The Polls Are Closed! Primary Election Results Thread
The real news of the day is that turnout seemed to have been abysmally light all over. Even the NCC DOE took to Facebook to say how light the turnout was and to urge people to vote. But the polls are closed now and candidates should be getting the final numbers of the day. Are you working on a campaign today? What was it like out there?
You can track the official results at the Department of Elections website.
Speculate like mad and post the results you find interesting in the comments.
Listen to WDEL here.
They are saying 5% turnout. LOL.
5%! That is completely pitiful.
I received not one robo call this primary. I received not one mailer. Very odd.
That is odd. I got lots of mail from Bob Marshall and Brenda Mayrack. One piece from Matlusky (I think) and one from Sherry Dorsey-Walker. No robocalls.
They have nothing to talk about so these old guys on WDEL are waxing nostalgic about the 2010 primary. That idiot Loudell is citing the YouGov poll, which is a volunteer internet poll. My God, Allen, how stupid can you be?
That YouGov is as accurate as the poll on the front page of Delaware Liberal. So Allen, please cite our polls in your news broadcasts more often. Or retire.
Hi all, checking in. I voted @ Girls, Inc. around 10am. Had to wait! I let an elderly couple in front of me. Elec. officials said it had been “steady”.
I got tons of mail from Marshall, some from Sherry, couple of robo calls – don’t recall who from!
Guy that works with me and lives in Hockessin got a personally signed note from Matlusky. I didn’t!
After silence all campaign, 3 robocalls from Mayrack today….not the way to positively motivate voters. Again, I’ll support her if she wins the primary, but just a word of advice if she reads this. My wife said flatly, “three calls interrupting my day = no vote for you.” lol
I should say that I live in a district where there were no General Assembly primaries. Yes, we officially had the Auditor primary, but that was it.
From the 19th RD, our inteprid reporter Mike Matthews reports that Kim Williams has won the DelCastle precinct by a wide margin: “Kim wins DelCastle 130-44!”
First results starting to trickle in from downstate:
UNITED STATES SENATOR
4 of 375 Districts Reported
REPUBLICAN PARTY
CARL SMINK 31 1 32 16 . 2 %
KEVIN WADE 162 4 166 83 . 8 %
STATE TREASURER
4 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN BARNEY 9 1 10 66 . 7 %
CHIP FLOWERS JR 1 4 5 33 . 3 %
REPUBLICAN PARTY
KENNETH SIMPLER 102 2 104 50 . 2 %
CHERYL A VALENZUELA 100 3 103 49 . 8 %
AUDITOR OF ACCOUNTS
4 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
KENNETH MATLUSKY 33 2 35 34 . 3 %
BRENDA R MAYRACK 63 4 67 65 . 7 %
First votes coming in — 10 for Barney and 5 for Flowers (!). And Simpler and Valenzeula are even.
It is a good sign for Simpler if that is from a fairly conservative district….and why are there votes for Flowers? Unless these were absentee ballots…
Is this the end of Jeff Christopher?
10th RD, 1 district of 8 reporting.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN MATTHEWS 57 4 61 56 . 5 %
DENNIS E WILLIAMS 44 3 47 43 . 5 %
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 19
2 of 10 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
WILLIAM H DUNN 39 0 39 36 . 8 %
KIMBERLY WILLIAMS 63 4 67 63 . 2 %
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 22
1 of 9 Districts Reported
REPUBLICAN PARTY
JOSEPH E MIRO 79 3 82 46 . 1 %
MICHAEL SMITH 94 2 96 53 . 9 %
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 31
1 of 11 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN M LYNN 115 1 116 53 . 7 %
RALPH LEROY TAYLOR JR 91 9 100 46 . 3 %
SUSSEX COUNTY SHERIFF
8 of 73 Districts Reported
REPUBLICAN PARTY
JEFFREY S CHRISTOPHER 398 24 422 45 . 0 %
ROBERT T LEE 475 40 515 55 . 0 %
Sheriff’s race basically dead even at 8:30, 782-773, Lee.
