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ARCHIVESGOING, GOING, GONE?Posted: July 15, 2008 When Ruth Ann Minner leaves office in January, it is all but certain that the first woman to be elected governor of Delaware will leave state politics with a void apparently no one saw coming. Ten years ago, it hardly seemed possible. RAGE AGAINST THE DESK DRAWERPosted: July 9, 2008 The state legislators with districts including Newark hosted a forum Tuesday evening for their constituents, who were suspicious about a number of the practices of the Delaware General Assembly. The legislators were, too. A PHANTOM RETIREMENT, AFTER ALLPosted: July 7, 2008 Just what the Republicans needed -- another seat for their threatened majority to defend in the state House of Representatives. A week after the Delaware General Assembly ended amid speculation that another Republican would be leaving, one is. HE'S GOING EVERYWHERE, MANPosted: July 3, 2008 Jack Markell is rolling out his campaign for governor with "57 in 57," a tour that will take him to all of Delaware's 57 cities and towns over 57 hours. It is also taking him to unconventional politics in his rivalry with John Carney for the Democratic nomination. NOT WITH A BANG, BUT A WHIMPERPosted: July 1, 2008 The Delaware General Assembly slouched out of Dover and into history when it ended its two-year term on June 30 with the customary political pyrotechnics, maddening delays and some last good-byes for departing colleagues. HOW BERNARD PEPUKAYI'S NOMINATION WAS SAVEDPosted: June 27, 2008 There was a flurry of legal activity, reaching all the way to the Delaware Supreme Court, before Bernard Pepukayi had his day in the state Senate, where the governor's deputy legal counsel was up for confirmation to a Family Court post. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: June 26, 2008 An AFL-CIO endorsement in the Democratic gubernatorial primary eludes John Carney, but it is not his fault. Sam Lathem, the labor organization's leader, has a change of heart. Jack Markell, the other Democrat for governor, goes where no candidate has gone before. FIGHTING WORDS? NOT FROM CARNEYPosted: June 21, 2008 The climate, whether meteorological or political, was mild Saturday as Lt. Gov. John Carney declared his candidacy for governor and finessed his relationships with Gov. Ruth Ann Minner and Treasurer Jack Markell, his rival for the Democratic nomination. LAWS, SAUSAGES AND DEMOCRATIC ENDORSEMENTSPosted: June 19, 2008 The Delaware Democratic Party took care of business its own way when its executive committee voted Wednesday on statewide endorsements, including the one prized by John Carney for governor. Not much met the public eye. NEWS RELEASE: CARNEY LEADS LIST OF DEMOCRATIC ENDORSEMENTSPosted: June 18, 2008 The Delaware Democrats' executive committee endorsed John Carney for governor in a meeting Wednesday evening. The backing for Carney and other statewide Democrats followed recommendations from county, city and local Democratic committees. SOMEWHAT OLD, SOMEWHAT NEWPosted: June 17, 2008 In the Democratic primary for governor, Lt. Gov. John Carney is trying to calibrate where he should be between traditional party politics and the new age of campaigning. Treasurer Jack Markell made his decision long ago. A JUDGESHIP? JUST WHAT JOHN PARKINS ALWAYS WANTEDPosted: June 13, 2008 John Parkins' first stop out of law school was the court as a law clerk, and his last should be the court as a judge. Parkins, a partner at Richards Layton & Finger, is Gov. Ruth Ann Minner's choice for a Superior Court opening. LEGISLATIVE WATCH LISTPosted: June 12, 2008 Not all of the legislators will be back for the next term, and not just because of retirements. Delaware Grapevine lists the key races for the General Assembly in the 2008 election, as the current session points toward dismissal on June 30. THOSE NAMES HAVE A FAMILIAR RING TO THEMPosted: June 9, 2008 Yes, almost all of the names going to the governor for a Superior Court opening, caused by the retirement of Judge Susan Del Pesco, have been seen somewhere before. They were on the list the last time there was a vacancy, only to be short-circuited by politics. MATT DENN MOWS ONPosted: June 7, 2008 Matt Denn's unswerving sense of purpose is taking him from his current post as the Democratic insurance commissioner to a race for lieutenant governor against Charlie Copeland, the state Senate's Republican minority leader, who does not back down, either. CONGRESSIONAL NOTEBOOKPosted: June 5, 2008 Tom Carper, one of Delaware's Democratic senators, tiptoes into delivering his support to Barack Obama in a move consistent with his character. Joe Biden, the other Democratic senator, has unmentionables turned into mentionable by a Capitol Hill newspaper. VICMEAD'S GOOD VIBRATIONSPosted: June 3, 2008 When the Delaware Republicans gathered Monday evening at the Vicmead Hunt Club in Chateau Country for their premier annual event, they had the revelation that there was more to them than a garden party. They actually were a political party, after all. CONSTITUTIONAL CONUNDRUMPosted: May 30, 2008 State Rep. Bob Valihura could be in the running for a judgeship. He has a law degree from a good school. He has 21 years in as a member of the Delaware bar. What he does not have is an assurance the state constitution will let him. BLUNT TALKPosted: May 28, 2008 When Wilmington Council President Ted Blunt announced that he was yanking himself out of the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, he did not bother to address a number of factors that were dragging down his candidacy. LEG HALL LINGOPosted: May 16, 2008 There is more to understanding the workings of the Delaware General Assembly than reading bills and checking the roll calls. The insiders have a language all their own, so here is a glossary for figuring out what they mean. POLI-TICKINGPosted: May 14, 2008 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. Charlie Copeland makes a move to give himself running room. Joe Biden and Tom Carper answer a question from a Capital Hill newspaper they did not expect to be asked. BILL LEE'S STATEMENT: "I'M IN"Posted: May 13, 2008 Bill Lee officially entered the governor's race by filing his candidacy Tuesday with the state Elections Department, 10 days after the Delaware Republican Party drafted him at its convention. Here is his statement. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: May 9, 2008 A week after the Delaware Republicans endorsed a ticket, the candidates for governor and insurance commissioner still are not on the campaign trail, but they are close. Congressman Mike Castle came out of the Republican convention needing his checkbook. UNDER NEW MANAGEMENTPosted: May 7, 2008 The Delaware Republicans installed Tom Ross as the new state chair at their convention Saturday in Dewey Beach. They got someone who is not an average Republican but already has made his mark in party politics. THE RETURN OF BILL LEEPosted: May 5, 2008 After the draft last weekend at the Republican state convention, Bill Lee has returned from political exile at Disney World with all the magic he needs to bring a campaign for governor to life. He sounds very much like someone on the verge of saying yes. NOTHING CONVENTIONAL ABOUT THIS CONVENTIONPosted: May 3, 2008 The Delaware Republicans had themselves a throwback of a convention this weekend at Dewey Beach, where there was no script, but there were a draft, a clash for leadership, a resignation and almost as many candidates absent as present. THE CHEMISTRY RETURNS TO THE DELAWARE REPUBLICANSPosted: May 1, 2008 The Republican state convention this weekend in Dewey Beach could produce a gubernatorial ticket and a fight for a spot on the Republican National Committee -- events that could energize the party by tapping its deepest roots. A PRIVATE LAW FIRM HARBORS A PUBLIC SIDEPosted: April 27, 2008 The partners at Oberly Jennings & Rhodunda -- a former attorney general, former chief deputy attorney general and former New Castle County attorney -- are taking their law practice to another firm. It is not a surprise which one it is. BILL LEE AND CHARLIE COPELAND COULD BE THE TICKETPosted: April 25, 2008 After three barren months of watching the Democrats monopolize the gubernatorial field, the Republicans are working to resurrect themselves with the prospect of retired Judge Bill Lee for governor and state Senate Minority Leader Charlie Copeland for lieutenant governor. DRAFTING BILL LEEPosted: April 23, 2008 The Delaware Republicans are 10 days away from their convention, where they will be voting on endorsements for statewide candidates. Their field for governor is woefully thin. They could draft Bill Lee, but if they do, they will have to do it without him. STATE SEN. STEVE AMICK WILL NOT RUN FOR RE-ELECTIONPosted: April 21, 2008 State Sen. Steve Amick, a Newark Republican with 22 years as a legislator, told his local newspaper Monday he will not run for re-election. His notice comes two weeks after state Rep. Bethany Hall-Long, a Middletown Democrat, announced she would seek the seat. JUDGE JANE ROTH DOES THE UNTHINKABLEPosted: April 18, 2008 Judge Jane Roth was put on the bench by Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush, two Republican presidents. She was married to Bill Roth, the late Republican senator. Jane Roth could not possibly change her party affiliation. Could she? "THURMAN A., HE'S OK"Posted: April 16, 2008 The Legislative Hall crowd pulled one over on state Sen. Thurman Adams Jr., the Democratic president pro tem who is usually in on everything, when it organized a banquet held in his honor Tuesday evening in Dover. SURPRISE! A SUSSEX REPUBLICAN WANTS TO TAKE ON JOE BIDENPosted: April 15, 2008 Sussex County has something of a tradition for sending forth unknown Republican candidates to duel with mighty Democrats for their seats in the U.S. Senate. It worked once, a long time ago, and someone new wants to try in 2008 against Joe Biden. NEVER SAY NEVERPosted: April 11, 2008 Bill Lee was supposed to be finished with all thoughts of running for governor when he told the Delaware Republicans about a month ago to find somebody else. The longer they go without a candidate, the more his name resurfaces in a candidacy that will not die. POLI-TICKINGPosted: April 9, 2008 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. In the race for governor, a good Democrat can get confused. Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor takes some interesting phone calls. Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn gives from the office. CONVENTION NOTEBOOKPosted: April 7, 2008 More than the highlights of electing national delegates took place Saturday in Dover at the Delaware Democrats' convention. There were also sidelights -- asides in speeches and in the political protocol for the day. JOE BIDEN STEALS THE DAY AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONPosted: April 5, 2008 The Delaware Democrats met Saturday in Dover to elect delegates to their national nominating convention in Denver, and although Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton got their due, the state party's heart was still with Joe Biden, the favorite son. FOR THE DEMOCRATS, IT COULD BE TIME TO PARTY LIKE IT IS 1982Posted: April 3, 2008 Delaware's voter registration numbers are flowing in the Democrats' direction, driven by everything from unrest to the primary for governor. It is likely to affect the election for the state House of Representatives, where the Democrats have not had a victory party in decades. RUNNING-AWAY MATESPosted: March 31, 2008 The Delaware Republicans not only have had trouble finding someone of stature to run for governor. There also have been people declining to run for lieutenant governor. Call these folks the running-away mates. ANOTHER REPUBLICAN SAYS NO TO GOVERNORPosted: March 27, 2008 The Republicans are up to four strikes and still are out a candidate for governor. State Rep. Donna Stone said she would not run, shortly before a party leadership meeting Wednesday evening when Terry Strine, the state chair, was hoping to announce that she would. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: March 26, 2008 A council of consulting engineers takes the measure of Lt. Gov. John Carney and Treasurer Jack Markell, the Democratic candidates for governor. An invitation for a candidate for insurance commissioner finds its way to the wrong place. MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL POLITICS, PART IIPosted: March 24, 2008 Got money? No one gets elected without it. Earlier this month, Delaware Grapevine charted the finances for the candidates in statewide races at the start of the 2008 campaign season. Here is a look at the candidates in key legislative contests. POLI-TICKINGPosted: March 20, 2008 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The Democrats say what they have to say about state Rep. Nancy Wagner, a Dover Republican, without saying it. State Rep. Terry Spence, the Republican speaker, does what he always does. SURPRISE, SURPRISE, CHRIS BULLOCK BACKS OUTPosted: March 18, 2008 In a long courtship of politics, Chris Bullock has thought frequently about running for office. The Wilmington pastor finally made it look serious last month by announcing as a Democratic congressional candidate, but he got cold feet again. WHAT'S A PARTY TO DO?Posted: March 14, 2008 In the next three months, the Delaware Democrats will be figuring out what to do about a party endorsement for governor between Lt. Gov. John Carney and Treasurer Jack Markell, or maybe what not to do. It is an excruciating decision. POLI-TICKINGPosted: March 12, 2008 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. Bill Lee chooses March madness over political madness. Tom Carper goes for athletic madness. Eliot Spitzer shows the difference between New York and Delaware madness. LEGISLATIVE NOTEBOOKPosted: March 10, 2008 It is beginning to look a lot like an election year around Legislative Hall. A Democratic representative takes a look at bumping a Republican senator. Letters are exchanged by Republicans about state Rep. Nancy Wagner, one of their own. MORE WOE FOR NANCY WAGNERPosted: March 7, 2008 A critical letter with 26 signatures provides new ammunition against state Rep. Nancy Wagner and her husband Bud over their public paychecks. Even worse for her, all of the signers are Republicans who are supposed to be on her side. MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL POLITICSPosted: March 5, 2008 Got money? No one gets elected without it. Delaware Grapevine provides a summary of the state of the financial state of the statewide candidates, from a bankroll of $2.5 million for Jack Markell to a six-figure debt that makes Dennis Spivack's treasury as iffy as his candidacy. AS THE 41ST DISTRICT TURNSPosted: March 3, 2008 John Atkins has careened back into the public arena, not even a year after he was run out of the legislature for conduct unbecoming. He has switched parties and filed for his old seat in the latest episode of soap-opera politics in the 41st Representative District in Sussex County. RUMORS OF THE JUDGE'S CANDIDACY ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATEDPosted: Feb. 28, 2008 If Judge Susan Del Pesco is running for governor, it is news to her. Del Pesco, who is retiring from the Superior Court, came home from a vacation to discover the rumor spreading throughout Delaware. She is not now and will not be a candidate. "A DELAWAREAN FOR ALL SEASONS"Posted: Feb. 27, 2008 Where else but the Vicmead Hunt Club should there be a memorial service for Laird Stabler, the Republican stalwart who frequented it as the outdoorsman he was and as a politician attending events there? Hundreds of people came out for it. RETIRE WHEN READYPosted: Feb. 26, 2008 A plan that state Sen. John Still once had for restoring the Delaware Republican Party did not work out, and instead he is retiring after spending 20 years representing a Dover-area district he would like to turn over to a former mayor. W. LAIRD STABLER JR., 1930-2008Posted: Feb. 24, 2008 W. Laird Stabler Jr., a Republican national committeeman who never forget he was a Delawarean first, died early Sunday morning at home in Montchanin in the state he loved and served as its attorney general and U.S. attorney in 40 years of public life. TIMING IS EVERYTHING IN POLITICSPosted: Feb. 22, 2008 The Kent County Democrats are taking advantage of unfavorable news coverage of state Rep. Nancy Wagner, an eight-term Republican, to set up a showdown that could figure prominently in the contest for control of the state House of Representatives. REPUBLICANS' "PLAN B" LOOKS BALKYPosted: Feb. 19, 2008 The Sussex County Lincoln Day Dinner on Monday evening in Rehoboth Beach was another time for the Republicans to remind themselves they do not have a candidate for governor. There is a "Plan B" of sorts, but he is balking. JUDGE DEL PESCO PREPARES TO HANG UP HER ROBEPosted: Feb. 15, 2008 Judge Susan Del Pesco has told her colleagues that she intends to retire in May from the Superior Court, which was a different place when she arrived 20 years ago. Del Pesco was the first woman appointed to the court. A SUPER-CHARGED DEBATEPosted: Feb. 12, 2008 The Democrats' super-delegates -- the elected and party leaders who are free to vote for any presidential candidate they like -- have enflamed a new conspiracy theory about a stolen nomination. It would be helpful to remember who these super-delegates are. CHRIS BULLOCK, OR CHANGEPosted: Feb. 9, 2008 Change was afoot Saturday, as Chris Bullock declared his candidacy for Delaware's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, whether it was the change he wants to make in policy, his change in party or his change in the typical three-county announcement tour. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Feb. 7, 2008 Republican John Brady takes another bite out of politics by declaring for insurance commissioner and asking voters to "let the big guy work for you." The Democrats crunch the numbers and allot their presidential delegates, but it is not exactly chiseled in stone. GENERATION OBAMAPosted: Feb. 5, 2008 Generational change came to the Delaware Democrats as Barack Obama won the presidential primary Tuesday with endorsements from John Carney and Jack Markell, the men who want to be governor. It was not so transitional on the Republican side with John McCain. CHELSEA MORNINGPosted: Feb. 4, 2008 With only a day to go before Delaware's presidential primary, the Clinton campaign rushed in Chelsea Clinton to the University of Delaware to counter the rival onslaught from Barack Obama and Michelle Obama in the contest for the Democratic nomination. RODNEY SQUARE ROCKS WITH OBA-MANIAPosted: Feb. 3, 2008 In a throwback to an era when politics was large-scale picnics and torchlight parades, 20,000 people interrupted their Super Bowl preparations Sunday to see Barack Obama bring his presidential campaign to Rodney Square in Wilmington. MCCAIN BUILDS MOMENTUM IN DELAWAREPosted: Feb. 1, 2008 Congressman Mike Castle and Tom Ridge, the Pennsylvania ex-governor who also was the Homeland Security secretary, went on a tour of Delaware on behalf of John McCain's Republican presidential campaign, picking up endorsements as they did. MICHELLE OBAMA WOOS THEM AND WOWS THEMPosted: Jan. 31, 2008 In Delaware's abbreviated season for the presidential primary, a visit from Michelle Obama provided an unanticipated jolt of excitement to a state that otherwise expects to be mostly an afterthought in the mass voting on Super Duper Tuesday. STATE OF THE SEATINGPosted: Jan. 29, 2008 The presidential State of the Union addresses tend to be like high school with pep-rally cheering sections and lots of attention paid to who is sitting with whom. This year some of that attention was directed intently at the two Democratic senators from Delaware. WHO'S GOT GAME FOR GOVERNOR?Posted: Jan. 25, 2008 The Delaware Republicans entertained themselves Friday evening at a party dinner by wondering whom they would run for governor, now that Alan Levin has backed out, and whom they would choose for president, now that the primary is approaching. PRIMARY SCRAMBLEPosted: Jan. 24, 2008 With 12 days to go until the presidential primary, the campaigns are turning their attention to Delaware, although not too much of it. The state's size leaves it largely lost in the voting of more than 20 states Feb. 5 on Super Duper Tuesday. