Posted: Oct. 23, 2012

RACES-2-WATCH: LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

By Celia Cohen
Grapevine Political Writer

The fiercest legislative races are at either ends of the state.

Upstate across a wide swath of northern New Castle County, the Democrats are trying to cling to a Senate seat they never should have won in the first place.

Downstate in a sweep through central Sussex County, the Republicans are in a fight for a Senate seat they never in their wildest imaginings thought they could lose.

The race upstate is the sort of bruising smackdown to be expected when there is a sitting Democratic senator defending himself against a sitting Republican representative being shorn not just of his own seat, but a leadership post, because of redistricting. Neither wants to go home.

The race downstate is a nobody-could-make-this-up monstrosity that may be the weirdest Delaware has ever seen.

Upstate it is Mike Katz, a first-term Democrat in the Senate, against Greg Lavelle, the Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives, in the 4th Senate District.

They have been pummeling the tar out of each other in a district long regarded as the cradle of genteel, upstate Republicanism, a site that includes the area known as Chateau Country where the du Ponts settled and prospered.

Katz, a doctor with an MBA, was able to take advantage of a Republican primary in 2008 to steal it away, and Lavelle, a financial consultant with 12 years in the legislature, wants to return the district to its natural leanings. It is very much in play.

Downstate it is, well, it has been hard to keep track of who is running in the 19th Senate District.

This political freak began with a Republican primary that was supposed to settle the election in these conservative reaches of Sussex County. Eric Bodenweiser, a Tea Party provocative, took out Joe Booth, the senator who did himself in with a clumsy political move by appropriating a school administrator's job and thereby double dipping.

The Democrats recruited Jane Hovington, the county vice-chair of the party, just in case the primary was bitter enough for the Republicans to self-destruct.

For Bodenweiser, the Senate seat was his, his, his, until slowly but surely he had to let it slip away, first suspending his campaign, then withdrawing his candidacy, all before he was indicted Monday on 113 counts of sexually abusing a child about 25 years ago.

As Bodenweiser was backing away, the Republicans took the precaution of filing Brian Pettyjohn, a past mayor of Georgetown, as a write-in candidate. There are few tasks in politics harder than winning a write-in campaign, but the party is going to try.

For years and years, this district was tediously stable, represented by Thurman Adams, a conservative Democrat who became the Senate president pro tem, from 1972 until the day he died in 2009. Now this.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

Current Senate: 14 Democrats, 7 Republicans

Current House of Representatives: 26 Democrats, 15 Republicans

All seats are up because of redistricting

 

DISTRICT MAIN CANDIDATES VOTERS RUNDOWN OUTLOOK
Senate 4th

Greenville-Brandywine Hundred-Pike Creek Valley

Mike Katz

Democrat

 

Greg Lavelle

Republican

D: 35%

R: 39%

O: 26%

Katz had the early edge, but is Lavelle trying to say something by sticking sunny yellow smiley faces on his road signs? Tossup
Senate 12th

New Castle-Delaware City-below the canal

Dori Connor

Republican

 

Nicole Poore

Democrat

D: 54%

R: 23%

O: 23%

After 15 years in office, Connor could be done in by redistricting and a lopsided Democratic registration Advantage: Democrat
Senate 6th

Lewes-Rehoboth-Dewey-Milton

Ernie Lopez

Republican

 

Andy Staton

Democrat

D: 40%

R: 37%

O: 23%

Both candidates are transplants to Sussex, but Lopez appears to be capitalizing on local family ties and a little help from some Democratic friends Advantage: Republican
Senate 19th

Bridgeville-Georgetown-Long Neck

Jane Hovington

Democrat

 

Brian Pettyjohn

Republican write-in

D: 40%

R: 39%

O: 21%

This race is in an uproar after Eric Bodenweiser, the Republican candidate, dropped out shortly before he was indicted for child sex crimes Too bizarre to call
House 10th

Brandywine Hundred

Dennis Williams

Democrat

 

Bob Rhodunda

Republican

D: 44%

R: 32%

O: 24%

Even after two terms, Williams still looks to the Republicans like someone they can take out Advantage: Democrat
House 23rd

Newark

Paul Baumbach

Democrat

 

Mark Doughty

Republican

D: 41%

R: 31%

O: 28%

Baumbach is favored, but this is UD country, where it would be unwise to count out a candidate with the prize endorsement Doughty has from Tubby Raymond Advantage: Democrat
House 11th

Southern New Castle County-northern Kent County

Lynne Newlin

Democrat

 

Jeffrey Spiegelman

Republican

D: 42%

R: 31%

O: 27%

Spiegelman is running under the radar and could slip by the Democratic registration edge Advantage: Republican
House 29th

Cheswold-Dover-Camden

Lincoln Willis

Republican

 

Trey Paradee

Democrat

D: 44%

R: 32%

O: 24%

Although Willis coasted into this seat in '10, the Democrats are making a run with Paradee, who sat out the last election but nearly won it in '08 Advantage: Republican
House 32nd

Dover

Andria Bennett

Democrat

 

Ellis Parrott

Republican

D: 50%

R: 25%

O: 25%

Dynamite might not be enough to blast anyone named Bennett out of this seat Advantage: Democrat
House 20th

Lewes-Milton

Marie Mayor

Democrat

 

Steve Smyk

Republican

D: 39%

R: 37%

O: 24%

Mayor gets high marks for her campaign organization, but it is tough to beat a retired state trooper like Smyk in Sussex Advantage: Republican
House 37th

Georgetown-Long Neck

Ruth Briggs King

Republican

 

Beth McGinn

Democrat

D: 41%

R: 38%

O: 21%

The district was drawn to give Briggs King trouble, and it is. The manufactured housing people are restless Advantage: Republican
House 38th

Ocean View-Fenwick Island-Selbyville

Ron Gray

Republican

 

Shirley Price

Democrat

D: 35%

R: 44%

O: 21%

Price, an ex-legislator, knows how to campaign, but Gray has the registration on his side as well as Gerald Hocker, a Republican giving up the seat to run for the Senate  Advantage: Republican
House 40th

Laurel-Delmar

Tim Dukes

Republican

 

Ben Lowe

Democrat

D: 41%

R: 38%

O: 21%

The retirement of Biff Lee, an 11-term Republican, opened up this Sussex seat in territory favorable to a Republican Advantage: Republican

Incumbents in bold

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