Exceptional Delaware Endorses Trey Paradee For Delaware Senate District 17

I’ve known Trey for years.  He helped my family out with some education issues before I began blogging in 2014.  I have continued to go to him about issues that affected the 29th district.  While most of those have been education issues, I see how he has drafted legislation that will help all Delawareans.  I was definitely impressed with the cemetery bill he wrote.  This helped clean up some of the cemeteries in the Dover area that were offending loved ones of the deceased.  I don’t agree with every single vote he casts, but for the most part I feel he has done a good job when he held the District 29 State Representative seat.  He doesn’t play dirty campaign tricks and he is always personable when I see him.

His opponent, Justin King, has been littering my mailbox with very twisted and slanted campaign attacks against Paradee.  I got three of them today.  They take up too much room in my trashcan.  I don’t always vote with the party but more the person.  King’s unjustified attacks against Paradee turned me off in a big way.  Trey was going to get my vote anyway, but King decided to use his campaign funds to attack his opponent more than say what he will do.  King doesn’t have what it takes in the General Assembly.  He claims he will do what he wants when he wants.  I’ve met folks like that.  They either don’t get elected or don’t get anything done cause they can’t work with anyone.  I don’t mind rogue legislators but this guy seems too angry for my tastes.

King claims Paradee (singlehandedly) raised taxes on everyone.  He forgets how many of his fellow Republicans passed those budgets as well.  He forgets that hard choices were made by everyone in the 2017 budget crisis.  He forgets how his fellow Republicans in the House staged a walkout in late June that made themselves look weak.  For someone who claims Paradee didn’t show up for Delaware taxpayers, where was King when he failed to show up at forums?

I’ve endorsed Trey in every race since 2014.  The Senate will be a better place with him there.

Final Thoughts On The Delaware Primary

Voter turnout was up.  That is a good thing.  I would love to see a massive increase in voter levels for both sides.  Let the people speak!  Some elections turned out pretty close to how I thought they would.  Some were disappointments.  At this point, it is what it is and all eyes are on the General Election.

The biggest upset turned out to be Scott Walker.  Who would have ever thought the wooden-sign guy would actually win a Primary?  Much less, one on the Republican side?  Don’t worry, he will get trounced in the General by Lisa Blunt Rochester.  No doubt in my mind about that.

Predictions and who I want to win are two different things at times.  I will be endorsing for the General Election but I’m still recovering from the Primary.  There will be plenty of time for that.  Some may surprise you!  I do want ALL the candidates to send me their Candidate Message.  Some of the ones I received before the Primary are still good since those candidates won their Primary race.

Like I said the night before the Primary for candidates who lost- don’t give up!  There will always be winners and losers.  Let it be a learning curve for you.

We have some new Senators in our midst here in Delaware.  Congrats to Senators Lockman and Brown.  As well, congrats to new State Reps. Dorsey-Walker, Johnson, and Vanderwende.  I will anxiously await to see all of you in action next January.

The General Election is going to be pivotal to the future of Delaware.  The political picture is going to change no matter what.  It will be up to voters to decide what shape that picture takes.

 

 

Final Delaware General Election Candidates

The Delaware Primary reduced the number of candidates.  We now have a clear understanding of who will face who in the General Election.  Some seats in the General Assembly have been determined by the results of yesterday’s primary.  The election is November 6th.  Start your engines!

The Davies-McGuiness-Spadola Gambit

With four days until the Delaware 2018 Primary, the State Auditor’s race is gaining a TON of attraction this year.  While some may suggest McGuiness has this locked up, I beg to differ.  There are two scenarios that will play out.  Whoever wins the Primary will determine who wins the General Election in November.

Candidate Message: Ken Woods, New Castle County Councilman, 1st District, Democrat

Next up in the Candidate Message series is Ken Woods, running for New Castle County Councilman.  Woods is the incumbent in this race against Democrat Jordyn Pusey for the Primary, next Thursday, September 6th.  Whoever wins this takes the seat!

Breaking News: Dave Wilson Gets A Dem Challenger For Senate District 18!

Jim Purcell, a Democrat from Milford, filed today to run against current State Representative David Wilson for the 18th Senate District seat.

Purcell is best known for leading Communities In Schools from 2005-2017 as their President and Chief Executive Officer.  Currently, Purcell is the Director of Business Development at Dover Behavioral Health.

Wilson shocked the Republican establishment in Delaware when he announced he would not run for State Representative but would instead run for Senator Gary Simpson’s seat.  Simpson wanted to announce his retirement on his own terms but Wilson jumped the gun with his announcement.

For Wilson’s 35th Rep. District seat, Republicans Jesse Vanderwende and Robert “Bobby” Mitchell are facing off next Thursday in the Delaware Primary.

Many political watchers in Delaware were baffled when no one challenged Wilson for a Senate seat.  Two weeks ago, the Delaware Democrats put a challenger up against State Senator Colin Bonini.  It looks like Wilson won’t get such an easy ride to the Delaware Senate now!