UNITED STATES SENATOR
61 of 375 Districts Reported
REPUBLICAN PARTY
CARL SMINK 1010 33 1043 25 . 6 %
KEVIN WADE 2855 169 3024 74 . 4 %
SATE TREASURER
61 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN BARNEY 138 137 275 68 . 9 %
CHIP FLOWERS JR 33 91 124 31 . 1 %
REPUBLICAN PARTY
KENNETH SIMPLER 2124 116 2240 53 . 1 %
CHERYL A VALENZUELA 1886 92 1978 46 . 9 %
AUDITOR OF ACCOUNTS
61 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
KENNETH MATLUSKY 1510 85 1595 45 . 8 %
BRENDA R MAYRACK 1715 169 1884 54 . 2 %
Really, um, Matlusky… if he wins…
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 3
3 of 22 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SHERRY DORSEY WALKER 142 8 150 48 . 7 %
ROBERT I MARSHALL 151 7 158 51 . 3 %
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 18
1 of 8 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
MICHAEL BARBIERI 46 3 49 64 . 5 %
CHRISTOPHER A PIECUCH 27 0 27 35 . 5 %
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 19
4 of 10 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
WILLIAM H DUNN 99 3 102 32 . 3 %
KIMBERLY WILLIAMS 206 8 214 67 . 7 %
Simpler looks like he’s expanding his lead modestly. About a 300 vote margin on Cheryl.
Hahaha. Never.
Christopher up by 34 votes at 8:37.
Mike Matthews says Kim Williams wins:
I know it’s early, but Matthews has a 120 vote lead on Dennis E. Williams, 2 of 8 districts reporting.
Marshall and Walker in a dead heat.
Blakey is trailing slightly in Kent County.
In the Republican race for Representative District 34, Yearick has 52 percent with about 45 percent of districts in. #DEprimary #netDE
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 10
2 of 8 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN MATTHEWS 246 11 257 65 . 6 %
DENNIS E WILLIAMS 132 3 135 34 . 4 %
I think DE Williams and Blakey are both going down.
Nothing yet on the 15th RD and the 11th SD
Still nothing in the 11th SD.
Mayrack leads in all 3 counties.
And John Brady must be new to Delaware politics if he thinks we will ever be rid of Protack.
Update on the Statewides, nearing 40% in:
UNITED STATES SENATOR
144 of 375 Districts Reported
REPUBLICAN PARTY
CARL SMINK 2484 98 2582 24 . 6 %
KEVIN WADE 7564 370 7934 75 . 4 %
STATE TREASURER
144 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN BARNEY 365 324 689 70 . 0 %
CHIP FLOWERS JR 104 191 295 30 . 0 %
REPUBLICAN PARTY
KENNETH SIMPLER 5536 276 5812 53 . 2 %
CHERYL A VALENZUELA 4914 206 5120 46 . 8 %
AUDITOR OF ACCOUNTS
144 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
KENNETH MATLUSKY 3736 194 3930 45 . 6 %
BRENDA R MAYRACK 4305 382 4687 54 . 4 %
Wade is the GOP nominee. Barney is the Dem nominee. Simpler is pulling away. Mayrack has a steady lead over the mysteriously strong Matlusky. Seriously, is it just the last minute billboards?
actually, I misread the raw data on the Auditors race. I have no idea on the county breakdown.
Speaking of breakdown… what is up with the crappy performance of the elections website?
Finally something on the 11th SD and it is good news.
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 11
1 of 13 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DAVID L TACKETT 14 1 15 17 . 2 %
BRYAN TOWNSEND 67 5 72 82 . 8 %
I want Tackett destroyed. I want him out of elective office. His bigoted ass must be defeated for reelection next time his council seat is up.
Geek, actually, it is performing better this year than it has in the past.
2 ED’s in. Townsend’s kicking Tackett’s butt: 217-52. BTW, didja know that Bill & Sally Oberle switched their registration to D to vote for Tackett?
Christopher breaks 50%
And as I say that, it crashes.
