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Posted: Aug. 26, 2014
PRIMARIES TO WATCH
By Celia Cohen
Grapevine Political Writer
Delaware looks like it has a case of primary fatigue.
For the past three election years, state politics
swelled with primaries galore, really serious primaries,
that rocked the electorate and commanded attention.
The Democrats had Markell-Carney in 2008, a modern
political miracle of a primary because the party
survived it without rupturing and went on to elect a
governor and belatedly a congressman.
The Republicans had Castle-O'Donnell in 2010 and
immediately went into a collapse that its most famous
figure in history could have predicted. A party divided
against itself cannot stand.
The 2012 election spawned spirited primaries for
Wilmington mayor and New Castle County executive, as
well as for the legislature, all but inevitable in a
redistricting year.
Enough was apparently enough. The party intramurals
for 2014, to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9, have been tame
by comparison.
This does not count the spectacle Chip Flowers has
made of himself. It just goes to show that primary
seasons can repeat themselves, first as history, then as
farce.
Here are some primary races to watch:
| OFFICE |
PRIMARY ELECTION
CANDIDATES |
GENERAL ELECTION OPPONENTS |
RUNDOWN |
|
U.S.
Senate
Republican |
Carl Smink Kevin Wade |
Chris Coons
Democrat |
Who cares? Wade is a retread, Smink is
obscure, and Coons, the sitting senator, has $3
million in the bank |
|
Treasurer
Democrat |
Sean Barney Chip Flowers |
To be determined |
This primary is set to self-destruct on Aug.
28 at 4 p.m. . . . or is it? |
|
Treasurer
Republican |
Ken Simpler Sher Valenzuela |
Sean
Barney, presumably
Democrat |
Simpler is running on his resume. Valenzuela
is running for the Tea Party vote, which has
shown it can deliver a primary but not an
election. She polled a mere 37 percent for
lieutenant governor in 2012 |
|
Auditor
Democrat |
Ken Matlusky Brenda Mayrack |
Tom Wagner
Republican |
This primary is nothing but a dry run for
Mayrack, who gives the Democrats their best
chance for ousting Wagner after 25 years |
|
Senate 3rd
Democrat
Wilmington |
Sherry Dorsey Walker Bob Marshall |
None |
Dorsey Walker, a first-term city
councilwoman, is all that stands between
Marshall and 40 years in the Senate, if he gets
a new term ending in 2018 |
|
Senate 11th
Democrat
Brookside-Christiana |
Dave Tackett Bryan Townsend |
None |
Halfway through a New Castle County Council
term, Tackett has a free ride to try to usurp
Townsend |
|
House
10th
Democrat
Brandywine Hundred |
Sean Matthews Dennis Williams |
Judy
Travis
Republican |
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, does this
primary make Williams the most endangered
incumbent of them all? |
|
House
15th
Democrat
Bear-Delaware City |
James Burton Valerie Longhurst |
Matt
Lenzini
Republican |
This is more of a race than a majority
leader like Longhurst should have |
|
House
22nd
Republican
Hockessin-Pike Creek Valley |
Joe Miro Mike Smith |
John
Mackenzie
Democrat |
This is a battle royal that could have
ramifications, if Mackenzie can capitalize on
the Republican discord and steal one of the few
Republican districts |
|
House
31st
Democrat
Dover |
Sean Lynn Ralph Taylor |
Sam
Chick
Republican |
In a district that is 2-1 Democratic, the
Democratic nomination is worth having. This is a
hard-fought race to replace Darryl Scott, a
three-term Democrat who bowed out |
|
House
33rd
Republican
Milford-Frederica-Magnolia |
Jack Peterman Charles Postles |
Kevin
Robbins
Democrat |
The question is, have health problems slowed
Peterman enough to defeat him or win him a
sympathy vote? If he gets through the primary,
he has a rematch with Robbins, who held him to
53 percent in 2012 |
|
House
34th
Republican
Camden-Wyoming-Woodside |
Don Blakey Lyndon Yearick |
Ted
Yacucci
Democrat |
For a party saying it is trying to
diversify, it does not help that the only
African-American Republican in the legislature
has a primary |
Incumbents in bold
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