Barney makes it official [Updated]

Filed in National by on February 18, 2014

Sean Barney (D) just sent out an email blast making his primary challenge to State Treasurer Chip Flowers (D) official. Here is his introductory video and the text of the email:

Dear DD,

I am excited to share with you that I am officially announcing today my candidacy for State Treasurer. I have had the honor of serving my country overseas. I have had the privilege of working with two of Delaware’s more remarkable public servants, in Senator Tom Carper and Governor Jack Markell. I see the step I am taking today as a continuation of that commitment to public service.

Delaware’s Treasurer should be a voice for those in our state who seek a brighter economic future for themselves and their families. Effective leadership on behalf of the financially stressed, the middle class and those aspiring to the middle class requires the ability to work with others to get things done. I learned in the Marine Corps that the job we have to do when we serve is bigger and more important than any one individual.

I have been deeply touched by the support and encouragement I have received from Delawareans up and down our state as I have considered whether to step forward and seek this opportunity to serve. I plan to repay those who have placed their faith in me by running a campaign and serving as Treasurer in a manner that will make every Delawarean proud.

Will you join me? Pitch in $25 or whatever you can to show your support and help us build our grassroots campaign.

With gratitude,

Sean

Here are his Facebook, Twitter and his campaign website.

More from the WDEL’s Allen Loudell:

This is an anticlimax: We had been hearing for months that Chip Flowers likely faced a Democratic opponent, and that opponent would be Barney.

No question: This is the Delaware establishment coming after Treasurer Flowers. […]

Barney says he’ll run a positive campaign. (But that wouldn’t stop surrogates from reminding people about the blemishes in Flowers’ record.)

Let the campaign begin. Let’s see if Flowers can argue that the establishment is out to get him precisely because he has exposed the inherent non-transparency of the Delaware Way.

To respond to Loudell on the Delaware Way point, Chip Flowers is the wrong person to make that argument. To go up against the Establishment and the closed government it fosters, you have to be as clean as the snow that fell this morning. I am going to give Barney a chance to convince me he is his own man, and not a Markell puppet.

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Comments (32)

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  1. Jason330 says:

    The question here is, can Barney be his own man outside of CarperCyborgenics? This is Delaware and this is politics so the answer is a given: No.

    That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t vote for him in the primary. I’m just saying, after the swearing in, don’t expect anything approximating a progressive Democrat

  2. Jason330 says:

    …and by the way, I don’t mean to suggest that a product of CarperCyborgenics can’t be 500 times the man I am.

  3. To Delaware Dem:

    I agree with your point about having to be as clean as newly fallen snow – a knight in shining armor – to press an idealistic, principled fight against the entrenched establishment. That’s true in politics anywhere. I’ve made that point in previous blog posts. And it’ll be interesting to see how Barney responds to similar questions.

    Allan Loudell

  4. SussexAnon says:

    Yeah, we don’t want transparency if the person asking for is someone we don’t like.

    Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

    So far, being affiliated with Carper is a step backwards from transparency and drawing back the curtain on the Delaware Way. A guy like this could make me work for Flowers and I am not a fan.

    And there are no knights in shining armor in politics. If there are, they get eliminated. Quickly. By insider backed candidates. Keep that in mind when making your calculations.

  5. anony says:

    Barney can’t be worse than Flowers.

  6. puck says:

    Barney can’t be worse than Flowers.

    You say that now. But if you had a time machine and could prevent Tom Carper from being elected Treasurer, would you do it?

  7. Nuttingham says:

    Hopefully given a time machine back to the 70s, Jason would use the trip to speed up the discovery of a vaccine or hasten the end of disco rather than use that shot to stop the guy who eventually beat Republican Congressman Evans and GOP Senator Roth.

  8. Paul Calistro says:

    I had the opportunity to spend several hours with Sean Barney several weeks ago. I was impressed with his quality of character and his credentials. He asked very thoughtful questions regarding a variety of issues related to the community, the poor, the local economy . He followed through immediately on my recommendation s to meet with grassroots organizations as part of his listening campaign. It is not unusual for candidates to visit and share their candiicy aspirations. It is rare when I don’t feel like it was a ” courtesy” visit. Sean seems to be the real deal. I walked away thinking he would be a good public servant . A regressing change from the usual politician .