AP calls #Delaware Republican US Senate primary for Kevin Wade. #NetDE #ElectionDE
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 3
11 of 22 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SHERRY DORSEY WALKER 460 17 477 47 . 6 %
ROBERT I MARSHALL 502 23 525 52 . 4 %
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 11
2 of 13 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DAVID L TACKETT 51 1 52 19 . 3 %
BRYAN TOWNSEND 206 11 217 80 . 7 %
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 18
13 of 18 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PATRICK J EMORY 551 27 578 65 . 2 %
GARY M WOLFE 286 23 309 34 . 8 %
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 10
5 of 8 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN MATTHEWS 515 18 533 57 . 1 %
DENNIS E WILLIAMS 393 8 401 42 . 9 %
Looks like Vance Phillips is going down…
Looks like Sean Matthews is going to win in the 10th RD. Patrick Emory looks to be the winner in the 18th SD. Townsend is still kicking ass with another district in. Marshall is hanging on for dear life in the 3rd SD
Mike Barbieri is crushing here:
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 18
3 of 8 Districts Reported
MICHAEL BARBIERI 266 17 283 80 . 2 %
CHRISTOPHER A PIECUCH 68 2 70 19 . 8 %
Still nothing on Longhurst-Burton. I say shenanigans.
Kim Williams thanking supporters.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 34
6 of 11 Districts Reported
REPUBLICAN PARTY
DONALD A BLAKEY 268 12 280 48 . 0 %
LYNDON DEAN YEARICK 286 17 303 52 . 0 %
Democratic Voter Turnout = 5 % ;
Republican Voter Turnout = 10 % ;
Halfway through the 11th SD, Townsend still at 77%.
…in fact, stick a fork in Phillips. He’s down by 200 votes with only one ED remaining. Wheatley (D) vs. Arlett in November.
Looking really good for Matthews, too.
Also, it’s fork time for Protack
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 3
17 of 22 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SHERRY DORSEY WALKER 783 32 815 49 . 4 %
ROBERT I MARSHALL 801 33 834 50 . 6 %
This one may go to a recount. The difference is 19 votes.
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 11
6 of 13 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DAVID L TACKETT 147 1 148 22 . 3 %
BRYAN TOWNSEND 495 22 517 77 . 7 %
I think Townsend has won. Half of the districts reporting.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 10
6 of 8 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN MATTHEWS 550 19 569 56 . 2 %
DENNIS E WILLIAMS 434 10 444 43 . 8 %
One more district in, and Matthews still leads. Goodbye Dennis.
Vance is down.
Alright, something is fishy here.
Current vote count…
AUDITOR OF ACCOUNTS
258 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
KENNETH MATLUSKY 7059 328 7387 45 . 6 %
BRENDA R MAYRACK 8109 720 8829 54 . 4 %
Vote count 100+ districts ago…
AUDITOR OF ACCOUNTS
144 of 372 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
KENNETH MATLUSKY 3736 194 3930 45 . 6 %
BRENDA R MAYRACK 4305 382 4687 54 . 4 %
Amazing that the percentages have remained the same.
Vance is out. Those votes are all in.
I want to meet the 7,387 Matlusky voters. I have questions.
Oh, no! Looks like the Sheriff of Nuttingham is going down. Only one more ED left, and he’s losing by about 160 votes. With Protack imploding again, WHO will carry the torch for us?
21 votes for Lee over Jeffy. Recount time.
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 3
18 of 22 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SHERRY DORSEY WALKER 788 32 820 49 . 4 %
ROBERT I MARSHALL 806 33 839 50 . 6 %
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 11
7 of 13 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DAVID L TACKETT 162 4 166 22 . 4 %
BRYAN TOWNSEND 552 23 575 77 . 6 %
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 18
15 of 18 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PATRICK J EMORY 622 32 654 65 . 4 %
GARY M WOLFE 321 25 346 34 . 6 %
Finally something from the 15th RD:
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 15
2 of 5 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
JAMES BURTON 149 3 152 33 . 3 %
VALERIE LONGHURST 297 7 304 66 . 7 %
DD, I think Brenda has to answer some questions as well.
I’ll start with one. How about putting the bleeping donkey on her signs?
another ED in for Townsend and he is expanding his lead…
In other races, it looks like Republican Don Blakey has been defeated. Joe Miro will survive his primary, as will incumbent Mike Barbieri. Sean Lynn looks to have won, as has Jack Peterman.
Democratic Voter Turnout = 7 % ;
Republican Voter Turnout = 13 % ;
Is the donkey on Matlusky’s signs? I don’t recall seeing it.
