Delaware Stands Firm against the Wave
There was no enthusiasm gap in Delaware. In the face of a nationwide wave election, Delaware Democrats turned back the tea party insurgency, and even gained two seats in the state House of Representatives.
There was little doubt that Chris Coons would defeat Christine O’Donnell. But her primary election did more than turn a likely GOP pickup into a sure thing for the Democrats. Her godawful campaign created a reverse coattail effect. Democrats were fired up, and independents and even Republicans turned away from the GOP all the way down the ballot. John Carney carried nearly as many votes as Chris Coons, and Glen Urquhart only managed to poll one percentage point better than O'Donnell. After two decades as state auditor, Tom Wagner, barely hung on as the last statewide Republican standing, beating Richard Korn by 2,606 votes.
In addition to Coons and Carney, the big winner last night was Jack Markell, who ended the night with a stronger majority in the House, and maintains a bulletproof majority in the Senate, notwithstanding the defeat of one senator, Nancy Cook. I don't think many Democratic governors ended the night with a stronger majority in their legislatures.
Based on her grating concession speech, we will still have Christine O'Donnell to kick around. She seems to think that Coons should do what she would have done had she won. Perhaps we will see O'Donnell start a political action committee, and we will be subjected to an endless tea party campaign here in Delaware.
The big loser last night was the Delaware Republican Party, which is left in near total disarray. The establishment leaders will be able to say "I told you so," while the insurgents are not likely to let up.
I'm wondering when we might see the center right bloggers emerge from their undisclosed locations. The opponents of O'Donnell and Urquhart went into hiding after the primary. Delaware Politics, which once billed itself as the center right's voice in Delaware, is now the voice of the far right. When will we see Delaware Republican Record and Delaware Tomorrow again? With the Delaware GOP in such wretched shape, it may be the day after tomorrow.
There was little doubt that Chris Coons would defeat Christine O’Donnell. But her primary election did more than turn a likely GOP pickup into a sure thing for the Democrats. Her godawful campaign created a reverse coattail effect. Democrats were fired up, and independents and even Republicans turned away from the GOP all the way down the ballot. John Carney carried nearly as many votes as Chris Coons, and Glen Urquhart only managed to poll one percentage point better than O'Donnell. After two decades as state auditor, Tom Wagner, barely hung on as the last statewide Republican standing, beating Richard Korn by 2,606 votes.
In addition to Coons and Carney, the big winner last night was Jack Markell, who ended the night with a stronger majority in the House, and maintains a bulletproof majority in the Senate, notwithstanding the defeat of one senator, Nancy Cook. I don't think many Democratic governors ended the night with a stronger majority in their legislatures.
Based on her grating concession speech, we will still have Christine O'Donnell to kick around. She seems to think that Coons should do what she would have done had she won. Perhaps we will see O'Donnell start a political action committee, and we will be subjected to an endless tea party campaign here in Delaware.
The big loser last night was the Delaware Republican Party, which is left in near total disarray. The establishment leaders will be able to say "I told you so," while the insurgents are not likely to let up.
I'm wondering when we might see the center right bloggers emerge from their undisclosed locations. The opponents of O'Donnell and Urquhart went into hiding after the primary. Delaware Politics, which once billed itself as the center right's voice in Delaware, is now the voice of the far right. When will we see Delaware Republican Record and Delaware Tomorrow again? With the Delaware GOP in such wretched shape, it may be the day after tomorrow.
posted by Tom Noyes at 6:49 AM
2 Comments:
I don't know about grating, I enjoyed it! "We Won!" and "Let's Party!" If nothing else, her concession speech was certainly self-centered, inarticulate, and out-of-touch. A fitting end to a self-centered, inarticulate, and out-of-touch campaign. I would love to hear a recording of her call to Coons, if it went anywhere like she said in her speech I'm surprised he didn't hang up on her.
O'Donnell's no Palin - her moment in the sun is done. Unless she is still otherwise unemployed in 2012 - the need for an income seems to be a motivating factor for her. But I doubt the GOP establishment voters would stay home again and let her steal another primary to foolishly and selfishly contend against Carper. Poor Mike Castle, I truly feel for him. Shame on the Delaware GOP for letting that happen. Props to the national tea-party machine though, I couldn't get anywhere on the internet yesterday without a "Taxman" scare banner showing up on the site. Someone's mastered the "new" media advertising game.
I'm very happy to have Coons headed to DC, though not quite as enthusiastic for Carney. I fall in the camp of thinking him moving from Lt. Gov to DelaWind was a bit too cozy and the accounting questions on their requested financing from DEDO and the feds left a bad taste (despite your comfort with it). There are enough politicians in DC lining their own pockets by moving from the public sector to the private sector in areas where they've previously been involved in legislation or negotiations and can use their influence inappropriately. I hope we didn't just send another one of those bastards to join in the fleecing of the rest of us. Then again it would still beat the alternative we had this year in the holier-than-thou rape-the-land screw-the-people conservative through and through candidate. Ye Gods - I ended up having to vote the Blue Enigma ticket! Too bad Castle couldn't compete in both races.
So this morning I'm proud to be a Delawarean, worried as an American, and suspecting that just about everyone was dissatisfied with the choices they were given in many races yesterday.
And then locally we had Flowers and Navarro as winners too - I'll be watching these guys. Neither one strikes me as having the character of a public servant. I predict a sharp rise in civil rights abuses and the use of excessive force by NCC Sheriff's deputies under that weasel Navarro. And given the accusations against Flowers, we could see the same in the Treasurer's office.
...dan
Please somebody make CO'D an offer she can't refuse to get her out of here. Ideally the job she wants at Fux News. That way I, at least, will never see or hear from her again. Unless I want to...
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