Staton Off and Running
Not only is Andy Staton the only announced Democrat running for the new state senate district down here in Sussex (and I’m in the new district), he’s also the only announced candidate to have filed a campaign finance report.
Since filing his campaign committee paperwork on September 1, Staton has raised over $20,000, a lot more than some incumbents, and has over $19,000 on hand. Some of his contributors are former Congressman Tony Coelho, Friends of Pete Schwartzkopf (they are neighbors, after all, and Staton ran Pete’s 2010 campaign), and Delaware Stonewall Democrats. There is a rumor that another Democrat might throw his hat into the race, but these fundraising numbers might change his mind.
I am wondering if Urquhart, once he files a finance report, will list as an in-kind contribution the 8 hours of free air time he’s received from WGMD and the Fatman’s show. Of course, Urkel will say that he was actually using the air time as chair of the Sussex County Confederate Party GOP, and that his last few weeks have been sort of a farewell tour. Hell, Cher’s farewell tour didn’t last this long.
The new district, despite what Urkel and others have said, is a Democratic district, both in registration and voter turnout. Not saying this is going to be a cakewalk for Andy, but my money is on him winning in November.
Tags: State Senate, Sussex County
Definite cakewalk if he is running against urquhart, but a much tougher race against ernie lopez.
Thing is, outside of meeting with their own kind, Urkel and Lopez have been invisible. Staton has been out and about speaking to non-Democratic groups about why he’s running.
Hopefully Urquhart will prevail in a santorum soaked primary. But win or lose, Urquhart will get credit in my book for softening up Lopez.
I’m so excited to see Andy Staton running. He will make a great State Senator!
The importance of this race should not be understated.
This is a very important race. The Republicans can take back the Senate within another election cycle if Andy doesn’t win.
I think I swim with you at the YMCA and you are a very charismatic guy and gifted athlete! I look forward to sharing ideas about a brighter future here in Delaware. how are you fixed for cash! Campaigning is expensive
I know both candidates, but to say that this will be a cakewalk for Andy does him no favors. Glenn is an experienced, well known, and let’s not forget wealthy candidate. He did relatively well in 2010 running for Congress as an R in a heavily D state, and with a nut job at the top of his ticket. Andy will need to continue to work hard and will need a great deal of support to pull this off. Don’t discourage people from helping him by implying that he doesn’t need their help.
Chris – Urkel had his head handed to him by Carney in 2010, as he only took 41% of the vote. That’s not doing “relatively well.” And Urkel is as much of a nut job as COD.
But I agree that we need to work hard for Andy. I assure you he is not taking anything for granted.
Well written MJ, you only forgot one variable. Ernie Lopez. He is a great guy and will make a great State Senator. The logic is brilliant, ignore the best candidate in the race as if he doesn’t exist, to make your guy look better against the guy (Urkel) that you are trying to make as the face of the GOP. Ernie appeals more to the 6th Senate District than anyone else in the race. I don’t care what your numbers say, it’s all about the person here in Sussex.
Im in Sussex and in the 6th and Lopez dont appeal to me much…
Don, Lopez is a carpetbagger and stands very little chance against Urkel, even with the endorsements he’s received. And he’s not a “good fit” for the district. You obviously have no idea about the demographics of the 6th. While he might be a “great guy,” he is totally unknown (and many of us who are tied in to both parties were scratching our heads saying “who” when he announced). Nice try, but the GOP in the 6th is just as teabag crazy as it is in other parts of the county, Jud Bennett being an exception.
Carpetbagget? In fact, Ernie is the closest to a native Delawarean in the race and he’s Puerto Rican. Aren’t the other two both from VA?
Lopez isn’t local. Andy’s been in the area a lot longer than Ernie. And Andy isn’t going to be double-dipping, either.
What difference does it make if he’s a Puertoriquena? My partner is a direct descendant of the original Kings of Scotland. That and $1.65 gets you a tall coffee at Starbucks (unless you go to the one inside Safeway and have to pay $1.90).