Vote In The Delaware Primary Polls: State Reps & State Senators

Nature abhors a vacuüm!  Is Primary Day really less than three weeks away?  This has been a long election season!  We have tons of primaries in Delaware this year and the State Senate and State Representative ones have been very interesting.  There are two districts where both Democrats and Republicans will battle against their own in a primary.  Many of these contests are because many legislators resigned.  These polls are more difficult than statewide races because different folks will vote.  There is no way to limit it to a district.  But I look forward to see how folks vote!

Vote In The Delaware Primary Polls!

 

The “Automatic” Winners In The Delaware Election & Current Balance of Power In The Delaware House & Senate

After the filing deadline today and the final list of Delaware candidates for Delaware Election 2018, there are some things we can say for certainty.  Some candidates are running unopposed.  Sure, there is a chance opposing parties could nominate someone for an unfilled seat for their party, but that doesn’t happen very often.  So for now, I am tentatively going to call the following candidates “winners” and look at what it means for party leadership in the Delaware House and Senate.

** UPDATED ** 7/10/2018, 11:38am ** Delaware Election 2018: Who Filed For State Rep, State Senator, AG, State Auditor, State Treasurer, U.S. Senator & U.S. Representative

This is a list of the FINAL candidates for both the Delaware Primary and the Delawware General Election.  I will be coming out with endorsements in the next few weeks.

Election Day 2018 is four months away.  The Primary is in two months.  Candidates have until this Friday, the 13th, to withdraw and get their filing fee back.

For each elected position, if it is in red it is currently Republican, and blue for Democrat.  If there is more than one person in the same color for each position, that means there will be a primary for that party on Thursday, September 6th.  Winner goes onto the General Election.  If they are unopposed, they won and can sit back while the rest have two more months of campaigning!.  If it is crossed out, that means a candidate dropped out of the race.  Every single seat or position has someone running for it at this point.

Dates to know:

7/10/18: Last date to file for major parties

9/6/18: Delaware Primary

11/6/18: Delaware General Election

Last updated: 7/10/2018, 11:38am

18 Who Will Make An Impact In 2018: Laura Sturgeon

The 4th Senate District race is on!  A few days ago, Democrat Dan Cruce dropped out of the race clearing the way for Laura Sturgeon to take on Republican Greg Lavelle.  Taking on the guy who has been in office since 2001 won’t be an easy task, but if anyone can do it, it’s Sturgeon!  A teacher, wife, and also a member of the Delaware State Education Association Executive Board, Sturgeon comes with a packed resume.

For Lavelle, who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2001-2013 and the Senate since then, can he muster the support to continue his Senate seat?  Delaware Liberal reported yesterday that there are now more registered Republicans than Democrats in the district.  Lavelle is a huge supporter of Right To Work laws whereas Sturgeon is not.  In education, Lavelle is known more for flip-flopping on the Smarter Balanced vote than anything else.  This is a guy, when presented with the opt out bill for a second time, actually said “I wish I could opt out of voting on this bill”.

The Delaware General Election is still far away but several new contenders are putting their names forward.  I expect this particular race to get heated very soon!  If I were a betting man, Lavelle will attempt to gain votes by discussing the recent DSEA endorsement of Regulation 225.  Sturgeon, a teacher in Brandywine, will gain votes from those opposed to Right To Work laws.  This will be a very interesting race to watch!

After the Primary: Delaware Candidates for General Election on November 8th

Delaware Primary season is over!  Now that the playing field has been seriously trimmed, this is the final list of Delaware candidates for the General Election on November 8th.  Some candidates who I previously called winners after the deadline in July now face an opponent from party-nominated candidates who were put on the ballot by September 1st or members of the Green party who are in the game now.  I will be coming out with my own endorsements in the weeks ahead.

 

Deadline to Register to Vote for General Election: October 15th

Delaware Election 2016: November 8th

 

What’s At Stake:

President: The future of the country.

Delaware Senate: 11 out of 21 seats up for re-election, 11 seats needed for party control.  As of the 148th General Assembly, there were 12 Democrats and 9 Republicans in the Delaware Senate. With no one running against some candidates, 8 Democrats and 7 Republicans will retain seats. Magic number for party control in the Senate- Democrats: 3, Republicans: 4

*the only thing that could change this scenario is if Senator Bethany Hall-Long wins the Lieutenant Governor race and then a special election would take place after the General Election for her seat.  The same would apply if Senator Colin Bonini wins the Governor race.

Delaware House: All 41 seats up for reelection, 21 seats for party control.  As of the end of the 148th General Assembly, there were 26 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the House. With no one running against some candidates, 16 Democrats and 4 Republicans will retain seats.  Magic number for Democrats: 5, for Republicans: 17.  These numbers don’t assume certain parties will win if a candidate is running against one of the Libertarians, Greens, or Independents.   Assuming the incumbents win in those elections, that would change the magic numbers for Democrats to 4 and the Republicans to 15.