All the votes are counted for Protack. He got 35%.
Got a story on the Burton-Longhurst race. Was working an ED for Bryan Townsend. At the same polling place, there were three other ED’s in the 15th, which is Longhurst’s RD.
Very active Longhurst activity, including (I think) Speaker Pete out front greeting voters and working the phones. The Burton campaign? Two people, sitting in chairs, not engaging the voters at all.
SITTING IN CHAIRS. Uh, not the best presentation, to say the least. I think they were PAID to sit in the bleeping chairs.
Christopher is out by 0.2%
Robert Lee Wins by 21 votes. Sheriff Christopher is defeated. #Primary #NetDE it’s within the 1/2% automatic recount. “We may ask for a recount” Jeff Christopher. #Primary #NetDE
The margin in the Townsend race is astounding. Tackett might have viewed this as a free shot. He just might have to rethink that.
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 3
21 of 22 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SHERRY DORSEY WALKER 872 36 908 49 . 0 %
ROBERT I MARSHALL 907 38 945 51 . 0 %
Marshall looks to barely survive.
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 11
10 of 13 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DAVID L TACKETT 275 8 283 23 . 1 %
BRYAN TOWNSEND 897 44 941 76 . 9 %
Townsend wins.
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 18
15 of 18 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PATRICK J EMORY 622 32 654 65 . 4 %
GARY M WOLFE 321 25 346 34 . 6 %
Emory wins.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 10
6 of 8 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN MATTHEWS 550 19 569 56 . 2 %
DENNIS E WILLIAMS 434 10 444 43 . 8 %
Still waiting on 2 districts.
4 of 5 districts are reporting for the Democratic District 15 primary contest. Longhurst 483, Burton 278. #DEPrimary #NetDE
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 10
7 of 8 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SEAN MATTHEWS 614 20 634 56 . 1 %
DENNIS E WILLIAMS 485 11 496 43 . 9 %
Matthews maintains his lead with only 1 precinct left. I predict he wins.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 15
5 of 5 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
JAMES BURTON 339 8 347 35 . 7 %
VALERIE LONGHURST 605 21 626 64 . 3 %
Valerie wins going away. I was led to believe by some that the momentum was with Burton. Oh well.
Cher Valenzuela tells WDEL she has conceded in the GOP Treasurer’s race. #WDELelect #netde #voteDE
Mayrack is now up by 10%.
#SussexDE Election Director Ken McDowell on a possible Sheriff’s recount: “I’ll bet on my equipment”. #NetDE #Delaware
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 3
22 of 22 Districts Reported
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SHERRY DORSEY WALKER 872 36 908 49 . 0 %
ROBERT I MARSHALL 907 38 945 51 . 0 %
Marshall wins.
22 out of 22 reporting:
SHERRY DORSEY WALKER 872 36 908 49 . 0 %
ROBERT I MARSHALL 907 38 945 51 . 0 %
Just barely.
This is interesting. Mayrack is claiming victory. She is up by 10% and will probably win, but did Matlusky concede?
I can totally see Matlusky right about now saying, “Hmmm… How would I even call her? Bring me that phone book. I wonder if she’s listed…”
Townsend wins with an astounding 78%! Wow, that’s a drubbing.
“I’ll bet on my equipment.”
I. Like. That.
Also, Sean Matthews wins 55-45.
So after all the shouting, the incumbent carnage is limited to:
Dennis E. Williams.
Donald Blakey.
Jeff Christopher.
Vance Phillips.
Early takes:
Simpler will be formidable this fall.
Mayrack needs to kick it up a notch.
Townsend’s name will now be on the tongues of party people for bigger things.
Matthews’ win over Williams could impact the D House leadership race (especially since Longhurst sent out a last-minute piece on behalf of Williams).
The 34th District is now officially in play for the D’s with Don Blakey’s defeat.
Valenzuela shouldn’t have run.
DD: That’s pretty impactful carnage, IMHO. Especially since Chip Flowers also disappeared from the political scene this cycle.
Who had a more unfortunate candidacy?
Protack
Tackett
Valenzuela
Looks like all the noteworthy GOP crazies lost, and the Republican turnout hardly portends a wave in November.
