As we approach the last two weeks in the election season, it is important to take note of the various party offerings. There are 183 ballot-qualified candidates in Delaware, including the Presidential tickets. Here's the breakdown:
First, we are already a one-party state when the total of all the non-Democrat candidates in four other parties is required equal their offerings.
Second, the Republicans continue to decline, accounting for fewer than one-third of the candidates running this year. They are not even running sufficient candidates to retake the General Assembly if they win everything. Nor are they managing to raise money for their candidates--c'mon, $60K to run for governor and you are a major party candidate?
Third, the Libertarians have established themselves as THE third party in Delaware. In at least half a dozen cases, the races are between Libertarians and either Dems/GOPers with no other candidate. Once you account for Jill Stein and her running mate, the Green Party ticket consists of only candidates for US Senate, US House, and Governor. They aren't running a single candidate for other state offices. The IPOD currently (to be bluntly honest) consists of Alex Pires' self-funded vanity campaign (or is it a movie?) and four paper candidates.
Fourth, despite the growth of the Libertarian Party in terms of candidates and public attention, the LPD will NOT become a significant force in Delaware politics until we win SOMETHING. So between 2014 and 2016 it is incumbent on Libertarians to identify, train, and financially support candidates in districts where we can be competitive.
92 of them are Democrats (50%)We can learn several things from this.
57 of them are Republicans (31%)
23 of them are Libertarians (13%)
5 of them are Greens (3%)
5 of them are IPODs (3%)
1 of them is Unaffiliated
First, we are already a one-party state when the total of all the non-Democrat candidates in four other parties is required equal their offerings.
Second, the Republicans continue to decline, accounting for fewer than one-third of the candidates running this year. They are not even running sufficient candidates to retake the General Assembly if they win everything. Nor are they managing to raise money for their candidates--c'mon, $60K to run for governor and you are a major party candidate?
Third, the Libertarians have established themselves as THE third party in Delaware. In at least half a dozen cases, the races are between Libertarians and either Dems/GOPers with no other candidate. Once you account for Jill Stein and her running mate, the Green Party ticket consists of only candidates for US Senate, US House, and Governor. They aren't running a single candidate for other state offices. The IPOD currently (to be bluntly honest) consists of Alex Pires' self-funded vanity campaign (or is it a movie?) and four paper candidates.
Fourth, despite the growth of the Libertarian Party in terms of candidates and public attention, the LPD will NOT become a significant force in Delaware politics until we win SOMETHING. So between 2014 and 2016 it is incumbent on Libertarians to identify, train, and financially support candidates in districts where we can be competitive.
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