As of tonight, we have a brand new Delaware Senator from the 9th Senate District: Jack Walsh.  Congratulations Senator Walsh!  As well, Wilmington will have a new Mayor.  Congratulations to Mayor Michael Purzycki.

 

President:

Hillary Clinton (D)

Jill Stein (G)

Gary Johnson (L)

Donald Trump (R)

 

Governor:

John Carney (D)

Andrew Groff (G)

Sean Goward (L)

Colin Bonini (R)

 

Congress: US Representative

Lisa Blunt Rochester (D)

Mark Perri (G)

Scott Gesty (L)

Hans Reigle (R)

 

Lieutenant Governor: 

Bethany Hall-Long (D)

La Mar Gunn (R)

 

Insurance Commissioner:

Trinidad Navarro (D)

Jeffrey Cragg (R)

 

State Senate:

District 1: 

Harris McDowell III (D) (Incumbent)

James Spadola (R)

 

District 5:

Denise Bowers (D)

Catherine Cloutier (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 7:

Patricia Blevins (D) (Incumbent)

Anthony Delcollo (R)

 

District 8:

David Sokola (D) (Incumbent)

David Chandler (G)

Meredith Chapman (R)

 

District 9: Winner

John Walsh (D)

 

District 12: Winner 

Nicole Poore (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 13: Winner

David McBride (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 14:

Bruce Ennis (D) (Incumbent)

Carl Pace (R)

 

District 15: Winner

Dave Lawson (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 19: Winner

Brian Pettyjohn (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 20:

Perry Mitchell (D)

Gerald Hocker (R) (Incumbent)

 

State Representative:

District 1: Winner

Charles Potter (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 2: Winner

Stephanie Bolden (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 3: Winner

Helene Keeley (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 4: Winner

Gerald Brady (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 5: Winner

Melanie George Smith (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 6: Winner

Deb Heffernan (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 7:

Bryon Short (D) (Incumbent)

Robert Wilson (L)  

 

District 8: Winner

Quinton Johnson (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 9:

Monique Johns (D)

Kevin Hensley (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 10:

Sean Matthews (D) (Incumbent)

Judith Travis (R)

 

District 11:

David Neilson (D)

Jeffrey Spiegelman (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 12: Winner

Deb Hudson (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 13: Winner

John Mitchell (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 14:

Peter Schwartzkopf (D) (Incumbent)

James DeMartino (R)

 

District 15: Winner

Valerie Longhurst (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 16: Winner

James Johnson (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 17: Winner

Michael Mulrooney (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 18: Winner

David Bentz (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 19:

Kim Williams (D) (Incumbent)

James Startzman (R)

 

District 20:

Barbara Vaughn (D)

Don Ayotte (I)

Stephen Smyk (R) Incumbent

 

District 21:

David McCorquodale (G)

Mike Ramone (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 22:

Lanette Edwards (D)

Bernard August (G)

Joseph Miro (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 23: Winner

Paul Baumbach (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 24:

Edward Osienski (D) (Incumbent)

Timothy Conrad (R)

 

District 25:

John Kowalko (D) (Incumbent)

Mike Nagorski (R)

 

District 26: Winner

John Viola (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 27: Winner

Earl Jaques (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 28: Winner

William Carson (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 29:

Trey Paradee (D) (Incumbent)

Ruth James (G)

Janice Gallagher (R)

 

District 30:

Charles Groce (D)

William Outten (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 31: 

Sean Lynn (D) (Incumbent)

Jean Dowding (R)

 

District 32:

Andria Bennett (D) (Incumbent)

Patricia Foltz (R)

 

District 33: 

Karen Williams (D)

Charles Postles (R)

 

District 34:

David Henderson (D)

Lyndon Yearick (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 35:

Gary Wolfe (D)

David Wilson (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 36: Winner

Harvey Kenton (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 37: 

Paulette Rappa (D)

Ruth Briggs-King (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 38: Winner 

Ronald Gray (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 39:

James Brittingham (L)

Daniel Short (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 40: Winner

Timothy Dukes (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 41:

Bradley Connor (D)

Richard Collins (R) (Incumbent)

 

New Castle County Executive

Matt Meyer (D)

Matt Blake (R)

 

Mayor of Wilmington: Winner

Michael Purzycki (D)

 

The following Delaware Senate seats are not up for re-election this year:

District 2: Margaret-Rose Henry (D)

District 3: Robert Marshall (D)

District 4: Greg Lavelle (R)

District 6: Ernie Lopez (R)

District 10: Bethany Hall-Long (D)

District 11: Bryan Townsend (D)

District 16: Colin Bonini (R)

District 17: Brian Bushweller (D)

District 18: F. Gary Simpson (R)

District 21: Bryant Richardson (R)

 

 

 

Congressional Letter To FBI, FTC & IRS Raises Questions About Clinton Foundation, Will Hillary Be Able To Escape This? Deal Me Out!