Interesting note on the sheriff’s race: Lee’s victory margin in votes cast today was 2. He won by 19 among absentee ballots, 249-230. Those are not counted by equipment, are they? I assume their legitimacy could be challenged.
Flowers / Barney was stickered over on my machine. Chip must have had a pretty good absentee GOTV in place.
LG: Tackett, by a mile. Until a few weeks ago I had no idea he was a Christianist.
Also Flowers dropping killed Dem turnout. In RDs like mine why would anyone turnout simply to vote in an auditor primary that seemed like a foregone conclusion.
I am intrigued by El Som’s sudden hostility toward Mayrack. Did I miss it before during all the shouting about Barney-Flowers?
If anyone needs to kick it up a notch, it has to be Barney. Simpler will be formidable. Meanwhile, I think Mayrack will handle Wagner easily.
Indeed, Tackett has ended his political career as a Democrat. If he wants to win another election, he must join the Republican Party, where his bigoted views are welcome.
Geezer – I agree. For a guy that has won a lot of elections and had at least the lip service (and some $$$) from the unions, he really got his ass handed to him. I wonder if someone doesn’t smell blood in the water after that and takes a run at him in 2 years.
I need a new name.
I don’t read El Soms take as hostile to Mayrack. Just matter of fact. …. Nevermind
“I think Mayrack will handle Wagner easily.”
The champagne is going to your head.
Nuttingham: Not yet you don’t. It ain’t over ’til the sovereign sheriff sings.
What would he sing? Merle Haggard?
Not hostile towards Brenda at all. I want her to win. Just want her to maybe tweak her approach.
I asked her about why no donkeys. After all, she was in a D primary.
And I AM concerned that her campaign went with more of an endorsement strategy and less of a grassroots strategy than I’d like. Robocalls from Carney and Gordon probably didn’t inspire anybody to go to the polls. The results weren’t disastrous, just underwhelming, IMHO.
It’s the fucking auditor’s job. How goddamn grassroots can it possibly be?
100% agree with ElSom on this one. It’s been conservative and packaged, and a disappointment to me, personally. It’s one thing to defeat Ken, from whom I heard for the first time this week. It’s another to run in the general like you just trucked in the campaign from Pittsburgh. If she dumps literature in my district, they’ll refuse to vote for her on general principles…and they’ll probably be right.
One more thing about Bryan Townsend. His campaigns attract young enthusiastic volunteers and young grassroots organizers in key campaign roles.
I only spent today with the campaign this time as opposed to lots more interaction last time, and I don’t know where he gets his people, but their enthusiasm and professionalism are contagious.
SW: Campaigns these days are grassroots. She has a great story to tell, but, like Brooke said, I was surprised a bit by the ‘packaged’ nature of the primary campaign.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of whatever friends I have left, there was too much of a Hillary Clinton ‘inevitability’ factor present here. This is not a coronation.
She can do better for the general. She really should be our next auditor, she’s that good, Wagner’s that bad. I don’t mind pissing people off if maybe people at least examine whether what I suggest has merit. And I’m perfectly willing to accept it if it’s determined that my suggestions don’t have merit. Just trying to help, seriously.
Nuttingham wrote:
“What would he sing? Merle Haggard?”
Forget ‘Okie from Muskogee’. Haggard’s one of America’s greatest songwriters, and has tremendous empathy for the common man. Here’s one of my faves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGDo1Jybs_I
and here’s my personal fave:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pgg9p3BcRM
There are plenty of people in this state that are quite content to have an auditor that does not do the job. Think about it.
It will be very telling if politicians and the party apparatus actually show up to help the auditor candidate, or will they drag their feet like last time and do things like demand money to be part of the “team D message”
Sussex Anon wrote:
“There are plenty of people in this state that are quite content to have an auditor that does not do the job.”
You could not be more correct. In fact, many want an auditor who WON’T do their job. Hence, 25 years of not having had a true state auditor. That’s why I support Brenda Mayrack. Just pointing out that it won’t be easy. As you did.
