Delaware County Democratic
Party
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June 19, 2003
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168th Special Election Results
One of this season's sunniest days wasn't enough to bring out enough voters
to overcome a significant Republican voter registration advantage in Tuesday's
Special Election for the 168th State Representative seat. Republican Tom
Killion defeated Democrat Bill Thomas in the race to succeed Matt Ryan, who
passed away in April. Killion recived 3952 votes to Thomas' 1432 in an election
that saw just 12 percent of voters show up at the polls. In the Delaware
County portion of the district the numbers were 3576 for Killion and 1337
for Thomas. In the Chester County portion of the district, the results were
376 for Killion and 95 for Thomas.
The district includes Middletown, Media, Rose Valley, Thornbury, Edgemont,
and parts of Upper Providence, Newtown and Nether Providence in Delaware County,
and Westtown in Chester County.
Special thanks to all the volunteers and committee people from Marple, Springfield,
Upper Darby, and Ridley Township who joined those from Middletown, Media,
Upper Providence, Edgemont, Rose Valley and Thornbury in working on the special
election.
Of interest to note, Republicans won the other special election on Tuesday,
June 17, that was held in the 44th State House district in suburban Pittsburgh.
Turnout for that election was 13 percent.
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Running on Empty or Building Up Steam?
Commentary on the future of the Democratic Party
by Cliff Wilson, Chair
We have just gone through our fourth special legislative election in thirty
months. All but one scheduled on dates that favored a low GOP-machine controlled
turnout. The only one won by a Democrat was the November, 2001 special
election which saw Connie Williams win the Senate seat in the 17th district.
The special elections did have some things in common. For one, only a handful
of active Democrats from parts of Delaware County outside the legislative
district in question were willing to help the candidates even though they
had no other elections on those dates. In fact, in some cases committee persons
within the legislative districts failed to assist the party candidates. This
continued parochialism threatens to reduce our party to 49 or even 410 municipal/precinct
committees either incapable of or unwilling to work in concert. Other than
in the instance when a municipality or precinct has a specific election of
its own e.g. boro or township office, ward office or precinct contests for
committee or inspector, our party activists have to be willing to go where
the help is needed and where the battle is being fought. A win by a Democrat
anywhere in Delaware County is good for Democrats everywhere in Delaware
County.
Another commonality to these elections has been the attempt by the press,
particularly the County Times, to present the picture of candidates running
without the support of the Party. Their latest evidence of this is that the
party organization fails to contribute money to the legislative candidates.
For the record, here are the facts.
On the occasion of each of these special elections, the county party organization
gave to our party candidates that which our party resources allow us to give:
we provided up to date voter databases (more recent than those used by the
Harrisburg- based legislative campaigns); we offered use of our Media office
as campaign headquarters which includes state of the art copying equipment
and computers and multiple phone lines for phone banks; we offered use of
our bulk postal rate account; and we made available our lists of volunteers
and donors within the restrictions imposed by the party Leaders Council.
The cost to the party of the resources we made available range from $1500
to $3000 depending upon the length of the campaign.
The county party raises and spends about $30,000 per annum of party expenses
including the maintenance of the voter database, the headquarters, equipment,
costs of meetings and conventions and mailings. Our financial plan calls
for the next $25,000 raised to be used to hire full time help at the office
- which we were able to do from Jan 2001 to July 2002 to the benefit of all
candidates running in that time period. If we could exceed those goals we
could raise money for campaigns. The Delaware County Democratic Party has
never at any time in the past been able to contribute money directly to candidates
(except in 1996 when we raised funds for posters and lit for all legislative
candidates). Candidates have always been expected to raise campaign funds
themselves.
There is no denying that this party has weaknesses. We have too many committee
slots vacant. We are not raising enough money. On the other hand, over 50%
of our committee slots are filled (one of the best percentages of Pennsylvania
counties). We are raising more money than we did in the 1990's. Is
the glass half full or half empty? I would ask some questions to resolve that.
How many local chairman and officers are recruiting new committee persons?
Ask yours. How many committee people are $25 patrons to help sustain the party?
How many local committees are rounding up ten people to take tables at party
functions? How many people are volunteering for county-wide activities or
out of district campaigns? And how many party activists care?
The Delaware County Democratic Party is what its committee persons, volunteers,
election workers and supporters make it! Those with negative outlooks - the
talkers - would say we are running on empty. The optimists among us - the
workers - know we are building up steam.