On July 15th, several Republican members of Congress wrote a letter to the Directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service about questions of potential fraud with the Clinton Foundation.  Last night, Hillary Clinton accepted the Democrat nomination for President of the United States.  She gave a stirring speech with more about slamming Donald Trump than what she would actually do as President.  But underneath the surface of that speech lies unanswered questions about the Clinton Foundation and their illegal use of funding based on IRS regulations.

View this document on Scribd

As Americans on the left and right continue to poke and jab at the opposite sides, it is more than obvious that neither candidate is worthy of becoming President.  Both candidates have been subject to numerous investigations that never seem to hold either of them accountable for their actions.  This is, by far, the worst selection of candidates the two major political parties in our country have ever picked.  This is a choice no American should have to face.  I am loathe to pick either of them in November.  The pressure both sides are putting on the other parties hasn’t even reached a fever pitch.  I think both candidate will not help public education.  One is more blatant and arrogant with their public persona while the other smiles but her actions behind the scenes speak in volumes about her pompous boasting.  I fear for the future of America with these two very greedy people at the helm.  They both claim they want to help the average American as they sit in the upper echelon of the 1%.  I cannot, and will not, support either Clinton or Trump.  I am ashamed to be an American facing these two choices.  I will not vote for either of them.  Their actions regarding persons with disabilities, through downright vocal discrimination or behind the scenes corporate actions in regards to the privatization of public education show they are not fit to lead our country’s future.  As I have been telling people, if you can’t do the right thing for children, how can you be expected to lead a country.  Children are the foundation and future of this country.

You can deal me out of voting for either candidate.  I pray America will come to its senses and do the right thing for our country.  No matter who wins, the controversy surrounding both of them will overshadow anything they do.  Both parties will become a lynch mob towards the other from 2017 to 2020.  This is not America.  This is not the country that Hillary Clinton talked about in her speech last night.  It is a very ugly political arena of the very worst America has to offer.  Hillary may have the political experience, but look at the many incidents she has escaped unscathed from.  Donald may have the corporate experience, but he has represented the 1% his entire life.

As a Delawarean, I see my own state divided into three parts: Hillary, Donald, and neither.  I fear Hillary the most because of rumors surrounding our own Governor, Jack Markell, vying for the US Secretary of Education spot under a second President Clinton.  I fear Donald because he is a racist maniac playing on the fear of Americans.  I fear Hillary because she caters to big corporations and has been paid handsomely for those efforts through the Clinton foundation or campaign contributions.  I fear Donald because he will land us into a bad war (if not nuclear) if he continues his rhetoric.  I support neither and there is no other viable choice that could get enough votes so neither of them become President.  What this country needs, right now, is a revolution.  We need to overturn both parties and do something.  I don’t know if that is even possible at this point, but if we want to save America, we really have no choice.  If the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, we need to rise above the fears of the supporters of both candidates and do the right thing for America and openly revolt against the two-party system that is killing our country.

Final Delaware Candidate List For Statewide Offices, State Reps, & State Senate

Today was the filing deadline for Delaware elections.  These are all the filed candidates for statewide office, State Senator, or State Representative.  Some candidates who were not facing contestants for the General Election will now have opponents.  As of this time, candidates running unopposed are 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans in the Delaware Senate, and 16 Democrats and 6 Republicans in the Delaware House of Representatives.  That means we will have 14 of the same Delaware Senators and 22 of the same Delaware State Representatives in January of 2017, well over half the seats in each.  For a state that wants change so much, we sure have a funny way of making sure the same people stay in power!

Delaware Election 2016: November 8th

Delaware Primary: September 13^th (7am-8pn)

Deadline to Withdraw from Election and get filing fees back: July 15th

Deadline to Register to Vote for Primary Election: August 20th

Deadline to Register to Vote for General Election: October 15^th

What’s At Stake:

President: The future of the country.

Delaware Senate: 11 out of 21 seats, Currently 12 Democrats, 9 Republicans. With no one running against some candidates, 8 Democrats and 7 Republicans will retain seats if the opposing party doesn’t select someone to run. Magic number for Democrats: 4, for Republicans: 5

Delaware House: All 41 Seats, Currently 26 Democrats, 15 Republicans. With no one running against some candidates, 16 Democrats and 7 Republicans will retain seats if the opposing party doesn’t select someone to run. Magic number for Democrats: 5, for Republicans: 14.  These numbers don’t assume certain parties will win if a candidate is running against one of the Libertarians.   Assuming the incumbents win in those elections, that would change the magic numbers for Democrats to 4 and the Republicans to 13.