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Jan. 23, 2008 Delaware politics has gone where it never has before, now that Jack Markell has raised $2.5 million to run for governor, a race that looks to be decided in a Democratic primary. Even before Alan Levin nixed his Republican candidacy, there was a bad omen. THE POLITICS IS PASTORALPosted: Jan. 21, 2008 The annual Martin Luther King breakfast Monday at the Wilmington riverfront was part church service and part political rally, so much so that a pastor acknowledged he will declare his candidacy for office next month. FEAR OF FILINGPosted: Jan. 18, 2008 Another election year, another collapse of the odd-numbered-year candidacies for the state legislators who envision themselves running for higher office, especially governor and lieutenant governor, until the time comes actually to do it. LEVIN LEAVES THE REPUBLICANS UNHAPPY AND HARRIEDPosted: Jan. 17, 2008 The Delaware Republicans did not have the slightest hint that Alan Levin was having second thoughts about running for governor. Until Thursday morning, all they saw was a candidate deep into the preparations for a campaign that they believed would do the party proud. NEWS RELEASE: LEVIN IS NOT RUNNING FOR GOVERNORPosted: Jan. 17, 2008 Alan Levin, whose entry as a Republican candidate for governor seemed a foregone conclusion, released a statement Thursday morning to say he has decided not to run. He called it "the best decision for me and my family." ALAN LEVIN AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETSPosted: Jan. 15, 2008 Alan Levin has ended a two-year term as chair of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, and he left everyone hanging at a gala dinner Monday in Wilmington by making his final remarks without talking about his plans for You-Know-What. STEVE FORBES, A DELAWARE FAVORITE, RETURNS TO THE SCENEPosted: Jan. 13, 2008 Three presidential elections ago, Steve Forbes and Delaware combined for a notable moment in American politics. He was back in the state Saturday to keynote the Republicans' Lincoln Day Dinner in Dover and renew the mutual admiration society. A PRESIDENTIAL FREE-FOR-ALL FOR REPUBLICANSPosted: Jan. 11, 2008 Pick a candidate, any candidate. The Delaware Republicans are. Leading officeholders and party officials are dividing their support for president among Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Mitt Romney in the state primary on Feb. 5. FOUR OF A KINDPosted: Jan. 9, 2008 Barack Obama has drawn a strong hand in endorsements for the Democratic presidential primary here, now that Lt. Gov. John Carney has added his backing to an unexpected and even confusing show of support. NEWS RELEASE: MARKELL BANKS $2.5 MILLION FOR GOVERNOR'S RACEPosted: Jan. 9, 2008 Jack Markell, the Democratic state treasurer running for governor, said he ended 2007 with $2.5 million in his campaign account after he raised $1.6 million in new contributions during the year, as he prepares for a potential primary against Lt. Gov. John Carney. OBA-MANIA IS HEREPosted: Jan. 7, 2008 Endorsements for Barack Obama and his presidential campaign for change are flying in from Delaware Democrats, with barely a pause after the collapse of the favorite-son candidacy of Joe Biden in the Iowa caucuses. GONE WITH A NEW WINDPosted: Jan. 4, 2008 The political wind in 2008 was not at Joe Biden's back, as his next-to-last finish Thursday evening in the Democratic presidential caucuses in Iowa showed. There was too much of the Senate about him to prevent him breaking through. A CAVALRY OF ONE RIDES TO BIDEN'S AIDPosted: Jan. 2, 2008 With the Iowa caucuses set for Thursday to begin the presidential voting, Joe Biden got some help on the ground there last week from a loyal, if lonely, fellow Delaware Democrat backing his bid for the 2008 nomination. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Dec. 21, 2007 In the year of the special elections, the Delaware Democrats give credit to Howard Dean, their national chair, for a winning record. Pete du Pont's 20-year-old presidential campaign unexpectedly surfaces. The U.S. Supreme Court plays a joke on itself. IT AIN'T SO, JOEPosted: Dec. 20, 2007 As Joe Biden campaigned in Iowa for the Democratic presidential nomination, he talked about the 1972 crash that killed his wife and daughter, hospitalized his sons, and devastated himself, but what he said was not what happened. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Dec. 17, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The only Delawarean likely to get a pass for inserting politics into a football championship pops up during the University of Delaware's game. The beauty of a press release is in the eye of the issuer. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT OVER DELAWAREPosted: Dec. 14, 2007 With the University of Delaware's championship football game on the line this Friday evening, a fugitive from the rival Appalachian State University has been hiding in plain sight in one of Delaware's best-known families. WHERE'S FRED? NOT ON THE DELAWARE BALLOTPosted: Dec. 12, 2007 There are more than 178,000 Republican voters in Delaware, and Fred Thompson's presidential campaign could not find 500 of them to sign petitions to get him on the primary ballot. It was not exactly a surprise. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Dec. 10, 2007 The filing deadline for presidential candidates looking for a spot on Delaware's primary ballot passed Monday, with Joe Biden among 13 candidates, Democrat and Republican, appearing to qualify. The Democrats only wish they had such a robust field for the Congress. DECK THE HALLS WITH ANOTHER DEMOCRATPosted: Dec. 8, 2007 A new Democrat is on his way to Legislative Hall in Dover. William J. Carson Jr. won a special election Saturday for the state House of Representatives in the midst of the holiday season by outpolling Republican Christine Malec in a Kent County district. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, ATKINS STYLEPosted: Dec. 5, 2007 A yearlong probation has ended for John Atkins, the Republican ex-representative who was driven out of Dover for legal and political misdeeds. With his legal woes behind him, he seems poised to see whether he can make the same sort of political move. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Dec. 3, 2007 The biggest clues in politics are supposed to come from following the money, but there is not much to follow in the special election Saturday for a Kent County seat in the state House of Representatives. After four legislative special elections, the parties still will not get to rest. THE FICKLE FINGER OF FOOTBALLPosted: Nov. 29, 2007 Not that Joe Biden needed any extra reason to go to Iowa this weekend, but the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens gave him one with their quarterfinal football game against the University of Northern Iowa in a showdown made in political heaven. BRUCE ENNIS AND THE BRUSTERPosted: Nov. 27, 2007 Bruce Ennis had his day as he was sworn in Wednesday in Legislative Hall in Dover as the newest state senator during a special session, but he shared it with the memories of the man he replaced and a dog named the Bruster. PRESIDENTIAL POLI-TICKINGPosted: Nov. 20, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick, even at the presidential level. This is a column about that. Joe Biden has a political rally that needs a tent company to save the day. He also comes out on top in a survey of dubious distinction. LEGISLATIVE WATCH LISTPosted: Nov. 16, 2007 Election after election, there often is little change of consequence in the makeup of the General Assembly. The 2008 election is not likely to be one of them. More than a dozen seats already are in play, as the Delaware Grapevine's chart of the "Legislative Watch List" shows. FUNNY THING ABOUT WINNING . . .Posted: Nov. 13, 2007 The Kent County Democrats laughed it up Monday evening at their annual Belle Everett Dinner at the Felton Fire Hall as they prolonged their celebration of a landslide victory in a special election earlier this month for the state Senate. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Nov. 8, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The Delaware Democrats put together an organization that even the Republicans can love. A Senate aide drives himself to the top of the organizational chart. SPECIAL ELECTION NOTEBOOKPosted: Nov. 6, 2007 There probably was more history made than it appeared when Bruce Ennis won the special senatorial election Saturday for the Delaware Democrats. The reward for the Democrats is another must-win special election to keep alive their hopes of a House majority. DEMOCRATS KEEP VAUGHN'S SEAT IN A LANDSLIDEPosted: Nov. 3, 2007 The voters in the 14th Senatorial District replaced one Democratic legislator who used to be a state trooper with another, when they went to the polls in a special election Saturday and chose Bruce E. Ennis for the seat held for 27 years by the late James T. Vaughn Sr. POLITICAL TRICK OR TREATPosted: Nov. 1, 2007 The end of Halloween did not lift the mask on campaign spending by a new political action committee calling itself the "DCCC" and involving itself in the special election scheduled Saturday in a state Senate district. IT HAD TO BE JOEPosted: Oct. 30, 2007 Not surprisingly, the Delaware Democrats dedicated their Jefferson Jackson Dinner, the party's biggest event of the year, to their favorite son, but not just because Joe Biden is running for president. It also distracted them from other things. PRESIDENTIAL POLI-TICKINGPosted: Oct. 25, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick, even in the presidential campaign. This is a column about that. Joe Biden plans a couple of big events that nobody may hear about. He gets some help in Iowa from New Castle County Executive Chris Coons. A LAWYER SAVES THE REPUBLICANS FROM THEMSELVESPosted: Oct. 22, 2007 Campaign finance laws are so complicated, they are something only a lawyer could love. That is the reason it pays to have a lawyer review what a campaign is doing -- even if it comes after the fact, as the Republicans just found out. THE CASE FINALLY IS CLOSED ON JOHN ATKINSPosted: Oct. 19, 2007 Nearly a year after former state Rep. John C. Atkins' arrest for a domestic fight, a report finally became public from the state Justice Department, clearing him of a nagging allegation that he tampered with a witness by trying to silence a babysitter who was present. REPUBLICAN MANIPULATIONPosted: Oct. 18, 2007 The Internet comes with an implicit warning to beware its content because of the ease with which it can be altered. An example can be found on the Website of the Republican candidate in the upcoming special legislative election. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Oct. 17, 2007 There was a sense of spy-versus-spy last week in the Democratic gubernatorial contest between Lt. Gov. John Carney and Treasurer Jack Markell. Another possible candidacy against Mike Castle, the Republican congressman, is snuffed out. A DIFFERENT ROLL CALLPosted: Oct. 16, 2007 Legislative Hall seemed to be transported from Dover to Smyrna when dozens of state officials, including Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, assembled Tuesday morning for the funeral of James T. Vaughn Sr., the Democratic state senator who died last week. A SALUTE AND A WINKPosted: Oct. 15, 2007 Delaware Republicans gathered Friday evening at Vicmead Hunt Club in Chateau Country for their premier annual event. It was a salute to an officeholder they have and to one they would like to have. RUDY, YES, BUT BUSH, NO, AND JOE BIDEN, MAYBE SOPosted: Oct. 12, 2007 A new poll of Delaware voters by Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey shows Rudy Giuliani on the right track, George Bush on the wrong track and Joe Biden on two different tracks, one for the Senate and one for the presidency. STATE SEN. JAMES T. VAUGHN SR., 1925-2007Posted: Oct. 11, 2007 James T. Vaughn Sr. took care of his last public business two weeks ago when he resigned from the state Senate. Vaughn, at 82-year-old Clayton Democrat, died Wednesday after a lifetime of duty that he performed his way. PEEK-A-BOO CANDIDATESPosted: Oct. 9, 2007 The leading candidates for governor are running now-you-see-them-now-you-don't campaigns with more than a year to go before the election, but make no mistake about it, they are working harder than it may appear to the naked eye. SPECIAL ELECTION TRIVIAPosted: Oct. 5, 2007 The legislative special election to replace James T. Vaughn Sr., a Democrat who resigned from the state Senate, is creating a number of records and oddities, all coming weeks before the voting Nov. 3 in the district spanning New Castle County and Kent County. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Oct. 3, 2007 The rush to judgment with the squished schedule of presidential primaries and caucuses could become orderly under the Delaware Plan, a proposal to unpack the states. The family tradition in state politics has new adherents. STATE GOP CHOOSES SCHOOL BOARD LEADER FOR SPECIAL ELECTIONPosted: Sept. 29, 2007 Delaware Republicans hustled to get a candidate in place for the special election caused by the resignation of state Sen. James T. Vaughn Sr., a Democrat who served for 27 years, and came up with Joanne Christian, the president of the Appoquinimink School Board. A NEW POLITICAL COMBOPosted: Sept. 28, 2007 As one of only two Republican statewide officeholders, Congressman Mike Castle is adept at working across the aisle. His routine dealings with Democratic Sen. Tom Carper are well known, but he found a new avenue because of a children's health bill. DEMOCRATS TAP REP. BRUCE ENNIS FOR SPECIAL ELECTIONPosted: Sept. 27, 2007 Within hours of the announcement that state Sen. James T. Vaughn Sr. was resigning for health reasons, his fellow Democrats had a candidate in place to run for his seat. State Rep. Bruce C. Ennis was an obvious choice -- and a speedy one, outdistancing the Republicans. VAUGHN TO RESIGN FROM THE STATE SENATEPosted: Sept. 26, 2007 After 27 years in the legislature, state Sen. James T. Vaughn Sr. acknowledged that his poor health means he no longer can do the job. The resignation sets up a special election to replace the conservative Democrat in a district spanning New Castle County and Kent County. THE MYSTERY OF MICHELE ROLLINSPosted: Sept. 24, 2007 There is really no such thing as a coincidence in politics. It meant there was a lot of speculation about what it meant when Michele Rollins was invited to give a speech at a dinner for the Republican Party, which has a lot of holes on its statewide ticket. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Sept. 21, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. A decision by the Newark Council lets the General Assembly dodge another special election. A candidate is alive to campaign for votes today in spite of his upbringing. A BOOK BRINGS JOE BIDEN BACKPosted: Sept. 19, 2007 Joe Biden is doing book signings for Promises to Keep, his personal and political memoir, because of his commitment to the publisher, but the one he did Monday evening in Elsmere was more than a book signing. It was a homecoming. CARNEY BRISTLES NO MOREPosted: Sept. 17, 2007 There is something different now about Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr., a two-term Democrat running for governor. He is showing the effects of a campaign fund-raiser that was held for him Saturday evening in Felton and exposed him for what he really is. A-G BIDEN QUIT REPRESENTING PSYCHIATRIC CENTERPosted: Sept. 15, 2007 The Delaware Psychiatric Center was left without legal advice when Attorney General Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III decided to investigate the facility instead of representing it. Stunned officials rushed to find outside legal counsel to replace the Justice Department. ALMOST A YEAR AFTER STROKE, IT IS BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR CASTLEPosted: Sept. 13, 2007 In another 10 days, it will be a year since U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, an eight-term Republican, had a mild stroke. He shrugged it off in a matter of weeks in time to be re-elected and continues to tend to his congressional work, his constituency and another campaign. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Sept. 10, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The Democrats have an overabundance of statewide candidates but still could get another one. The Republicans flesh out their staff at state headquarters. GET READY, GET SET, GOPosted: Sept. 4, 2007 In the time between the weekends of the Democrats' Sussex County Beach Jamboree and Labor Day, the politicians in Delaware did not take the end of the summer off. The campaigning was in full swing, even though the next election year still is months away. SPIVACK CASTS DOUBT ON HIS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDACYPosted: Aug. 31, 2007 Democrat Dennis Spivack never stopped running after he lost last year to U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, a Republican who won his eighth term, but now Spivack acknowledges his plans for another campaign in 2008 are in jeopardy, if not over. PREACHING POLITICSPosted: Aug. 30, 2007 An anti-war rally focused mainly on U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, an eight-term Republican, provided an opportunity for the Rev. Christopher A. Bullock to give a speech and to think about running for the Congress himself in 2008. JAMBOREE NOTEBOOKPosted: Aug. 28, 2007 From U.S. Sen. Tom Carper to the Delaware Democrats' regional chairs in the three counties and the city, the party did what it could Saturday to help out Joe Biden's presidential campaign at the Sussex County Beach Jamboree. CANDIDATE JAMPosted: Aug. 26, 2007 Maybe there was a little too much going on Saturday evening, when the Delaware Democrats gathered at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes for a hotter-than-ever Sussex County Beach Jamboree, stuffed with "favorite son" presidential politics and primaries. "MAKE DELAWARE HAPPY AGAIN"Posted: Aug. 22, 2007 Please do not say that Alan B. Levin is running for governor, just because he has spent the second half of August showing up at political events set up to let his fellow Republicans get a look at him and the occasional Democrat, too. THOSE "CASTLE '08" BUTTONS MEANT WHAT THEY SAIDPosted: Aug. 20, 2007 Wishing that U. S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, the eight-term Republican, would retire has not worked for the Democrats, so they have moved ahead with trying to find someone to run against him in 2008. They appear to have takers. MARY JORNLIN THEISEN, NEW CASTLE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, 1927-2007Posted: Aug. 17, 2007 Mary Jornlin Theisen, a New Castle County executive whose dignity was an antidote to troubled times in the 1970s, died Friday at her Greenville home. A Republican who also served as state treasurer, she was a pioneering political figure. