Nancy Baulis and John Innelli for County Council, Mike Shaw for Sheriff, Larry Healy for Controller and Ann O'Keefe for Register of Wills received record percentages of the vote: 41, 41, 42 and 43 percent, respectively. These are the highest percentages recorded by Democratic county candidates since the advent of the home rule charter in 1976. And for the first time, all our candidates crossed the 40% threshold. Even more significantly, they came within points of carrying major municipalities.

In Haverford Township, Democrats Tom Broido and Larry Holmes were elected, giving us three of the nine township commissioners; in Aston, Gary Robinson joins the Township Board; in Marple, Charles Sammartino becomes the second Democratic Township Commissioner, joining incumbent John Butler who was re-elected. Nether Providence now again has a majority of Democratic township commissioners with the victories of Lin Floyd, Deena Beard and Sallie Anderson.  And in Upper Providence, the 'Delco' Bill Clinton was elected to the township council.

In Radnor Township, Eric Zajac and Brucie Rapoport became the 2nd and 3rd Democrats ever elected to the school board (the 1st was elected in 1991.) And Democratic endorsed District Judge Candidate Tuten defeated a long time Republican incumbent. Carol Carr picked up a seat for Democrats on the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board (where incumbent Democrats Jon Auritt and Mark Kuperberg were re-elected). And other school board candidates like Jeff Shapiro of Marple/Newtown had won cross-filed primaries in May and couldn't lose.

Most Democratic incumbents prevailed on election night. Some, like the municipal officials of East Lansdowne, were unopposed; Then there's Media, were the entire Democratic slate led by Frank Daly beat back a massive Republican effort (with the finances of a state campaign), and Lansdowne, which saw total Democratic victory after a successful five-month battle to get our school director candidate Charlotte Hummel's 275 write-in-vote victory recognized and her name on the November ballot.

In Darby Borough our council incumbents were reelected as were Democratic newcomers, despite the outgoing Mayor's attempt to use the Republican Party to retain power. We didn't just keep a Democratic Mayor in Darby - we actually elected a real Democrat - Helen Thomas. Incumbent Democrats prevailed in Brookhaven, and even in Norwood, were Republicans managed to defeat our council members, Democratic Mayor George McCloskey was re-elected.

Sure we're disappointed that our candidates lost by a handful of votes in Millbourne and Colwyn - coming closer than ever before in replacing Republican rule.  And the well-financed, Ron Raymond-directed effort to take over Norwood is unfortunate, more so for the citizens of that borough than for our party. We can and should point with pride to the tremendous Democratic campaign in Upper Darby with record percentages cast for our candidates in every contested race. And Democrats organized and fought HARD against Republicans in Sharon Hill and Morton. Rich Aldred in Thorrnbury and Harold Eder in Newtown campaigned for township supervisor in townships that rarely have seen local Democratic candidates.

Delaware County is a Democratic county in even numbered years and it's turning increasingly blue in the odd.

36 Democrats were elected JUDGE OF ELECTION this year with ~½ of them in precincts where we are behind in voter registration. In 71 precincts, our candidate was elected MAJORITY INSPECTOR, again including many where we are outnumbered by Republicans. So in the future 1) don't ever tell anyone "Oh, just run for Judge of Elections you can't win anyway" and 2) don't tell your inspector candidates that they can only win minority - it ain't necessarily so.)

PS -- Newest Registration data now shows Democrats up to 34%, with Republicans continuing to lose and now down at 55 ½ %. 

Ann O'Keefe             37,901