 

President:

Hillary Clinton (D)

Donald Trump (R)

 

Governor:

John Carney (D)

Sean Goward (L)

Colin Bonini (R)

Lacey Lafferty (R)

 

Congress: US Representative

Sean Barney (D)

Lisa Blunt Rochester (D)

Michael Miller (D)

Bryan Townsend (D)

R.E. Walker (D)

Elias Weir (D)

Scott Gesty (L)

Hans Reigle (R)

 

Lieutenant Governor: 

Sherry Dorsey-Walker (D)

Brad Eaby (D)

Greg Fuller (D)

Bethany Hall-Long (D)

Kathleen McGuiness (D)

Ciro Poppiti III (D)

La Mar Gunn (R)

 

Insurance Commissioner:

Paul Gallagher (D)

Trinidad Navarro (D)

Karen Weldin Stewart (D) (Incumbent)

Jeffrey Cragg (R)

George Parrish (R)

 

State Senate:

District 1: 

Joseph McCole (D)

Harris McDowell III (D) (Incumbent)

James Spadola (R)

 

District 5:

Denise Bowers (D)

Catherine Cloutier (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 7:

Patricia Blevins (D) (Incumbent)

Anthony Delcollo (R)

 

District 8:

David Sokola (D) (Incumbent)

Meredith Chapman (R)

 

District 9: 

Caitlin Olsen (D)

John Walsh (D)

 

District 12: Winner 

Nicole Poore (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 13: Winner

David McBride (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 14:

Bruce Ennis (D) (Incumbent)

Carl Pace (R)

 

District 15: Winner

Dave Lawson (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 19: Winner

Brian Pettyjohn (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 20:

Perry Mitchell (D)

Gerald Hocker (R) (Incumbent)

 

State Representative:

District 1: Winner

Charles Potter (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 2: Winner

Stephanie Boulden (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 3: Winner

Helene Keeley (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 4: Winner

Gerald Brady (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 5: Winner

Melanie George Smith (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 6: 

Deb Heffernan (D) (Incumbent)

Lee Murphy (R)

 

District 7:

David Brady (D)

Bryon Short (D) (Incumbent)

Robert Wilson (L)  

 

District 8: Winner

Quinton Johnson (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 9:

Richard Griffiths (D)

Monique Johns (D)

Kevin Hensley (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 10:

Sean Matthews (D) (Incumbent)

Dennis Williams (D)

Judith Travis (R)

 

District 11:

David Neilson (D)

Jeffrey Spiegelman (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 12: Winner

Deb Hudson (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 13: Winner

John Mitchell (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 14:

Don Peterson (D)

Peter Schwartzkopf (D) (Incumbent)

James DeMartino (R)

 

District 15:

James Burton (D)

Valerie Longhurst (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 16: Winner

James Johnson (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 17: Winner

Michael Mulrooney (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 18: Winner

David Bentz (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 19:

Kim Williams (D) (Incumbent)

James Startzman (R)

 

District 20:

Barbara Vaughn (D)

Stephen Smyk (R) Incumbent

 

District 21: Winner

Mike Ramone (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 22:

Lanette Edwards (D)

Joseph Miro (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 23: Winner

Paul Baumbach (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 24:

Edward Osienski (D) (Incumbent)

Timothy Conrad (R)

 

District 25: Winner

John Kowalko (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 26: Winner

John Viola (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 27: Winner

Earl Jaques (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 28: Winner

William Carson (D) (Incumbent)

 

District 29:

Trey Paradee (D) (Incumbent)

Janice Gallagher (R)

 

District 30: Winner

William Outten (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 31: 

Sean Lynn (D) (Incumbent)

Jean Dowding (R)

 

District 32:

Andria Bennett (D) (Incumbent)

Patricia Foltz (R)

 

District 33: 

Karen Williams (D)

Morgan Hudson (R)

Charles Postles (R)

Robert James Scott (R)

 

District 34:

David Henderson (D)

Lyndon Yearick (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 35:

Robert Mitchell (R)

David Wilson (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 36: Winner

Harvey Kenton (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 37: 

Paulette Rappa (D)

Ruth Briggs-King (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 38: Winner 

Ronald Gray (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 39:

James Brittingham (L)

Daniel Short (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 40: Winner

Timothy Dukes (R) (Incumbent)

 

District 41:

Bradley Connor (D)

Richard Collins (R) (Incumbent)

 

The current Senate seats NOT running for re-election are as follows:

District 2: Margaret-Rose Henry (D)

District 3: Robert Marshall (D)

District 4: Greg Lavelle (R)

District 6: Ernie Lopez (R)

District 10: Bethany Hall-Long (D)

District 11: Bryan Townsend (D)

District 16: Colin Bonini (R)

District 17: Brian Bushweller (D)

District 18: Gary Simpson (R)

District 21: Bryant Richardson (R)

Delaware State Senator David Sokola Faces Competition From Republican Meredith Chapman In 2016 Election

For over a year now, many people in Delaware have felt State Senator David Sokola has served for far too long in the Delaware Senate.  Today, a Republican named Meredith Chapman publicly announced she is running for State Senate in District 8.

https://twitter.com/MediaMeredith/status/725360717831016448

According to her LinkedIn profile, Chapman’s resume includes the following summary of her credentials:

Award-winning, nationally-recognized digital strategist, educator, communicator and former journalist, known as @MediaMeredith. Highly motivated and polished public relations manager with expertise in higher education, public affairs, government and politics, community outreach, crisis management, multimedia and strategy development as well as relationship cultivation. Innate leader with successful track record in management, organizational development, and strategy creation and execution. More than 10 years experience with and in the Delaware news scene with work on national and global levels. Proven skills in strategic communications, project management, program development, leadership and high-profile outreach and event management.