You’re walkin on the fightin side of me, ElSom
Well, yeah, there was that one too…but he’s pretty much disowned them. Not sayin’ there ain’t some jingoism in Merle, just sayin’ that there’s a lot more too…
El Som – I am curious on your take on the 10th and Sean Matthews. Williams for all his personality quirks was the one flipped the seat to the D column and has been a fairly reliable progressive vote. I saw the shots at him for the educational bills but he certainly was not alone on those votes. Does this victory put the seat more at risk for the Dems?
Townsend has the best campaign organization I’ve seen. He’s out all the time. I even had a door knock Saturday to remind me to vote. I wonder if that could be translated to a statewide campaign. I also wonder if they are tapping him on the shoulder for lt gov.
jenr: I think the seat might have been more at risk had Williams won. Judy Travis is pretty far to the right and doesn’t appear to have enough mainstream support to be a threat.
I think the more politically-salient question coming out of the primary is whether Matthews, if elected, will have an impact on House leadership races. Williams pretty much put Schwartzkopf and Longhurst over the top. In so doing, Bryon Short got screwed. Don’t think there were a lot of tears shed outside the 10th in Brandywine Hundred last night.
You’re right that Dennis flipped the seat, his record was generally progressive, and he deserves credit for that. More than the education bills, however, I think his personality reached its sell-by date with voters. You just can’t tell people you’re trying to convince to vote for you that they’re wrong. Not only won’t they vote for you, they’ll be motivated to tell their friends and neighbors what you did. Just thank them for their time and move on, a lesson Dennis never learned.
Thank you El Som
I have waited to see your response and truly appreciate your insights on the impact and Williams. I have to say there is something that concerns me about Matthews. He is very evasive on issues such as a women’s right to choose. His response set off all kind of red flags. No one seems to knows where he stands on issues
and he couches his responses. I am very curious how progressive he really is. I guess we will see. I look forward to your analysis of the upcoming elections in Nov.
Thank you again Jen
You’re right, we’ll find out. One progressive issue that would likely benefit from a leadership change in the House would be death penalty repeal. Schwartzkopf and Longhurst, who Dennis put over the top, made sure the bill, which passed the Senate, was buried in an unfriendly committee. And Matthews would likely be motivated to vote for leaders who he could count on. Pretty sure that both Keeley and Short, who came up on the short end of the leadership stick, would be more open to passage.
BTW, everybody, I’ll be on the Al Mascitti Show today at 10 to discuss this race and all the key races. 1150 on your AM dial or right here:
http://www.delmarvabroadcasting.com/player/?st=WDEL
Funny the death penalty is an issue for me. WiIliams response was clear but Matthews seemed ok but cautious. I don’t know the leadership but I’m not a fan of Bryon Short. He’s talks a good game but when it gets down to it he is way too corporate business friendly in the Carper mold for me (ex…min wage which has long been an issue for me). Thanks again. Have to get my kids on their way. Jen
Gotcha. But Schwartzkopf (former state trooper) and Longhurst are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Delaware State Troopers Association. Meaning, no death penalty repeal.
Which, BTW, is why the troopers went to the wall to defeat Bryan Townsend. Didn’t work out too well for them, or for Dave Tackett.
And I AM concerned that her campaign went with more of an endorsement strategy and less of a grassroots strategy than I’d like.
Brenda and her team were pretty much everyplace over the past few months — I even got a call from Brenda looking to speak to my neighborhood association. I wasn’t the only one, either. The endorsements were part of overall momentum, but I think it is a mistake to underestimate the grassroots energy here.
Death penalty repeal “was buried in an unfriendly committee?” Sorry El Som, I have to seriously beg to differ on that. Talk to the chief clerk and he’ll tell you that Title 11 bills go to the Judiciary Committee, so it went to the appropriate committee. You can argue about the votes of individual members of the committee or the chair herself, but you can’t say it was stuck in the wrong committee. That’s such a throwaway comment, and yet such a misleading one.
Which raises a secondary question: Looking at the makeup of the other committees, which would have been a more favorable, yet appropriate, committee? Corrections? Public Safety? House Administration? Maybe Sunset or Education would have the membership to release the bill, but then others (cops, opponents) would be raising cain about where it was sent.
SB 19 was sent to the right committee. Supporters didn’t get the result they wanted, and they hopefully will try again. They did lose a co-sponsor on the bill in Dennis Williams though.