Staton is a carpetbagger, is what you’re saying? Ernie has lived in Delaware for 30 years. Staton is not receiving a check from the State presently? MJ, you’re better than this my man!
OK – neither of them are Delaware natives – OK? not in dispute – there is no such thing as “the closest to a native Delawarean in the race” and who cares if he’s Puerto Rican? what in God’s name does that have to do with it? There is not a large Puerto Rican voting block in the 6th.
Andy does however have deeper ties to Sussex and the new 6th than Lopez -has done much to be seen and done much for the community locally. -Lopez has been – ummm WHERE??… and has done WHAT volunteer work for the community??? those facts are not in dispute either.
So, what that said….with no FB page, no web site I can find about Lopez how does he plan on getting name recognition?? I have seen Andy around for years in no -political events etc… Lopez, Never.
and where does Andy get a state check from?? I would like to know – if you have it, spill it – unless this is just more rumor..
Staton is a realtor, not an employee of the State of Delaware. Don, if you’re going to spout BS to pump up your candidate and denigrate Staton, at least you can make it believable BS.
The Real Estate Commision is a non paid appointment? MJ, you’re no better than Urkel with facts.
Don, you really are twisting yourself into a pretzel trying to make a point. Lopez is an EMPLOYEE of the State of Delaware, complete with salary and benefits (vacation, sick time, retirement, health insurance). Staton serves on a board to which he was appointed to by the Governor. He gets a nominal payment for attending a meeting and may or may not seek mileage reimbursement. There are no benefits attached to his service on the Commission. What you’re engaging in, Don, is what we call false equivalency. In layman’s terms, it’s bullshit.
So maybe you could answer one question, Don. Why is a right-wing troll from out-of-state so concerned about a state senate race in Delaware?
MJ, you are overstating the influence of the tea party in coastal sussex. The Eastern Sussex Republican Club is full of people bemoaning the populist wave that swept sussex republicans.
Phil, while you might be “bemoaning the populist (read teabag) wave that swept sussex republicans,” you were powerless to do anything to stop them and to help Jud Bennett in his primary 4 years ago. Either you didn’t want to do anything or you thought they’d go away. You ceded power to these RWNJs and now your chickens have come home to roost.
MJ, are you saying that only people who are born in Delaware can be elected in Delaware? And only those born in Sussex can be elected in Sussex? Sounds a bit elitist to me. As for you throwing around the “carpet bagger” label, WOW! you sound just like the “TEA baggers” you hate so much, I know, I have heard them use the phrase. I have to agree with Don K. you are telegraphing the fact that you fear a run against Lopez. Easy to see why though, he is a young guy with a great personality, he is a solid family man who yes has worked for the state for many years, so that means that he is a reliable person. And since when did a good card carrying liberal like yourself become opposed to government employment. I find it ironic that you obviously are taking pages from the Urquhart campaign to attack Mr. Lopez on the so called double dipping.
I am sure, simply from a perception point of view that you would prefer to run against a grndfatherly looking candidate, rather than a young family man type since your candidate looks like Richie Cunningham after college.
MJ, on another note, your defense Of Mr. Bennett is proof of why he failed to win the GOP nomination. He ran the wrong race for a GOP primary. He ran the same race he would have run against Ms. Deaver. The reason he is done in GOP politics in my opinion is because he threw a temper tantrum and endorsed the person he had been telling us must go.
Frank, young minority Republicans scare MJ for some reason. (Mentioning Bill Wong sends him into a tizzy every time.) But I don’t think we Dems have anything to worry about, even from them, here in Sussex. There’s no way the party at large is going to raise up a moderate hispanic republican. This fascination they have with Lopez right now is strictly a “f*ck you” to Urquhart. And Lopez IS the more dangerous candidate, but at the end of the day, this district was pretty much carved out for Andy.