She is the current Director for Digital Communications at the University of Delaware.  This could get very interesting.  What do you think?  Is it time for new blood in the 8th Senate District in Delaware?  I will flat-out say I believe Senator Sokola has not used his position as Chair of the Senate Education Committee without bias towards certain agendas in Delaware.  A fervent charter school and standardized testing supporter, Sokola has been a lightning rod of controversy for some time.

 

Delaware Election 2016: Current Filings For State Rep, State Senator, & School Board Candidates

Election day is less than eight and a half months away. But there will be other stuff going on before that. Referendums, School Board Elections, final candidacy filings for State Representative, and State Senator, and Primaries. Below is every single candidate who filed for President, Congress, Lieutenant Governor, State Senator, State Representative, and School Board elections. Important dates are in purple, candidates who will face a challenger in the primary or a school board election are in green, and in the school boards section if no one has filed for a seat it is in red.  The biggest race is for Lieutenant Governor in Delaware.  No Republicans want to run?

Don’t see some of your favorites or those you love to hate on here?  Don’t worry!  For the State Representative, State Senator, and School Board positions, many more will file including the majority of the incumbents.  All 41 of the State Representatives are up for re-election.  If there are any candidates with stars all around their name, I really want someone to run against them.  Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green, Libertarian, it doesn’t matter.  Just run!  One of the major Presidential candidates hasn’t filed yet in Delaware!  Which one?

As for why there is no Delaware Governor listing, none of the candidates have officially filed yet!

Election 2016:

Deadline To Change Party For Presidential Primary: February 26th

Deadline To Register To Vote For Presidential Primary: April 2nd

Presidential Primary: April 26th

Deadline To Register To Vote For Primary Election: August 20th

Primary Election: September 13th (7am-8pm)

Deadline To Register To Vote For General Election: October 15th

General Election: November 8th (7am-8pm)

President:
Bernie Sanders (D)
John Kasich (R)
Marco Rubio (R)
Donald Trump (R)

Congress: US Representative
Hans Reigle (R)
Sean Barney (D)
Bryon Short (D)
Bryan Townsend (D)

Lieutenant Governor:
Sherry Dorsey-Walker (D)
Brad Eaby (D)
Greg Fuller (D)
Bethany Hall-Long (D)
Kathleen McGuiness (D)
Ciro Poppiti III (D)

State Senators & State Representatives

State Senate:

District 1: James Spadola (R)
District 5: Denise Bowers (R)
District 7: Anthony Delcollo (R)
District 12: Nicole Poore (D) (Incumbent)
District 14: Carl Pace (R)

State Representative:

District 1: Charles Potter (D) (Incumbent)
District 2: Stephanie Boulden (D) (Incumbent)
District 4: Gerald Brady (D) (Incumbent)
District 7: David Brady (D)
District 7: Robert Cameron (D)
District 7: Joseph Daigle (D)
District 9: Kevin Hensley (R) (Incumbent)
District 10: Dennis Williams (D)
District 13: John Mitchell (D) (Incumbent)
District 14: Peter Schwartzkopf (D) (Incumbent)
District 15: Valerie Longhurst (D) (Incumbent)
District 17: Michael Mulrooney (D) (Incumbent)
**District 27: Earl Jaques (D) (Incumbent)**
District 35: Harvey Kenton (R) (Incumbent)

School Board Elections:

Filing Deadline: March 4th: 4:30pm

Elections: May 10th

Appoquinimink: Richard Forsten (5 years)

Brandywine: John Skrobot (District F- 5 years)

Caesar Rodney: Mark Dyer (5 years)

Caesar Rodney: Dana LeCompte (5 years)

Caesar Rodney: Michael Marasco (5 years) 

Cape Henlopen: Camilla Conlon (5 years)

Cape Henlopen: Janis Hanwell (5 years)

Cape Henlopen: Heather Ingerski (5 years)

Cape Henlopen: Teresa Carey (Area B-2 years)

Cape Henlopen: Jessica Tyndall (Area B-2 years)

Capital: Chanda Jackson (5 years)

Capital: Kevin Ohlandt (5 years)

Capital: Andres Ortiz (5 years)

Christina: Margaret Mason (District B- 5 years)

Christina: David Ressler (District B- 5 years)

Christina: Desiree Brady (District F- 5 years)

Christina: Elizabeth Paige (District F- 5 years)

Colonial: Timothy Suber (District D- 4 years)

Colonial: Joseph Laws (District F- 5 years)

Delmar: Farrah Morelli (5 years)

Delmar: Andrew Rementer (5 years)

Indian River: Gerald Penden (District 2, 4 years)

Indian River: Heather Statler (District 3, 3 years)

Lake Forest: Austin Auen (5 years)

