else you want to know? I don’t usually tutor wingnuts like this, but you seem in serious need.

  37. Geezer says:

    “We have enough highly educated lawyers running our state and country.”

    Actually, Delaware has very few. YOu should look it up.

    John, if you become a history teacher, I pity our schoolchildren. YOur blather about the historical record is so shallow and out of balance I doubt you even understand the study of history.

    Don’t worry, I’m not interested in a conversation with you, as you already think you know everything while demonstrating that you’re not interested in learning anything.

  38. puck says:

    Reminds of the time Sonny Bono complained in a committee meeting “What’s with all this legalese?” and he had to be reminded: “Congressman Bono, we are making LAWS here.”