Aoine: FYI, Lopez’s FB page is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lopez-for-Senate-2012/116658981784104
thenewphil, I see one thing wrong with your assessment. Mr. Lopez is not a moderate. I have spoken with him, and if you know anything about me, then you know I am no moderate. The label of moderate has been placed on him by his GOP opponent and those who support Mr. Urquhart. I have even asked some of these people what they are basing this upon, I aks have you talked to him? In all cases the answer was no, that they were basing this on things they had heard on WGMD’s Bill Colley Show and from other Urquhart supporters. Mr. Lopez is the straightline conservative that has broad appeal to all citizens. The challenge is to overcome the attacks from the far right and the far left. I would encourage open minded citizens to seek out Mr. Lopez and to discuss the issues with him, instead of taking my word or MJ’s word and especially the word of his current GOP opponent, who let’s face it is not likely to paint Mr. Lopez in the best light.
Moderate has a new meaning these days, Frank, as you have found out recently.
MJ,
The real bullshit is, half of the elected D’s are “double dippers,” so why would you have an issue with it? Isn’t Pete Schwartzkopf a “double dipper” by your definition? Why must you resort to the Don Ayotte tactics of name calling and bullying?
And Frank, it’s Don N. Not Don K., you and I definitely ARE not related! Get it straight.
There is a difference between a moderate and being in the middle of the opposing political ideology. A moderate is someone who vacillates on issues. Moderate is something that the media thought up to disguise a politician that was attempting to play both side of the political street. When I say that true conservatism is the …middle I am talking about political ideology. On the far left you have communism which will tell you that we should all share equally in the wealth of the community simply because we are a part of the community, not based on what we contribute to the community. The communist will take from one to give to another, by force if necessary. On the far right you have fascism. The fascist will tell you that the individual should be allowed to own and benefit from thier labor, but the fascist will limit those benefits through regulations and mandates and yes by force if necessary. So you see that is why I say that if you go too far either way you end up with a totalitarian form of government. Conservatism is in the middle. A conservative understands that we all should have an equal opportunity to achieve, not by regulating the successful to hold them down, but by removing regulations and obstacles that hinder. A conservative also understands that the rule of law is not there to enforce the will of the majority, but to protect the Liberty of the minority.
Where do you get the idea that a Moderate vacillates? You’re dead wrong. A Moderate can believe what they believe just as passionately as you believe the things you do. The difference is that their positions aren’t way over on one side or the other. That doesn’t mean they aren’t firmly planted where they are. They just don’t buy into the idea that you have to be all in on one side or the other.
For instance, it is possible to be anti-abortion AND pro-planned parenthood.
Sorry about that Don N. I guess my love for Don Knotts got the better of me. I can assure everyone that we are not related. My people are a tall people.
TNP, again your definition of a moderate may actually more aptly apply to my definition of a straightline conservative. In my opinion the term moderate has been used to disguise an elected official who seeks to play both sides. I use the term moderate to describe someone who holds to know guiding ideology of principles and values. Let me dig up the past here as an example. Mike Castle was described as a fiscal conservative,based on some of his votes on taxes and yet he would vote for increasing CAFE standards. These standards have raised the cost of manufacturing of cars, which has lead to out sourcing. So how can we say that someone who would vote for lower taxes, yet also vote for mandates that hurt our economy is a fiscal conservative and clearly has no guiding set of fiscal principles. That is what the term moderate was created to justify. The middle is something totally different, in my opinion.
Frank, the Dems in the 6th do not fear a race against either Urkel or Lopez. Go ahead and think that if it makes you sleep better at night. And I’m not defending Jud in any way, just pointing out the fact of how you teabags have driven longtime GOPers out of the party.
And Phil, why would I be afraid of minorities? I’m one myself. Where’s your proof, or did you just pull that fact out of your arse? And Bill Wrong by no means sends anyone in the area in a tizzy. He’s a joke on the GOP and we’re glad to let you have him.
And DN – who did I call a name and who did I bully? It’s funny how your ilk, when trying to deconstruct any of my posts, simply resort to crying that I’m a bully. Let me call you a wahhbulance.