Lake Forest: Earle Dempsey (5 years)

Lake Forest: Lendon Dennis (5 years)

Laurel: John Bowden (5 years)

Laurel: Shane McCarty (5 years)

Laurel: Christie Shirey (5 years)

Laurel: Patrick Vanderslice (5 years)

Milford: Renate Wiley (Area C- 5 years)

Red Clay Consolidated: Joseph Weeks (District F- 5 years)

Red Clay Consolidated: Faith Newton (District F- 5 years)

Seaford: Dianne Abrams (5 years)

Seaford: Kimberly Hopkins (5 years)

Smyrna: Kathryn O’Connell (5 years)

Woodbridge: John Barr (5 years)

Woodbridge: Alberta Smith (5 years)

 

Referendums:

Brandywine: March 23rd
Cape Henlopen: March 23rd
Christina: March 23rd

It Needs To Be Taylor Time In Dover! Vote for Ralph Taylor in the 31st District for House Rep! #netde #eduDE @KilroysDelaware @delawareonline

Ralph Taylor needs your vote tomorrow citizens of the 31st District in Dover!  He’s up against city councilman Sean Lynn.  I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Taylor at the 4th of July Parade & Fireworks.  He had his own booth set up, and he was busy the whole night meeting and talking with the citizens of Dover.  When I got a chance to talk to him, I asked him what his views were on Common Core and Smarter Balanced Assessment.  He opposes both, which always makes someone a fan in my book.  But I asked him why, and he informed me it doesn’t make sense, the test makes no sense, it’s not good for students, and it’s not good for teachers and their evaluations.

Sean Lynn, his opponent for the Democrat nomination, is a strong supporter of Common Core and standardized testing.  He was endorsed by Darryl Scott, the departing House Rep.  Scott can be blamed for much of the current situations with education in Delaware, including Common Core and Smarter Balanced Assessment.  He allowed legislation to go through that allows charter schools to get “performance” funds while our public schools have to wait five years for capital improvements.  And now he is endorsing Councilman Lynn, to be his little clone.  We don’t need another Darryl Scott, we need something new in Dover!

In a debate with Lynn last month at Wesley College, Taylor said “Education is the new currency, and students shouldn’t be held back from their potential because their teachers have to adhere to the Common Core.”  His opponent Lynn, stated he is all for it, so kids “don’t have to take remedial course in college”, and had some shocking new information with his statement that “We owe it to our children to make sure they have what they need to be successful, 84 percent of teachers support it and so do I.”  I haven’t seen that poll Mr. Lynn.  Care to share where you received those facts?

If you look at Taylor and Lynn’s Facebook pages, you will see Taylor showing many endorsements from citizens.  On Lynn’s page, you see Scott’s endorsement, and Lynn bashing Taylor.  I know elections can be cutthroat, but I tend to prefer the person who talks about what he wants to do and has great conversations with people.  Taylor is a retired policeman, so I could care less what his stance on gun control is.  He’s earned the right, through years of service to the people, to have his opinions on the issue.  Nor do I care that he is conflicted on the death penalty.  This is a man who has seen horrific crimes in his 20 years as a Dover policeman.

So tomorrow, if you are on the fence, vote for someone who can and will make change happen.  Vote for someone who actually cares about what our children are and will go through.  Vote for someone who knows the high stakes this puts on teachers who deserve better.  Vote for Ralph Taylor!

DE Election 2014: House Rep Candidates Views on Common Core, Smarter Balanced and Special Education #netde #eduDE @TheStateNews @DelawareOnline @KilroysDelaware

Election season in Delaware is underway. Everywhere I go, I see signs littering the landscape! I reached out to all the candidates for the House of Representatives in Delaware. I was really hoping to get more, but you work with what you can. I completely understand how busy many of these people are, as being a candidate is most likely not their only job. My question was simple: What are your veiws on Common Core, Smarter Balanced Assessment and Special Education in Delaware. Nothing too fancy. Some emailed back asking how long it had to be, some said they never got a survey, and some responded right away. I sent the original emails out over a month ago, and a reminder email a few days ago.

If any candidate wants to add anything or send me their views, I will certainly update this as primaries are just the next part. We still have a ways to go!

Pete Kramer (29th District, Republican): I don’t support Common Core for a long list of reasons. Chief among those reasons is that I do not think standardized tests are a good was to evaluate teachers or students. Teachers too often have to teach to the test, and many subjects that I think are important are marginalized. Special needs kids also often struggle with standardized tests and get demoralized. I’m not opposed to a tough curriculum for most children, but centralized control of education and standardized tests is just not something I agree with.

We need a thorough review of Special Education in Delaware. The Federal government rated Delaware as “Needs Intervention.” A review board made up of legislators, teachers, and parents is the first step to solving the problem. Per capita Delaware is one of the highest spenders on education in the nation. Our results just aren’t there. We need to work to change that.