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Aug. 16, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The Republicans look at state Rep. Robert J. Valihura Jr. as a possible candidate for insurance commissioner, but can they afford to? A political arms race escalates in the state House of Representatives. NATURAL POLITICAL ENEMIES, DELAWARE STYLEPosted: Aug. 14, 2007 The "Favorite Son Rally" for Joe Biden, conceived by a Democratic union president and Republican chamber of commerce chairman, continues to make odd alliances as the planning goes forward for the event, tentatively scheduled for sometime in October. CONNOLLY IS CLOSE TO A JUDICIAL NOMINATIONPosted: Aug. 10, 2007 The White House tentatively has settled on U.S. Attorney Colm F. Connolly for a federal judgeship, the Delaware Grapevine has learned. Connolly must go through a background check before he receives the nomination, subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. PICK A JUDGE, ANY JUDGEPosted: Aug. 8, 2007 An opening on a federal court needs action from the other two branches of government to be filled. U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle is doing his part to have a new judge named, but the Bush administration is lagging in appointing someone to an eight-month-old vacancy. BUYING JOE BIDENPosted: Aug. 5, 2007 The line went on for more than two and half hours Sunday morning when Joe Biden went to Rehoboth Beach to sign copies of Promises to Keep, his new book coming out amid the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. PLEASE DON'T COMEPosted: Aug. 3, 2007 Most politicians would all but kill for a crowd, but in Sussex County, a crowd was going to be so large that it killed an event. It says something about the cravings in the Delaware Republican Party for a candidate to run for governor. MATT DENN AIMS AT SCORING CREDIT ON RIVAL TURFPosted: Aug. 1, 2007 Sometimes a bill-signing ceremony means more than the governor's signature making a law. Sometimes there is a political angle to it, as there was for insurance-related legislation backed by Insurance Commissioner Matthew P. Denn. POLI-TICKINGPosted: July 30, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. State Treasurer Jack A. Markell focuses his vision as he runs for the Democratic nomination for governor. The most expensive state Senate race in Delaware history gets ready for a repeat. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: July 26, 2007 State Sen. Colin R.J. Bonini cannot resist flirting with statewide office, this time with the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Meanwhile, Insurance Commissioner Matthew P. Denn, who wants the Democratic nomination for the same office, is telling all on a blog. JOE TUBEPosted: July 24, 2007 YouTube has done a lot to enliven politics, but its partnership with CNN on a Democratic presidential debate was not it. Joe Biden did what he could to cope with this new Internet-inspired twist on campaigning. 'APPY ALAN 'AS ITPosted: July 5, 2007 As Alan B. Levin ends his tenure as a drug store executive on Friday, he is making the moves that could turn him into the Republican nominee for governor. Still, it pays to remember that Levin has made his way by knowing when to U-turn. DOUBLE-CROSS IN DOVERPosted: July 1, 2007 The Democrats were blindsided Saturday during the last night of the legislative session in Dover, as the Republicans bailed on what was supposed to be a bipartisan bill because of implications for the governor's race in 2008. FAVORITE $ONPosted: June 29, 2007 Take a Democratic labor leader. Add a Republican who could run for governor. Factor in a U.S. senator campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. Put it all together in Delaware, and it turns into an event that only could happen here. PRESIDENTIAL PROWLINGSPosted: June 28, 2007 The 2008 presidential campaign is so pervasive that it is creeping into the back corners of Sussex County, all because Delaware is one of some 20 states likely to decide the presidential nominations with its primary scheduled for Feb. 5. LEGISLATIVE NOTEBOOKPosted: June 25, 2007 In the strange twists and turns of Legislative Hall, state Sen. Charles L. Copeland, the Republican minority leader, discovers the power of getting what he wants, and a longtime family feud is put aside by offspring with no memory of it. KEEP AWAYPosted: June 21, 2007 The state Senate can be a black hole for legislation when a core of senators wants it to be. There is no better example than the fate of the gay rights bill, which failed to clear a committee for consideration by the full chamber, as it has for session after session. RUDY ROLLS INPosted: June 14, 2007 Rudy Giuliani brought presidential politics and New York style to Delaware when he swept in Thursday to court the Republicans who will hold their primary on Feb. 5 in a round of voting likely to decide the nomination. Guiliani came away with contributions and press coverage. ALAN LEVIN LEAVES WALGREENSPosted: June 13, 2007 While Alan B. Levin ponders a run for governor on the Republican ticket, he is making another move. A year after selling Happy Harry's to Walgreens, he is departing to form a new business that will take him out of the executive office for drug stores. GUEST COLUMNS: DECRIMINALIZING TRAFFIC STOPSPosted: June 11, 2007 Legislation that would turn most traffic stops from criminal offenses to civil infractions is the subject of two guest columns. Prosecutor Paul R. Wallace argues for the bill on behalf of the state Department of Justice. Lawyer Brian F. Dolan argues against it. THE WHITE GLOVES ARE OFFPosted: June 8, 2007 Delaware politics is entering a new phase, as shown by the inclination of Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr. and Treasurer Jack A. Markell to compete for the Democratic nomination for governor. For decades the politicians here were more likely to take turns. THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR IS HEREPosted: June 6, 2007 Treasurer Jack A. Markell went public Wednesday with his plans to run for governor, a decision that sets up a climactic Democratic primary with Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr. in a clash that party leaders fervently wished to avoid. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: June 5, 2007 A prime reason that Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr. and Treasurer Jack A. Markell are expected to collide in a Democratic gubernatorial primary is that the state's top offices are locked up. In another note, the Republicans leave an opening for the Democrats in press relations. JACK'S BACK ON TRACKPosted: June 2, 2007; updated: June 3, 2007 A gourmet fund-raiser Saturday in Milton for Treasurer Jack A. Markell served up all sorts of hearty fare -- appetizers, main courses, side dishes and desserts -- as well as political nibbles about Markell's plans for 2008, including a promise of an announcement shortly. BEAU BIDEN SIDLES UP TO THE BAR, AND THEY'RE BUYINGPosted: May 31, 2007 Law Day gave the Delaware State Bar Association an opportunity last week to hear from Attorney General Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, and it gave him an opportunity to propose an exchange he said would have mutual benefit. POLI-TICKINGPosted: May 23, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. Mitt Romney is coming to Delaware, not that many people are supposed to know about it. Political operatives of both parties make their moves. BLUNT FORCEPosted: May 21, 2007 Democratic deal making, aimed at putting together a statewide ticket without party bloodshed, did not stop Wilmington Council President Theodore Blunt from declaring his candidacy for lieutenant governor in a statewide tour Saturday. "NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP"Posted: May 19, 2007 The Delaware Republicans were looking for a way out of the political doldrums when they met this weekend at their state convention in Dover. They came away pinning their hopes on a possible candidate for governor in 2008. CARNEY AND MARKELL DISCUSS A DEALPosted: May 16, 2007 In a concerted effort to head off a Democratic primary for governor, Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr. and Treasurer Jack A. Markell are being urged to consider a ticket of Carney for governor and Markell for lieutenant governor. U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper is working to broker a deal. SEARCHING FOR A REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNORPosted: May 15, 2007 State Sen. Charles L. Copeland, the Republican minority leader, has taken all the right steps to become his party's candidate for governor in 2008, except the last one. The Republicans may be looking elsewhere when they hold their state convention this weekend. ATKINS GETS A DEMOCRATIC "DEAR JOHN"Posted: May 11, 2007 A write-in campaign did not get John C. Atkins back to the state House of Representatives. Switching parties from Republican to Democrat is another way he could try, but he should not expect a welcome mat from the Democratic leadership. REFLECTIONS OF PETE DU PONTPosted: May 10, 2007 The governorship of Pierre S. du Pont, a Republican who served from 1977 to 1985, is the subject of a new book in the Delaware Heritage Commission's series on Delaware's executives. This look back comes at a time the state could use some help looking ahead. MAKING RICH ABBOTT PUT THE "COURT" IN "COURTESY"Posted: May 8, 2007 The rules governing the way lawyers should treat judges are enforced by judges, so lawyers who break the rules ought to figure out they will be in trouble. It happened to Richard L. Abbott, a Hockessin attorney who was once a New Castle County Republican councilman. REPUBLICANS SAVE A SEAT AND THEMSELVESPosted: May 5, 2007 Relief came for the Republicans in the Sussex County special election Saturday, when they righted themselves by electing Gregory A. Hastings to the state House of Representatives. It was put in jeopardy by the continuing escapades of John C. Atkins. WRITE-IN VOTES WILL BE COUNTED SATURDAY NIGHTUpdated: May 4, 2007 Election officials had second thoughts about letting write-in votes go uncounted for two days, as is normal, in the Sussex County special election Saturday, because their is no telling how much of an impact the write-in campaign for John C. Atkins will have. ALL THINGS ATKINS CONTINUE TO AMAZEPosted: May 2, 2007 The strange circumstances surrounding the special election Saturday in Sussex County could get stranger yet. If there is a surge of write-in votes for John C. Atkins, it could delay the vote tabulation. The special election also is putting a crimp in Cinco de Mayo. POLI-TICKINGPosted: April 30, 2007 It is the little things that makes politics tick. This is a column about that. Democrat Matthew P. Denn looks at exchanging his title as insurance commissioner for a new one in 2008. Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign starts to stir in Delaware. IT WAS GOOD TO BE THE DEMOCRATSPosted: April 25, 2007 What happened in the House Ethics Committee is staying in the House Ethics Committee, at least for now. The House Republican caucus abruptly canceled a press conference that was to produce information about John C. Atkins, the Republican ex-representative who resigned. ROUND TWOPosted: April 24, 2007 Joseph A. Hurley, the criminal defense lawyer, was a one-man protest when the state Senate voted to let M. Jane Brady leave the Attorney General's Office for a judgeship. Now Hurley is back with a new protest involving Brady on the bench. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: April 20, 2007 The special election last weekend in Brandywine Hundred was one for the books. Not only was there a Democratic victory in a Republican district, there were also an oddly-timed poll and a strange-looking map, not to mention an unlucky campaign trinket. NEVER MINDPosted: April 19, 2007 What happened in the House Ethics Committee is staying in the House Ethics Committee, at least for now. The House Republican caucus abruptly canceled a press conference that was to produce information about John C. Atkins, the Republican ex-representative who resigned. GETTING THEIR DUCKS IN A ROWPosted: April 18, 2007 The House Republicans are poised to go public with more information about John C. Atkins, their former colleague who resigned in disgrace. It follows the appearance of his campaign signs and a campaign-like letter in the special election to replace him. REPUBLICANS FOR RUDYPosted: April 17, 2007 Three months after Rudy Giuliani was in Delaware for a Republican dinner, it has paid off with the formation of a local campaign organization for his presidential bid. New York's former mayor also is expected for a return engagement in June. DEMOCRATS NAB AN ELECTION IN REPUBLICAN TERRITORYPosted: April 14, 2007 The Delaware Republicans have a reputation for winning special elections and for winning Brandywine Hundred legislative seats. Not this time. The Democrats pulled off an upset Saturday by electing Democrat Bryon H. Short to the state House of Representatives. IF NOT JOE, THEN BEAUPosted: April 13, 2007 Joseph R. Biden Jr. and III were both in Iowa a couple of weekends ago for some presidential campaigning, but the one called Beau does not plan to make a habit of it. He has other commitments at home. WHITE HOUSE INTERVIEWS SCHEDULED FOR JUDGESHIPPosted: April 12, 2007 Four candidates looking to become a federal judge are heading to Washington late this week for interviews at the White House. All were recommended by U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, the only Republican in the state's congressional delegation. CLOSED-DOOR VOTE SAVES SUSSEX REPUBLICAN CHAIRPosted: April 10, 2007 The vote was unanimous. The Sussex County Republicans decided to stick with David M. Burris, their chair who called for John C. Atkins' ouster from the legislature. They also backed Burris when he called for the press' ouster from their meeting. DUELING FUND RAISERSPosted: April 6, 2007 With 10 days to go before the special election in Brandywine Hundred, both the Democrats and the Republicans held fund raisers on Wednesday evening for their candidates. The fevered pace of a compressed campaign was on display. BRING ME THE FOOT OF A UNITED STATES SENATORPosted: April 5, 2007; updated: April 9, 2007 A broken foot was just the thing when U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper was making his rounds through the state Thursday during a congressional recess. His schedule took him to a Frederica business for a stop that no one could have made up. UNEQUAL STAKESPosted: April 3, 2007 Two special elections for legislative seats in Brandywine Hundred and Sussex County ought to be more than enough to keep the Delaware Democrats and Republicans busy, but the Republicans have the tug of another set of elections to occupy them, as well. AFTER AN UNWANTED ENCORE, ATKINS LEAVES AGAINPosted: March 31, 2007 The Republicans in the 41st Representative District were able to begin their search for a candidate Saturday, once they learned that John C. Atkins had turned off his cell phone and left for Florida with his wife, instead of trying for a comeback as a minor-party or write-in candidate. THE REMORSE OF HIS RESIGNATION WAS GREATLY EXAGGERATEDPosted: March 29, 2007 That was no resignation speech, that was a declaration of candidacy. John C. Atkins has made moves to get himself on the ballot in the special election for his Sussex County seat. If the Republican Party will not have him, he is willing to go with a minor party. ATKINS IS OUTPosted: March 27, 2007 John C. Atkins, a third-term Millsboro Republican, resigned Tuesday from the state House of Representatives before his colleagues could expel him. His determined stand to stick it out was ended by new and damaging information involving his late-night fight with his wife. SHOWDOWN IN LEGISLATIVE HALLPosted: March 26, 2007 The disciplinary matter involving state Rep. John C. Atkins is expected to come to a boil Tuesday when the state House of Representatives goes back into session amid signs that a vote to expel him is gaining momentum. SUSSEX REPUBLICAN CHAIR CALLS FOR JOHN ATKINS' OUSTERPosted: March 25, 2007 David M. Burris, barely a month into his tenure as the Sussex County Republican chair, used his "First State Politics" blog on Sunday to call for the resignation or expulsion of state Rep. John C. Atkins, a fellow Sussex County Republican. OFF WITH HIS HEADPosted: March 23, 2007 The rank-and-file in the state House of Representatives reacted overwhelmingly with disbelief to the leadership's decision to punish state Rep. John C. Atkins with a censure resolution. Instead, there is a growing movement for expulsion. TAKE THE HOUSE. PLEASE!Posted: March 21, 2007 When Wayne A. Smith resigned as the state House Republican majority leader, it set in motion a chain of events that brought into leadership some Republican representatives whose elevation was welcomed by Delaware Democrats. SPECIAL ELECTION IS APRIL 14Posted: March 20, 2007 House Speaker Terry R. Spence set the date for the special election in Brandywine Hundred on a day that the parties showed they are ready to mix it up for their candidates -- James T. Bowers for the Republicans and Bryon H. Short for the Democrats. POLI-TICKINGPosted: March 19, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. James T. Bowers, the Republican candidate in the Brandywine Hundred special election, has a hitch in his political resume. U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. does his part for another political dynasty. DISORDER IN THE COURTPosted: March 15, 2007 Three months have gone by since Kent A. Jordan moved from the U.S. District Court to the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, and there is no sign of a replacement because of an unusual set of circumstances involving the congressional delegation and the White House. SOMETHING IS IN THE AIR IN LEGISLATIVE HALLPosted: March 14, 2007 The Delaware General Assembly is having one of its strangest