Sorry, Straight Scoop. Bills go where the Speaker says they go. That’s why minimum wage went to economic development instead of labor. And languished there for over a year.
And, if Pete does/doesn’t want a bill on the floor, he puts ’em in the House Administration Committee.
Meaning, if leadership wants a bill on the floor, they’ll find a way. Same if they want to bury a bill. Meaning, if you want death penalty repeal, you want leadership who will move death penalty repeal to the floor.
Now you’re just doubling down on your “bury in an unfriendly committee” meme. I appreciate your input and insight into most things, but this is one instance where I just can’t let a seemingly nonchalant comment go unchallenged. It’s one of those things that gets repeated over and over and then becomes “fact” for some.
Let me boil it down to this:
El Som: Pete buried death penalty repeal in an unfriendly committee.
Straight Scoop: Which friendlier committee would you have placed the bill in?
You made a statement that SB 19 was sent to Judiciary to die. Tell us where it *should* have gone. Otherwise, it’s a baseless comment with nothing to back it up.
He never said it was the “wrong” committee, just that it was an unfriendly one. His example shows that plenty of bills go to the “wrong” committee BECAUSE it’s an unfriendly one; in this case, if they wanted the bill to move forward, Pete could have put it in a “wrong” but friendly committee.
So the problem here is your interpretation of the word “unfriendly.” It’s different from “wrong.”
Sorry I’m back and wanted to jump back in once more. My issue is that I knew where Williams clearly stood on the death penalty, minimum wage, gun control, same sex marriage, women’s rights etc. Along comes this young guy who is a teacher and who looks good but no one knows where he stands on important issues. El Som to your credit you differentiate personality vs an incumbents record. What I can’t understand is why other liberals and progressives fall in love with people who have never been thoroughly vetted on progressive issues. Sean Matthews is a perfect example.
Jenr:
DL has hated Williams for years, even though he was a reliably liberal representative for years and flipped the seat from R to D. A few years back, they were even trying to spread rumors that he was mentally ill (seriously). Meanwhile, they endorse an unknown, inexperienced, and washy-washy candidate in Mathews who can’t make up his mind or speak it on even simple issues like the death penalty.
El Som,
Three questions:
1. In detail, what would a “grassroots” campaign for auditor look like, and how would it differ from what Mayrack did?
2. Generally, how do you recommend that a candidate run a more grassroots campaign for an office that few voters know exists, let alone what it does?
3. What research or polling can you point to in support of your argument that putting a donkey logo on signs boosts votes?
DL has not hated Williams. Williams has gone out of his way to do boneheaded things that persistently lived up to his reputation as someone who voted the way his contributors wanted. Williams told one of us to her face that he had no idea why he cast a vote on charters that he did. Stunning, but it should not be stunning that anyone here would be less than impressed with that.
And the mentally ill rumors is revisionist history. There was one individual who was reporting that and that individual got plenty of pushback on that too. Right here.
Matthews may not be perfect (and jenr makes a very good point about making sure that a candidate is evaluated for a broader range of progressive values — I had the same question about someone two of the local “progressive” groups endorsed) but Williams persistently cast votes that were insensible and on one occasion was sorta proud that he had no idea what he was voting for.
There WAS a DL contributor who suggested something about Dennis’ alleged mental health. I think several of us called that person out for that. In fact, I’m pretty sure we’ve endorsed him in the past.
In terms of grassroots campaigns, I generally mean building from the ground up, with organizers and volunteers building lists of supporters and persuadable voters, creating a buzz via presence at loads of events, then persuading as many undecideds as possible to vote for you, then making sure, via GOTV efforts, to make sure they vote.
The relative narrow margin of victory and robocalls from people like Carney and Gordon concern me that she perhaps adopted too much of a top-down strategy for the primary. With some renewed energy among what used to be mainstream R’s, I want to see her build support among those who should naturally gravitate towards her. Hell, I’ll go to a phone bank and make calls.
I just want her to win, and what I saw during the campaign (granted, anecdotal, not empirical) concerns me a bit.
As to the donkey, since, as you point out, few people know the office OR the candidate, why make it a trifecta in a primary by not putting the donkey on the logo?