And Pete doesn’t work for the state, unless you’re counting his salary as a legislator. So, if (and it’s a HUGE if) Lopez manages to win, will he resign his state job, much as Jim Westhoff promised to do in 2010 when he was running in the 35th?
Dude, seriously? Jim “The Underdog” Westhoff? It’s easy to make that statement when your Jim Westhoff, knowing that you’re safely going back to work on Wednesday. Baxter may have had a better showing there.
MJ, it’s amazing how much you and Don Ayotte really have in common. Now you’re going to tell me how Pete does not get (2) checks from the State. Does it matter which way the double dip goes? A double dip is a double dip. Come on man. Thanks for the debate.
Dude, seriously? If the people in the 35th voted issues instead of hackseeds, Jim would have won hands down. And his promise to quit his job at DelDOT was made when he first announced.
Ayotte and I have nothing in common. He doesn’t have a brain, much like you and your mindless drivel you post on here and over at DP.
For me, a double dipper is someone taking two checks while employed; I don’t count retirement annuities. So I guess you’d call me a double dipper because I’ll get a government pension and Social Security.
I figured you had half a brain. I guess I was wrong.
Were you The Underdog’s campaign manager? If so next time don’t go on the radio at 7:15am and say you’re the underdog. Also please cut out some of the uh, ah, uh, uh, ah, uh. And you talk about the hackseed we have, geez.
I hear Ayotte is now in the market for a campaign manager, you two would make an epic pair.
So, you’re trying to tell me that legislators do not receive a salary, pension, and benefits? So wouldn’t two State pensions and benefits be double dipping?
On his very own fb page, https://www.facebook.com/pete.schwartzkopf, he has his employers listed.
Double Dippin’ is different when it’s your people, it’s ok then, right?
Don Nuts – no I wasn’t Jim’s campaign manager, but I did help him with going door-to-door, working the polls, and issue research. At least Jim didn’t mumble and wasn’t drunk half the time when appearing in public.
And thanks for totally misconstruing what I said,but then again, teabaggers like yourself always do that with the truth. Please show everyone, Don Nuts, where I said legislators don’t receive pensions (if they qualify).
Pete is not currently an employee of the state of Delaware, not withstanding the salary he receives as an elected official. There’s a clear distinction, one you’re obviously too blind to see. Maybe you’re waiting to see if pigs fly.
And answer my question concerning my situation, if you dare.
You know, Nutso, stick with DP – they’ll swallow every last drop of the spittle that seeps from your lips.
This explains why The Underdog did so well, LMAO. Please, who was drunk half the time? This is interesting news, do tell.
I’m not a fan of double dipping but, it doesn’t push me over the edge as the State is the largest employer obviously and people have to work. My point is many of your peeps are DD’s, do you take issue with Dem DD’s or only GOP DD’s?
Why would pension and social security make you a double dipper? You paid into it. Now, if you had two State pensions, benefits, and salary you would then be a DD.
As to the seeping, swallowing, and spittling, that ain’t my style.
Did you also advise Urkel to lit drop the Polar Bear Plunge? He did it.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2939312054609&set=a.2939308014508.132854.1615404577&type=1&theater
Don Nuts, the only thing I would advise Urkel to do would be to tell the truth, which it seems rethuglicans have a hard time doing.
But if you paid into 2 state pensions, wouldn’t you deserve it, too? And if you’ve ever read anything over hear, you know that we’ve gone after D’s who hold both a state job and serve in the legislature. But I see you conveniently decided to omit that.
Nuts boy, you’re in over your head here. Go back to DP where you at least can shine a bit with the mindless ones who write for that “blog.”
Don N.,
I’m having a hard time reading between the lines here. If you don’t count getting a state pension as double-dipping, how is Pete Schwartzkof a double-dipper? He gets a pension from his time as a state trooper, and a salary from his service in the legislature. That’s it, as far as I know.