years ever. It was evident when the lawmakers returned to Dover on Tuesday to resume their session after a six-week break for budget hearings. Much has changed in the time off. FOR CARPER, IT'S TIME TO BABY HIS BOOMER SELFPosted: March 13, 2007 Take a U.S. senator who thrives on competition. Add in a charity volleyball tournament on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. Multiply it with his age as a Baby Boomer, and the result is a medical boot and the sidelines for Tom Carper. DEMOCRATS CHOOSE BRYON SHORT FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTIONPosted: March 12, 2007 Bryon H. Short, once an aide to U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper when he was a congressman and governor, emerged as the Democrats' candidate for a Brandywine Hundred special election to replace former House Republican Majority Leader Wayne A. Smith. POLI-TICKINGPosted: March 10, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The Republicans do their best to even the score in a volleyball competition with the Democrats. The legislative branch's loss is the executive branch's gain. BRANDYWINE HUNDRED DEMOCRATS ASTONISH THEMSELVESPosted: March 9, 2007 Even before a date has been set for a special election, the Brandywine Hundred Democrats are feeling like winners -- because state Rep. Wayne A. Smith, the Republican majority leader who was their nemesis, is giving up his seat, and they might even have a shot at it. HOUSE LEADERSHIP SLAMS STATE REP. JOHN ATKINSPosted: March 7, 2007 The Republican and Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives unanimously have concluded that Rep. John C. Atkins, a three-term Millsboro Republican, dishonored the chamber by using his office to try to get around the law. REPUBLICAN ANNOUNCES AMID GOOD SPIRITS, NOT TO MENTION BEERPosted: March 6, 2007 The Republicans held their opening campaign ceremonies Tuesday at a popular tavern for James T. Bowers, the party's choice for a special election in Brandywine Hundred to replace state Rep. Wayne A. Smith, the Republican majority leader who is resigning. REPUBLICANS HAVE A CANDIDATE UNDER WRAPSPosted: March 4, 2007 The Republicans are the first party to come up with a candidate for the special election to replace state Rep. Wayne A. Smith, the House Republican majority leader who is giving up his Brandywine Hundred seat. EXTREME POLITICSPosted: March 1, 2007 The Republicans and the Democrats are rushing into full campaign mode for the special election caused by the resignation of state Rep. Wayne A. Smith, the Republican majority leader from Brandywine Hundred. Now if the only had a date and candidates . . . STATE REP. WAYNE SMITH'S EXIT SHAKES UP THE HOUSEPosted: Feb. 28, 2007 State Rep. Wayne A. Smith's surprise resignation has led to a political cliffhanger -- with questions about a new Republican majority leader, the fate of state Rep. John Atkins and the shifting party preferences in Brandywine Hundred. NEWS RELEASE: HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER WAYNE SMITH RESIGNSPosted: Feb. 27, 2007 State Rep. Wayne A. Smith, the Brandywine Hundred Republican who as been the majority leader since 1996, abruptly announced his resignation from the House of Representatives in a press release issued Tuesday evening. A LAW FIRM AS DELAWAREAN AS LONGWOOD GARDENSPosted: Feb. 27, 2007 Not many out-of-state organizations can find acceptance in Delaware, but a Philadelphia law firm appears to be accomplishing it through an office it opened in Wilmington. Delawareans flocked to its open house last week. REMEMBER JOHN ATKINS?Posted: Feb. 22, 2007 State Rep. John C. Atkins and his problems have not gone away, even though the Millsboro Republican wishes his problems would and the state House of Representatives and the Delaware Republican Party wish he would. MAVERICKS TOGETHER, CASTLE COMMITS TO MCCAINPosted: Feb. 20, 2007 John McCain became the first candidate for the Republican presidential nomination to pick up a significant endorsement in Delaware, when U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle announced his backing Tuesday in a united show of mavericks. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Feb. 16, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The Democrats throw U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle into the briar patch. Staffers for U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper cash in and out. Sussex County Republicans find a new meaning in political football. JUSTICE DELAYED BUT NOT JUSTICE DENIEDPosted: Feb. 14, 2007 The Delaware Supreme Court disbarred an attorney when a woman he traumatized came forward 22 years later. In legal disciplinary cases, unlike criminal or civil matters, the statute of limitations never tolls. SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUEPosted: Feb. 11, 2007 State House Speaker Terry R. Spence was the man of the evening Saturday at the Kent County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in Dover, even if it did take a measure of Democratic help to do it. Some was more welcome than others. TIMING IS EVERYTHINGPosted: Feb. 9, 2007 The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of the House Democrats, has U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, the eight-term Republican, in its sights for 2008, but the timing may not be what it could be. CHARLIE COPELAND FOR GOVERNOR?Posted: Feb. 7, 2007 State Sen. Charles L. Copeland picked up a new title this year as the Republican minority leader, but he is not ready to say whether he has his eye on another one -- governor. Still, there were clues when he traveled to Sussex County to give a speech. BACK ROOM BEGINNINGSPosted: Feb. 6, 2007 In these days of the perpetual campaign, the political back rooms already are humming with the workings of presidential candidates. Delaware Republicans found themselves courted by John McCain's operation, while Delaware Democrats talked up Joe Biden. CONGRESSIONAL NOTEBOOKPosted: Feb. 2, 2007 The power has shifted on Capitol Hill, and so has the way the Delaware congressional delegation is approaching the choice of a new federal court judge. Capitol Hill also sends out a definitive clue about U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle's intentions for 2008. NOT ALREADY!!Posted: Feb. 1, 2007 U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. got into the presidential race the same way he got out of his last one, saying something the wrong way. It was Biden being Biden, but not Biden being the best Biden he could be. WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?Posted: Jan. 30, 2007 When the state House defeated Rep. Gregory F. Lavelle's legislation proposing deadlines for the introduction of the operating and construction budgets, Lavelle and a chorus of some fellow Republicans blamed the Democrats. It was not necessarily so. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Jan. 26, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. While the Democrats are preoccupied with a possible primary for governor, they could have one for lieutenant governor, too. The counsel to the governor heads for private practice. MIKE CASTLE'S BLUE HEAVENPosted: Jan. 24, 2007 The U.S. House of Representatives has gone from a Republican majority to a Democratic one. It means that U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle has shifted from the majority to the minority, not that anyone could tell from the first round of roll calls. MONEY IS THE FIRST PRIMARYPosted: Jan. 22, 2007 Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr. had a very good year in fund raising and wants people to know about it. State Treasurer Jack A. Markell is letting his money do the talking for him. It has all the makings of a showdown for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2008. JOHN ATKINS CALLINGPosted: Jan. 18, 2007 State Rep. John C. Atkins took to his telephone as he searched for wiggle room in his legal troubles and placed some surprising calls. More recently, he decided to turn to a new attorney as he deals with a House Ethics Committee probe into his conduct. CLEANING UP JOHN ATKINSPosted: Jan. 16, 2007 State Rep. John C. Atkins, R-Probation, has dodged through a police stop in Ocean City, Md., and a court appearance in Delaware. Next up in a system that seems intent on cleaning him up is the House Ethics Committee in Dover. AMERICA'S MAYOR WONDERS ABOUT BEING AMERICA'S PRESIDENTPosted: Jan. 13, 2007 Rudy Giuliani came to Delaware to pick up an award as well as some attention for his possible candidacy for president, when he spoke Friday evening at a gala dinner and fund raiser for the state Republicans. He was just what the party needed. LEGISLATIVE NOTEBOOKPosted: Jan. 11, 2007 The Delaware General Assembly launched its new term this week in typical messiness, with intrigue over committee assignments and some counting by the House Republicans that came out close enough for government work. THE ATKINS TREATMENTPosted: Jan. 9, 2007 State Rep. John C. Atkins and his domestic violence charge have been a problem for the House of Representatives, but it could spill over to the Senate because of a meeting he had with the nominee who needs Senate confirmation to become the next corrections commissioner. THE SENIOR SENATOR FROM DELAWAREPosted: Jan. 5, 2007 That record U.S. Sen. William V. Roth Jr. held as the longest-serving statewide elected official in Delaware history? U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. is taking it from him, a little-noticed milestone in a volatile political career. BIDEN & SONPosted: Jan. 4, 2007 Delaware has nine statewide officeholders, and now two of them are named Biden. At a reception Wednesday evening at the Wilmington riverfront, the new attorney general had his public debut while the senator looked on. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Jan. 3, 2007 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. The New Year is bringing changes to both major parties -- with the Democrats looking for new leadership in Sussex County and the Republicans installing a new executive director at state headquarters. RESOLVED . . .Posted: Dec. 27, 2006 The season for campaign promises has come and gone. Now it is time for New Year's resolutions for 2007 from an array of Delaware politicians, including Lt. Gov. John Carney, Treasurer Jack Markell, Senate Minority Leader Charile Copeland and others. STUPID POLITICAL TRICKSPosted: Dec. 20, 2006 As the 2006 election year fades away, it is time to recall the moments when the politicians became their own worst enemies. It was a pageant of ineptitude that struck regardless of experience, office or political affiliation. THAT'S REPRESENTATIVE ATKINS TO YOU, OFFICERPosted: Dec. 18, 2006 In the hours before state Rep. John C. Atkins was arrested at home in Millsboro in a domestic dispute, he was in Ocean City, Md., at a pre-Halloween party. When the police there pulled him over, he made sure they knew who he was. LEGISLATIVE NOTEBOOKPosted: Dec. 14, 2006 The shuffling of the Democratic leadership in the state Senate should not have been a surprise to Sen. Harris B. McDowell III, who was dealt out. State Rep. Peter C. Schwartzkopf knows what he is talking about when he urges people to "give the gift of life." POLI-TICKINGPosted: Dec. 12, 2006 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. Judge Kent A. Jordan gets ready to join some tough critics. The Sussex County Republicans prepare for the end of William Swain Lee's tenure as their chair. STATE REP. DICK CATHCART IS IN THE MONEYPosted: Dec. 8, 2006 State Rep. Richard C. Cathcart, a Middletown Republican, is about to conduct a duet that the legislature has seen before -- a college administrator serving as the co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee. Not bad for someone who just lost a vote for House majority leader. REP. JOHN ATKINS GETS PROBATIONPosted: Dec. 5, 2006 State Rep. John C. Atkins had his day in court Monday on an offensive touching charge in a domestic dispute, although it was actually more like his 10 minutes in court. The Millsboro Republican was put on probation, leading to a political problem. JUDICIAL NOTEBOOKPosted: Dec. 4, 2006 Time is running out for a vote that would elevate U.S. District Judge Kent A. Jordan to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals before the Congress goes home for the year. Former Superior Court Judge Richard S. Gebelein makes plans to come home from Bosnia. REP. JOHN ATKINS WAS DRINKING BEFORE HIS ARRESTPosted: Dec. 1, 2006 State Rep. John C. Atkins was insistent that no alcohol was involved in a domestic argument that led to his arrest for offensive touching shortly before the election, but police in Ocean City, Md., say that was not the case. SEN. BIDEN'S OFFICE TARGETED IN FAKE ANTHRAX ATTACKPosted: Nov. 29, 2006 In a little-known incident, some powder and a threatening letter arrived last month in the Wilmington office of U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., a six-term Democrat, and gave the staff a scare. The powder was not anthrax. The FBI is investigating. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Nov. 27, 2006 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. A curious pattern has developed at a Sussex County political event. The Senate Republicans ponder their leadership. State Democratic Chair John Daniello gives driving tips. RETURN DAY IS FOR RIDDLESPosted: Nov. 9, 2006 Forget about Return Day being a time for reconciliation. The politicians are busy thinking about their next campaigns. . . whatever they are. Some of these once-and-future candidates are upfront about it, but others only drop clues through cryptic political stickers. ELECTION NOTEBOOKPosted: Nov. 8, 2006 Election Day in Delaware was very good to the labor movement, which worked closely but not exclusively with the Democrats. Election Day also set in motion a power struggle in the state House of Representatives over the choice for speaker. A DEMOCRATIC YEARPosted: Nov. 7, 2006 The Delaware Democrats set up an outsized get-out-the-vote drive on Election Day and used it to elect Beau Biden attorney general, run up huge victories for U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper and state Treasurer Jack A. Markell, and pick up three legislative seats. THE 2006 ELECTION "TOP TEN" LISTPosted: Nov. 5, 2006 Congressman Mike Castle, Speaker Terry Spence, Beau Biden and Jan Ting are some of the Delaware candidates who made the list involving weird stuff that never should have happened, but did, or should have happened, but never did. THERE ARE CARPER AND CASTLE, STANDING LIKE A FIREWALLPosted: Nov. 2, 2006 Change will not come easily, if it comes at all, on Election Day in Delaware. From U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper and U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle at the top of the ticket on down, not many races are competitive . . . except the one for attorney general, of course. RETIREMENT IS NOT AN OPTIONPosted: Nov. 1, 2006 James T. Vaughn Sr., the Democratic state senator from Clayton, can beat cancer. He can beat pneumonia. He is looking to beat Republican and minor-party challengers next week on Election Day. He is 81 and not giving up. REP. JOHN ATKINS ARRESTED IN DOMESTIC INCIDENTPosted: Oct. 29, 2006; updated: Oct. 30, 2006 State Rep. John C. Atkins, a Millsboro Republican, was arrested in the early morning hours Sunday after an argument at home with his wife Heather. With the election bearing down, he issued a press release and appeared on talk radio to discuss what happened. NO MORE WOOD AND BYRD, BUT WOOD OR BYRDPosted: Oct. 27, 2006; updated: Oct. 30, 2006 Nothing lasts forever, not even a dominant lobbying firm like Wood Byrd & Associates. William T. Wood Jr. and Robert L. Byrd are going their separate ways after 18 years as Byrd switches his affiliation to a Philadelphia-based law firm. CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOKPosted: Oct. 25, 2006 A campaign flier has escalated the political warfare between David P. Sokola, a Democratic state senator, and Michael J. Ramone, his Republican challenger, in Pike Creek Valley. A campaign road sign has escalated attention along state highways. THE LAST BANQUETPosted: Oct. 22, 2006 After living a unique and sociable life, Edward R. "Ned" Davis was remembered in a unique and sociable way Sunday afternoon in Dover. A memorial service for the counselor to Delaware officialdom was filled with the politics and poetry he loved so much. OFFICE POLITICSPosted: Oct. 20, 2006 The lines can get blurry when officeholders are running for re-election. Thomas R. Carper had one of those moments Friday when it was difficult to sort out what was happening with his Senate office and what was happening with his campaign office. EDWARD R. "NED" DAVIS, A MAN OF GLAD GRACEPosted: Oct. 18, 2006 Edward R. "Ned" Davis, an institution in Delaware political circles, died Wednesday morning at 78 after a lifetime as a newspaperman, press secretary, Democratic national committeeman and lobbyist. He was remembered fondly by Democrats and Republicans alike. REPUBLICANS CAN PAY FOR AS MUCH FREE SPEECH AS THEY WANTPosted: Oct. 17, 2006 The Delaware Republicans did their homework when they crafted campaign advertising for the attorney general's race. The party passed legal muster after an inquiry from the Democrats, who did not exactly have clean hands when they made their challenge. STATE REPUBLICANS BEAT THE ODDS AT VICMEAD, uh, BIDERMANNPosted: Oct. 14, 2006 The omens were not good. Things kept going wrong for the Delaware Republicans as the time grew closer and closer for the 22nd annual "Salute at Vicmead," the party's premier fund raiser, but in the end, the event was not cursed, but charmed. SAY IT AIN'T SO, FERRISPosted: Oct. 12, 2006 In a political campaign, almost anything is fair game. It is all right for Democrat Beau Biden to be a target of Ferris W. Wharton and his fellow Republicans in the attorney general's race, but now Wharton has taken on a fact of Delaware life. CALL THE ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER, GET HIM TO STOP THE ADSPosted: Oct. 11, 2006 The Delaware Democrats have taken legal issue with the Republican Party's advertising in the attorney general's race. The Republicans insist they are following the law, and the elections commissioner has been asked to decide. KENT COUNTY DEMOCRATS WANT TO PUT SOME LIFE IN THE PARTYPosted: Oct. 10, 2006 For too long, the Kent County Democrats have watched Delaware go Democratic without them. At their annual "Belle Everett" Dinner at the Felton Fire Hall on Monday night, they showed they are doing what they can to turn their fortunes around. POLI-TICKINGPosted: Oct. 6, 2006 It is the little things that make politics tick. This is a column about that. Delaware Republicans get picky about the information they want to provide. William Swain Lee finds surprising help for the Sussex County Republicans' get-out-the-vote operation. CONGRESSIONAL NOTEBOOKPosted: Oct. 3, 2006 U.S. Rep. Michael N. Castle, despite his small stroke last month, is running for an eighth term, but there is a possibility he will ma | ||||||||
