Peter Mallory and I were going over our choices for primary endorsements at breakfast Thursday when it dawned on me that the winner of the Republican race between State Rep. Dorothy Hukill and challenger Teresa Valdes, if you can even call Valdes competition, won't have a Democratic challenger in November. Barring a miracle for Valdes, the incumbent Hukill will sail through November's general election with an obscure write-in candidate waiting to be knocked out.
So while Volusia Democratic czar Phil Giorno whines about Margie Patchet's threat of rallying Democrats in a non-partisan County Council at-large seat against Democrat Joyce Cusack, he's failed to field a candidate to challenge Hukill.
That is weak. Not only for Giorno, but the local Democratic clubs as well.
Had I known it was going to be this way, I would have thrown my hat into the ring. As strong and capable as Hukill is, everyone deserves an opponent. For her not to have a Democratic challenger in a statehouse race after Tuesday's primary is a disgrace.
By no means am I saying I'd knock off Hukill, I'd certainly challenge her record and push her hard. Let's be clear about Hukill: She has NSBNEWS.net's endorsement without question.
What is questionable is why the Volusia Democratic hierarchy couldn't come up with anyone to be Hukill's sacrificial lamb in November. At least put up a fight. Put a name on the ballot that includes "Democrat."
There's obviously no recruitment of candidates. There's no push through the media or even social media to attract newcomers.
By now you've probably guessed it: I'm a registered Democrat who votes. Mallory is a registered Republican who votes. As a matter of fact, many more Democrats and Republicans from greater New Smyrna Beach are leading the entire county in Early Voting. So if I could be so brazen to state that NSBNEWS.net is energizing the voting public with our election coverage, please don't beat me up.
So Democratic Chairman Giorno: What's your excuse?
Why haven't we heard from you? Why hasn't the public?
And why do we continually have all these retread candidates? Cusack is a former state rep. for the West Volusia area. Term-limited County Council at-large incumbent Joie Alexander is trying to jump to term-limited Jack Hayman's district 3 seat. Hayman had wrestled with the idea of trying to jump to Alexander's council seat.
And you wonder why voters are so turned off.
Are you going to continue letting New Smyrna Beach's-own Republican counterpart Joe Stitch continue pushing you around? The Republicans are recruiting and developing the farm system. Republican Adam Barringer knocked incumbent Sally Mackay, a Democrat, out of the box in last year's election. Before long, he'll be moving up the ranks, maybe even succeeding Kosmas, the only Democrat in Central Florida who will likely stave off any of the five Republicans duking it out in Tuesday's primary.
I can tell you that here in New Smyrna Beach you have not recruited any prominent Democrats as an understudy to NSB's-own Kosmas She's reached far greater heights beyond New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange where the Democratic voice is silent. So quiet, you can hear the crickets over the surf during the day on the Democratic side of the aisle.
So you have Kosmas. She's your Alex Rodriguez, your Bett Favre, your LeBron James. But is your Derek Jeter. Your Adrian Peterson; your Dwyane Wade?
There are at least two Republicans in the County Council district 3 race in Deb Denys and Ellen Darden. And you can't find one Democrat for an even bigger seat in the Sunshine State's capitol.
Had I known, you couldn't get a single registered Democrat, I might have been persuaded to challenge Hukill, especially in this economy, the year of the anti-incumbent.
Instead of citing those lame empty slogans like "I'll fight for you," "I'll be tough on crime," "I'll cut the budget," I would have done my homework and attacked Hukill's record, looking for any blemish I could while coming up with a platform to go to war with. Perhaps I'd lose. Maybe even get slaughtered, but at least I'd show up. I give Valdes credit for trying. Remember, she jumped at the opportunity when Hukill announced she was going to seek the Republican nomination in hopes of going up against Kosmas.
As Hukill pointed out to me the other day here at home, we shared a laugh about all these lame slogans and the absolute lack of discussion on the issues at hand.
The notion that you can't find a Democrat not labeled as a liberal is no excuse. Contrary to popular belief, one doesn't have to be a Republican to have conservative values.
I'm a proud Democrat along the lines of John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and even that great Republican in the sky, Ronald Reagan. Yes, I'm a Reagan Democrat with belief in God, prayer, the pledge of allegiance, the death penalty and pro life. I also believe less government makes for a better economy with less regulation and more individual freedoms.
So Phil Giorno, I would like an explanation as to why you couldn't find a viable Democrat. Suzanne Kosmas can't be the only one.
I'm sure you recall almost a year ago when I informally called and asked about the possibility of running for the district 3 County Council seat with Hayman a lame duck. In fact, NSB City Commissioner Jim Hathaway asked me if I was serious and I assured him I would have only if he and former Mayor Jim Vandergrifft were serious as had been speculated. Turns out they went no further than me. It would not have been practical then, considering the seven-day commitment to NSBNEWS.net, a new marriage and a teen-age son.
I never dreamed the Democratic Machine would had a problem coming up with an opponent for Hukill, and especially Valdes. I could understand the difficulty in recruiting an experienced politician in NSB because of odd-year voting, but that was changed this year. The Democratic leadership still had twice-as-large Port Orange and the other smaller communities to draw from.
It's unbelievable when you consider the district 28 territory encompasses New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Oak Hill, Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores and the much larger and progressive Port Orange.
So I'll tell you what Phi Giorno: Count me in for a Democratic run for House 28 in two years if you can't find a warm body.