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Posted: July 10, 2012
CANDIDATE FILING DEADLINE AND SNOOZE BUTTON
By Celia Cohen
Grapevine Political Writer
Four years ago Delaware had a vice presidential
candidate. Two years ago it had the not-a-witch of the
Tea Party set. A little state can have only so much
excitement in it. This year Delaware might as well hit
the snooze button.
The filing deadline for candidates was today at noon,
and it ended not with a bang but a whimper.
The top races in 2012 have solid Democrats running
for re-election in a solidly Democratic state for
senator, congressman, governor and lieutenant governor
against a Republican lineup with a profile so low, it
could be the envy of the witness protection program.
In the General Assembly, the Democratic majorities in
both the Senate and the House of Representatives look
safe. The Republicans at best could pick up a smattering
of seats, and at worst could fade further into the
minority.
The filing deadline did solve some human riddles.
Brad Bennett, the Democratic representative whose next
term could be served in jail if he is convicted of his
second drunken driving charge, withdrew his candidacy --
sort of. His wife is running, instead. Bob Marshall, a
Democratic senator who blustered about running for mayor
in Wilmington, blinked and filed for re-election.
The ballot is not necessarily set yet. Candidates
have until Friday to withdraw and still get their filing
fees back, and the political parties have until Sept. 4
to fill vacancies on their tickets.
STATEWIDE
| Office |
Leading Democrats |
Leading Republicans |
Rundown |
| Senate |
Tom Carper |
Kevin Wade |
Carper is going full speed ahead for the
record of most wins ever by a Delawarean running
statewide. It would make Wade the unlucky 13th
opponent |
| House |
John Carney |
Tom Kovach |
Carney is a popular
Democrat in a blue state with more than half a
million in the bank against Kovach's bare-bones
campaign |
| Governor |
Jack Markell |
Jeff Cragg |
Four governors in a row have been re-elected
to a second term. If even Ruth Ann Minner can do
it, Markell must be a lock |
| Lt Governor |
Matt Denn |
Sher Valenzuela |
When the voters keep the
governor, they keep the lieutenant governor. No
worries for Denn |
| Insurance Commissioner |
Karen Weldin Stewart
Mitch Crane
Paul Gallagher
Dennis Spivack |
Ben Mobley |
Stewart is a shaky incumbent, but too many
candidates can spoil the opposition. The more
who get in, the better her survival looks |
Incumbents in bold; endorsed candidates in
italics
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Senate now:
14 Democrats, 7 Republicans
House of
Representatives now: 26 Democrats, 15 Republicans
| District |
Leading Democrats |
Leading Republicans |
Rundown |
| Senate 4th Greenville-Brandywine Hundred |
Mike Katz |
Greg Lavelle |
This should be the loudest race in the
legislature as Lavelle, the House minority
leader, tries to oust Katz from what used to be
the Republicans' most certain seat |
| Senate 11th Brookside-Christiana |
Tony DeLuca Bryan Townsend |
Evan Queitsch |
DeLuca's tough-guy tenure as president pro
tem landed him a serious primary in a district
too Democratic for a Republican to win |
| Senate 12th New Castle-Delaware City-below
the canal |
Nicole Poore |
Dori Connor |
The Democrats have left Connor alone for
years because she is a pro-labor Republican, but
they want the seat now as insurance to keep them
in the majority |
| Senate 6th Lewes-Rehoboth-Dewey-Milton |
Bob Frederick Mike Miller
Andy Staton |
Ernie Lopez Glen Urquhart |
The lure of a new Senate seat in Sussex has
led to primaries on both sides. Anything goes |
| Senate 19th Bridgeville-Georgetown-Long
Neck |
Eric Bodenweiser Joe Booth |
Jane Hovington |
Booth only beat Bodie by 120 votes last
time, and that was before Booth let on he was
going to double-dip with a school district job.
This is a battle for a Republican seat |
| Senate 20th Bethany-Fenwick
Island-Millsboro |
|
Gerald Hocker |
With the retirement of George Howard
Bunting, a Democrat, this looks like the
easiest Republican pickup ever |
| House 19th Mill Creek-Stanton-Newport |
Bill Dunn Kim Williams |
Dennis Cini |
Bob Gilligan, the Democratic speaker, is not
retiring after 40 years to watch his district
leave the Democratic side of the aisle |
| House 22nd Hockessin-Pike Creek Valley |
Dave Ellis |
Nick Manolakos Joe Miro |
Redistricting combined Manolakos and Miro in
a seat that should stay Republican, whoever wins |
| House 23rd Newark |
Paul Baumbach Claudia Bock
Jerry Grant |
|
The unexpected retirement of Terry Schooley,
a four-term Democrat, unleashed a free-for-all
within her party |
| House 11th Southern New Castle
County-northern Kent County |
Dave Brown Jr. Lynne Newlin
|
Jeff Spiegelman |
This is a new district with a
Democratic-leaning registration but no political
identity yet |
| House 32nd Dover |
Andria Bennett Bill McGlumphy |
Will McVay
Ellis Parrott |
Surprise! Brad Bennett, the Democratic
representative with two DUI arrests, gets out,
so his wife runs, instead |
| House 20th Lewes-Milton |
Thomas Jones
Marie Mayor
Lynn Rogers |
Steve Smyk |
Rogers, who used to be a Sussex County
councilman, is looking to get back into
politics in this new district, but whatever, Sussex likes to vote
Republican |
| House 38th Ocean View-Fenwick
Island-Selbyville |
Shirley Price |
Ron Gray |
Price has waited 10 years to try for a
comeback
to the House after losing to Gerald Hocker, the
Republican representative going for the Senate,
but this Sussex seat is made for the Republicans |
| House 40th Laurel-Delmar |
Ray Adkins Ben Lowe |
Tim Dukes |
The retirement of Biff Lee, an 11-term Republican, has opened this Sussex seat up,
most likely for another Republican |
Incumbents in bold
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