  9. Paul, ‘a refreshing change’ rather than ‘a regressing change’?

  10. AQC says:

    Good thing we have the language/grammar police here.

  11. Jason330 says:

    Nuttingham, Am I a little obsessed with the Carper taint? Yes I am. Is it because his voting record is shit? That is part of it.

    Does his work behind the scenes to undermine Democratic initiatives factor in? You bet.

    Is the fact that a social perception level, the guy creeps me out? That too.

    Do I love interviewing myself a little too much sometimes? I sure do.

  12. Geezer says:

    “if you had a time machine and could prevent Tom Carper from being elected Treasurer, would you do it?”

    No. The damage he did came afterwards. And Chip Flowers isn’t going to be elected to any higher office than treasurer.

  13. SussexAnon says:

    The announcement/fundraising letter was short on credentials. He was a Marine and worked for Markell and Carper. The rest of boilerplate platitudes. The video isn’t much better.

    Another one headed for the professional politician gravy train.

  14. Paul Calistro says:

    @ Paul thanks for the correction . Lesson learned never type on phone at 7am without reading glasses !

  15. anon3 says:

    There is no doubt Mr. Barney is better than Mr. Flowers. However, I am concerned in that I don’t believe he has lived in Delaware for more than two years. Additionally, his only job in Delaware was being Markell’s advisor(job for Carper was in DC). Lastly, I don’t think he is married and he sure tries to convey that impression with his photograph.

  16. Jason330 says:

    Why do I get the feeling that the Floweristas are pushing me toward Barney?

  17. Nuttingham says:

    Because SussexAnon’s “gravy train” sounds really tasty?
    I mean, to have a train made of gravy? How much better is that than to use a degree from Yale Law to make a few hundred thousand a year?

  18. SussexWatcher says:

    “Lastly, I don’t think he is married and he sure tries to convey that impression with his photograph.”

    Because you can’t have a family unless you are married, is that it? Go fuck yourself and the jackass you rode in on.

  19. AQC says:

    Why does it matter if he has only lived in Delaware for two years or whether he’s married with a family?

  20. anony says:

    What matters is ethics. One candidate has them.

  21. Gemma says:

    It appears that he is married, is he not? If he lived in Europe it is not a big deal. Sorry, but in the USA it is a talking point that will be focused on.

  22. anon says:

    Is Chip Flowers married?

  23. Gemma says:

    I don’t believe Mr. Flowers is. People were asking about Barney since his pics were suggesting he was married, but it isn’t exactly stated.

  24. anon3 says:

    If Mr. Flowers used a picture of his girlfriend and her child for campaign literature would we say he was being deceptive?

  25. puck says:

    “What matters is ethics. One candidate has them.”

    The campaign will tell the tale of who is ethical or not.

  26. anon3 says:

    I agree the election is about ethics. Again there is no doubt Barney has amazing character and is the preferred candidate over Flowers. But whoever is doing his ads shouldn’t stretch the truth. It states in his ad that he returned to Delaware. I am fairly sure he never resided in Delaware so how can he return. He just needs to be 100% truthful and try not to fluff.

  27. cassandra_m says:

    You can tell from the latest puffery issued from The Treasury that ethics (and accountability) have left the building long ago.

    And while we are on ethics — we have a one name policy here, anon3, meaning that you need to pick one of your names (anon3, A Better Delaware, Commonsense) and stick with it.

  28. Mint says:

    Is it safe to assume that Tom Gordon is currently the only person in DE more unethical than the Chipster?

  29. mediawatch says:

    Hey, Geezer, let’s hear what you’ve got to say about Mint’s observation. You may be the best equipped among the regulars to give a compelling analysis.

  30. SussexWatcher says:

    Gordon’s eyeing Woodburn in 2016, too. Watch out … it’s getting crowded.

  31. Richard Barney says:

    When Sean was working on Tom Carper’s campaign for the Senate, he resided in Newark, Delaware. He continued to be active in Delaware politics with Carper in D.C. and returned to live in Delaware after his graduation from Harvard, first in Wilmington and now in Smyrna.

  32. Jason330 says:

    Smyrna? Now I have to question his judgement. (just kidding)