Paul Baumbach (23rd District, Democrat): I like the goal of Common Core, but I am disappointed with the process behind its creation, and with the implications of yet another curricula change (these changes require years of retooling lesson plans). While it is good that Smarter Balanced tests are designed to measure mastery of Common Core elements, I am disappointed that, since we are tying teacher evaluations and school evaluations to its results, that it fails to measure student growth during the school year. It’s once-a-year design makes it 100% inappropriate to tie to teacher and school assessments. I am not well-versed in the needs of students with special needs, and I therefore reach out to colleagues and others who understand issues better than I. I do believe that our school/student funding system is unworkable, and a funding mechanism which considers all students’ needs, and allocates financial resources more appropriately is sorely needed in Delaware, and that there are systems in place in the US which are superior to ours, and which we should work ASAP to adopt.

John Mackenzie (22nd District, Democrat): When DE won $120 million of Federal money in the first round of Race to the Top, over half of that money stayed in Dover: it was wasted on more admin salaries, consultants, another statewide student testing program (first DSTP, then DCAS, and now “Smarter Balanced”), a teacher appraisal system (DPAS) that still doesn’t work, etc. Our public schools are burdened with a lot of micromanagement from Dover. DOE keeps chasing one costly education fad after another. Common core is just the latest fad, taking a reasonable-sounding premise to create yet another testing mandate. This too shall pass.

David Alan McCorquodale (21st District, Green Party): My wife recently retired as a kindergarten teacher with special ed. certification in part because of frustration with all the layers of requirements being put in place. The day-to-day dealing with children became less and less about having them excited about learning and more focused on making sure they would meet certain standards when they were tested. I believe in local control of school districts and, in fact, I believe those who teach should have more control over what is done in their classrooms than the layers of high paid specialists and administrative people. I agree with your position that Common Core Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessments violate local control. My position in general on Charter Schools is that they take much needed funds from public school while they do not have to perform all of the same services. Charter schools are leading to the resegregation of our schools on the basis of economic status, rather than race.

Michael Ramone (21st District, Republican): As you can see by my record since elected I am a advocate for special needs children and have been my entire life. Meadowood school is in my district and I do everything possible to support their needs and the special needs of all the schools in the 21st. I have some issue with Common Core but am hopeful this session we will be able to focus on the students above all else. Especially those in the special needs community. If you have any specific questions please do not hesitate to send them to me and I will answer them as quickly as possible. Thanks Michael

Robert Keesler (4th District, Republican): As you know education is a complex topic that I have been passionate about and working on since 2011. Therefore I find it difficult to concisely give my opinion since there are so many moving parts to our system.

Common Core

I am not a supporter of common core. It has its issues, however the main reason I do not support it is because it neglects the individual needs of the child. Supporters argue we need a curriculum that is the same no matter where the child goes to school. I disagree and would rather see a more decentralized school system that allows more choice for parents and students so we can account for every child’s unique situation and needs. What’s worse is those with the financial means are able to pull their children out of the system while others are not able to. Unlike the typical argument, I don’t think we should force those in private and charter schools back into the current system. Instead, we should offer choices to every student and do away with the concept of schools being funded by geographic region. What is public about education is the funding. The money should follow the student.

Smarter Balanced Assessments

Again, every child has unique abilities and interests. No standard test can account for that and will inherently neglect a minority of students.

Special Education

If we make the education system in Delaware less centralized by allowing the dollars to follow the student, then most schools will have an incentive to accommodate special needs children. Like any other time competition is introduced, we will see better results for special education students.

My perspective is that so many legislators bring their personal bias on education without studying how things got to this point. Like raising a child, one needs to follow the system from its inception up to today so you can intimately know the issue. Listening to some of the legislators in office it is clear they are focused on what they know instead of looking at the big picture. I am confident our education system will become more personalized whether it is through legislative measures or a result of technology. It is a matter of time, but I would rather see it happen now instead of later.

Marie Mayor (20th District, Democrat): I believe it is important to include students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs. The progress students with disabilities make in meeting the goals of their education program should be used to determine in part how well the school or school system is serving children with disabilities. The challenge is to design the assessment such that the assessment is a meaningful measure of the individual student’s achievement. It is this challenge that causes the most discussion and disagreement among education stakeholders (administrators, teachers, parents, school board members, etc). If elected, I would like be a part of a legislative effort to ensure the State (a) addresses this challenge head-on and (b) works in a collaborative manner with the US Department of Education to demonstrate the State’s commitment to assessing the progress and achievement of students with disabilities.

Donald Ayotte (20th District, Independent): I believe that common core will dumb down America’s educational system because the program fails to adequately allow development of human potential. Furthermore it assaults individuality in a sea of conformity. We need a thorough rebirth of our educational system, especially in Delaware, toward a new age of creativity and reason, unfortunately this is not possible with the constraints of the current special interest two-party political system. People need a greater voice in shaping educational policy.

James Brittingham (39th District, Libertarian): I’m against Common Core and High Stakes Testing. Parents, Teachers, and Local School Boards need to be controlling schools, not the Department of Education.