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The only reason that Kevin Wade and Tom Kovach are eligible for the UD debates is that they are Republicans

They fail every other eligibility requirement set by the UD Center for Political Communication and Delaware First Media

--neither candidate has been published in any poll as having achieved 10% voter support
--neither candidate (Kovach here, Wade here) has raised a sufficient amount of campaign funds (a minimum of 2,511 donations of at least $50 each from in-state residents totaling over $120,000)
--neither candidate is an incumbent
--neither candidate has won a primary for this office during the last eight years
--neither candidate has received 30% of the vote in a former statewide election

ONLY the fact that they are Republicans entitles them to stand on the stage with Tom Carper and John Carney, while ballot-qualified candidates like Alex Pires and Scott Gesty will not be allowed to do so.

Is being a Republican in Delaware being part of a "major" party?  As I have argued elsewhere, it's difficult these days to make that case:

2008: GOP Presidential candidate John McCain gets 36.9% of the vote in Delaware. GOP Senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell gets 35.9% of the vote in Delaware. GOP Gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee gets 32% of the vote in Delaware. GOP Insurance Commissioner candidate John Brady gets 41% of the vote in Delaware. In 31 slots the GOP does not even have a candidate.
2010: GOP Senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell gets 40% of the vote in Delaware. GOP House candidate Glenn Urquhart gets 41% of the vote in Delaware. GOP does not have a candidate for Attorney General. GOP Treasurer candidate Colin Bonini gets 49% of the vote in Delaware. In 10 other slots the GOP does not even field a candidate.
You voted out Mike Castle, the only Republican in the State actually capable of winning a statewide election, deciding it was better to send Chris Coons to the Senate than suffer to have a GOP moderate there. How’s that working out for ya?
Even by waiving filing fees, your party can’t find candidates for enough races to win back the General Assembly if everybody won.
Your own Treasurer accidentally became a Democrat by using the same party-switching maneuver that many Libertarians are using against a corrupt two-party system.
Your party issued a statement saying it would support a suspended attorney in continuing his candidacy (although, fortunately, he had the integrity to pull the plug).


Comments

tom said…
Kovach doesn't even meet the requirement of being a Republican (which they state as "The candidate is the official nominee of a political party that: (a) received at least 10 percent of the vote in the most recent prior gubernatorial general election in the state where the constituency is located; or (b) received at least 10 percent of the vote in the prior presidential general election in the state where the constituency is located; or (c) received at least 15 percent of the vote in the prior general election for the office to which he or she is seeking election.")

By that criteria, the Republican Party qualifies but Tom Kovach doesn't.

In order to be their official nominee, he still must deal with the formality of beating Rose Izzo in the Primary on 9/11. Everyone expects him to win, but then everyone expected Mike Castle to trounce Christine O'Donnell too.

If the UD CPC & FSM sent Tom Kovach a Debate invitation, they violated their own rules in doing so.
August 18, 2012 at 2:43 PM
Steven H. Newton said…
Tom

They sent all ballot qualified candidates an invitation, but the invitation was prove your eligibility.
August 18, 2012 at 3:42 PM
Eric Dondero said…
Not sure that that's making the case that the Republicans are a "minor party," in Delaware. It's more making the case that Delawareans, by and large, are stupid-ass moocher socialists who live off the government tit, and wouldn't vote for a Republican to save their lives, cause ya know, those Republicans will take away all their free goodies.

I know Delaware. I grew up in Delaware. I visit there nowadays quite often. And I am shocked at how much of a socialist hellhole the State has become. It's all government, all the time in DE. Government is involved in everything. Everyone in the State's got their hand out. And it seems like those few people in the State who do work, work for the State aparatus in some respect.

You drive by that abandoned Chrysler plant in Newport, and it's saddening. Then you drive by the nearest Government building, and you see it's posh, luxiourious, almost paved with gold.

Pathetic. The State has become a Socialist nightmare. Of course, Delawareans are not going to vote for Republicans.

Will the last limited government supporting Republicans leaving the State for Texas (Louisiana, the Carolinas, Florida, Okie, Tennessee, Alaska, Colorado), turn out the lights!
August 19, 2012 at 8:55 AM
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