Thoughts On The 2023 Primary

Thoughts On The 2023 Primary — I was drafted as a poll worker in Springfield for yesterday’s (May 16) primary and found my co-workers to be wonderful and dedicated and everything went smoothly. People in my Delaware County, Pa. precinct overwhelmingly voted in person, including Democrats. The in-person vote was 150 — high for an off year primary in a precinct with few contested races. It went about 60 percent Republican.

This seaons’s big race, which did not involve my precinct, was to replace Mike Zabel, the 163rd District state rep who resigned in disgrace in March putting in jeopardy the Democrats’ one-vote control of the State House.

Heather Boyd handily beat Katie Ford to keep the seat for the Democrats. The Democrat Party flooded the airwaves with endorsements from Gov. Josh Shapiro and fear-mongering to convince the world that the feckless Mrs. Ford was a heartless zealot.

Persons even appeared in my precinct looking to vote for her as the advertisements made it seem the race concerned all of Delco.

For the record, the district consists of Clifton Heights, Aldan, Collingdale and a big piece of Upper Darby.

The Delco GOP response to the D onslaught was — meh. They kept Mrs. Ford from punching back. They wouldn’t let her appear on the wise and sagacious Dom Giordan’s widely heard radio show. They made her take moderate positions rather than painting Ms. Boyd as the true radical.

And, of course, as always, this type of response lost.

Compare this to Philadelphia where traditional Democrat interests united to elect traditional Democrat — i.e. union-supporting, big government — Cherelle Parker over heavily promoted progressive Helen Gym. Yes, Ms. Gym was fairly painted as a radical flake and lost giving Philly a chance at life.

Will the Delco Republicans learn for November and give Joy Schwartz, William Dennon and Jeffrey O. Jones, the chance to beat Democrats Elaine Paul Schaefer, Monica Taylor and Christine A. Reuther in November?

They have ammunition. Two murders in a month in Upper Darby are things that once didn’t happen.

And, yes, most people don’t want mothers to die because they can’t get an abortion or a rape victim being forced to carry the child of her attacker, but they don’t want stuff like this either and that is what the Democratic candidates defend.

Congratulations to Joy who got the most votes in her uncontested primary.

And in Montgomery County, Joe Gale will end his career as councilman this January. I like Joe and was a big supporter when he came on the scene in 2015 but his two terms were a disappointment to the extreme. He seemed to be more about Joe Gale than stopping the spread of feudalism.

He attacked Republicans consistently and mostly ignored Democrats. I don’t have a problem attacking Republicans. I have a big problem with ignoring Democrats and so, apparently, do the Montgomery County GOP voters.

Joe overwhelmingly lost to party-endorsed Tom DiBello and Liz Ferry, who will take on Montco wokesters Neil Makhija and Jamila Winder in the fall.

Yes, they can win if they fight and don’t play “bullet-vote” games.

I met Tom and Liz at last week’s Phyllis Schlafly Eagle Awards Dinner and liked them.

They were guests, by the way, of Stan Casacio. That’s Stan Casacio, Joe. You know, the guy that actually goes head-to-head, face-to-face with the Montco GOP establishment even when it’s packing guns.

Hey Joe, some advice. Make up with Stan. I betcha he’d welcome you back.

In the state-wide State Supreme Court race, GOP-endorsed Carolyn T. Carluccio beat my gal Patricia A. McCullough and will take on, Nov. 7, Democrat Daniel D. McCaffery who defeated Deborah Anne Kunselman.

Timika Lane and Jill Beck defeated Patrick Dugan in the Superior Court Democrat primary wand will face Republicans Maria C. Battista and Harry F, Smail Jr., who ran uncontested.

GOP endorsed Megan Martin beat my choice Joshua Garet Prince in the Commonwealth Court primary and will face Democrat Matthew S. Wolf who beat Bryan S. Neft.