Same holds true for the general. What is the principal advantage ANY D statewide candidate has? A 125,000 registration edge. Why hide the fact that you’re a D? I think if you talk to pretty much anyone in the Party, they’ll agree that the donkey should be on the sign. Not sure why Brenda didn’t.
Williams didn’t fail in this race because he was progressive, or because DL hated him. He failed because he had no notion what his job was, and because he couldn’t keep his word to anyone without a checkbook out. He was the first guy you could count on to sponsor a bill that was ideological according to some progressive website, but which had no real relationship to issues facing the state, but he didn’t give a listen to anyone in his district, or even know who they were. He won his seat with the power of labor and a local committee not in his district, but didn’t remember either of them for five minutes after the election. I wouldn’t say he flipped the seat. He just sat down in it after other people flipped it. You could know anything you needed to know about what bill he’d sponsor looking at his money (if you could get a good look at it) and what was trending on facebook. I think the district was willing to take a chance that Matthews wouldn’t be such a cocky SOB.
And as for Brenda… “more grassroots” might include appearing in a public space, rather than a rented hall, for starters, at least in my area.
@Geezer and @El Som,
OK, then let’s stick with the word “unfriendly.” What “friendlier” committee would you have placed death penalty repeal in?
And if your answer is something along the lines of Sunset or Education, then wouldn’t you be just as guilty of using the committee assignment process to your own personal advantage as you allege that Schwartzkopf is? The ends justify the means, as long as I get my way? (And btw, I’m fine if that’s your answer — heaven knows I might do the same on certain bills — just own it.)
My point to this whole exercise is that people make comments like that and they go unchallenged, to become accepted as fact. If no one here can say they have a more favorable committee to place death penalty repeal, then it’s just a baseless comment. That’s the only point I’m trying to make.
Looking forward to any analysis about general election races now that we’re past the primaries.
.
And my point, SS, which I made on the air but was unable to make on the blog, is that leadership doesn’t just place bills in certain committees, they, meaning the Speaker, appoint the members of the committees.
If you are open to an up-or-down floor vote on a bill, then you can appoint members who would be willing to vote to release the bill from committee (BTW, there are currently two former cops on the House Judiciary Committee). Hey, it’s also a factor in finding a way to get to the magic number to be elected Speaker.
That’s why who is in leadership is important. For example, there are five members on the House Administration Committee, the five House leaders. If the three D’s at least support a floor vote on the issue, it gets onto the floor. And that committee often considers the MOST political of bills.
Ironically from what I witnessed yesterday and what I heard/read it was the work of another local committee outside of the 10th which helped unseat Williams this time. Likely it was linked to the leadership battle which El Som had noted. Politics is a nasty business.
Can someone explain the PETER C SCHWARTZKOPF 4 votes? I know that Delawareans find their police sacrosanct but only four votes?
That’s b/c there was supposed to be a primary in Pete’s district until the challenger dropped out. Guessing that those were 4 absentee ballots that were submitted prior to the withdrawal.
El Som..Okie started out as a farce. Someone on the bus said “I bet they don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee” and they wrote a song. When the crowd loved it they took it to the bank.
Late to the thread. Worked the polls yesterday, where we had an abysmal 8% turnout of eligible voters. That translated to 101 votes cast the entire day, and 8 poll workers paid to see these civic duties managed. All but 1 at our site was eligible to vote. Just think, if the other 7 of us didn’t vote we would be down nearly another %!
Whch brings me to another point….I know sites, and number of polls are legislated. Really though? 3 polling places in less than 2 blocks, and it’s not a city? Pretty convenient when someone was at the wrong polling place, they could leave their car, and just cross or walk down the street to the correct one. Personally, I wouldn’t mind if we tightened this up a bit, to some fiscal prudence given historical data on turn-outs. Especially in EDs where no local is being primaried etc..You know, it would save us money for all those “specials” we’ve seen in the past 🙂 !
And lastly….candidates….save your $ from robo-calls. You’re taking up too much room on my answering machine, and I regard you with the same disdain as “this is the last time, we can warn you about upcoming changes to your credit card account…..” At least the guys warning me of the problem with my computer, and get on there now……have enough sense to only talk to me live, and not leave a message!!
Jeff the Barney Fife of Sussex county is a big CRY BABY just like that Tea bagger from Mississippi