June 2022

Greetings, Fellow Republicans! We just completed our State Convention and it was a wonderful time.  We started off the event with the awards banquet on Friday night.  I was very humbled to receive the Chairman’s Award as “Republican of the Year.”  This honor is reflective of the excellent team with whom I have the pleasure and privilege to work.  One of these is Sherry Long who very deservedly won the Peg Hood Award as the Sussex County Volunteer of the Year.  Hope Whaley won Republican of the Month for May.  Benjamin Parsons, Chair of the Sussex Teenage Republicans, was named Young Republican of the Year for Sussex County. The program included Nick Adams, author and political commentator, who spoke to the attendees.  It was very heart-warming to hear an immigrant to our country speak so lovingly and eloquently about America and its citizens.  As a bonus, Mr. Adams spoke again at the convention on Saturday. ​Joanne W. Young was our featured speaker on Saturday.  Ms. Young is an expert in election law and spoke to the assemblage about the upcoming elections and election integrity. ​After hearing from our excellent speakers, we got down to business.  Each Region Caucus heard from  and endorsed our statewide candidates.  We are very fortunate to have an excellent contestant for each of the four statewide offices in contention this year. U.S. Congress Lee Murphy is taking on Lisa Blunt Rochester for U.S. Congress.  A native Delawarean, Lee has had a multi-faceted career as a teacher, coach, railroad worker and actor.  This has given him a varied and rich perspective on life and our country.  Lee is focusing on protecting the citizens from this escalating crime and transparency in government. ​During her 3 terms, Ms. Rochester has voted almost 100% of the time with Nancy Pelosi.  I don’t believe that any Delawarean thinks we should be represented by the likes of a mini-Nancy Pelosi.  However, it appears that based on Ms. Rochester’s voting record, we are. Attorney General Julianne Murray, an experienced trial lawyer and supporter of the police, is our candidate for Attorney General.  Julianne has shown that she is not shy about taking on the status quo.  In 2020, she sued Governor Carney when he attempted to place a moratorium on short term rentals.  The case never went to trial as the Governor reversed his decree. Kathy Jennings, our current Attorney General, is the same type of progressive attorney that we are seeing liberal cities like San Francisco attempt to recall.  She ignores the sentencing guidelines in the law and is more interested in going after law enforcement than criminals. Treasurer Our candidate for Treasurer is Greg Coverdale.  He is a very impressive gentleman with outstanding credentials.  He holds an MBA from DSU and certifications in 4 different finance-related areas from the Wharton School at U Penn and the Kennedy School at Harvard.  He is currently providing financial advice to DE-based military members and their families. Greg’s opponent is Colleen Davis.  A licensed Physician’s Assistant, Ms. Davis has been anything but impressive in her role as the top money-watcher for the state.  In this position, she sits on a number of boards.  Reviewing the minutes of these meetings, it appears that Ms. Davis is not always present and if she is, her contributions to the proceedings are non-existent or minimal. State Auditor Janice Lorrah is an attorney who filed suit against Governor Carney over the mask mandates in schools.  Before the judge ruled, the Governor’s attorney announced that the mask mandates would be lifted the following day.  In addition to her law degree, Ms. Lorrah holds a certification in forensic accounting which certainly qualifies her to evaluate the government’s fiscal accountability and the performance of public programs. Her opponent, Kathleen McGuiness, is currently under indictment for five counts including felony theft and intimidation.  The Grand Jury in Kent County re-indicted McGuiness after the state’s case was re-entered in Kent County earlier this week after her attorney argued that the AG erroneously filed the original suit in New Castle County.  Those charges were dropped and re-entered in Kent County, the location of the state capitol. So, we have a very qualified slate of candidates who are running against opponents who are either not reflecting the values and needs of the citizens of Delaware or are not qualified to hold the positions they are in.  WE MUST BREAK THE ONE-PARTY RULE IN DELAWARE.  This is our year and we are in an ideal position to be able to win these seats if we volunteer for these campaigns, show up on election day, and encourage others to do the same. ​Finally, the Delaware State Republican Committee in collaboration with our Republican elected officials, candidates, and Regional Committees unveiled The Rescue Delaware Plan.  The Plan outlines major policy areas where reform is most needed.  You can find it at https://delawaregop.com/the-rescue-delaware-plan/.  Please take some time to read it.  This document is our commitment to you and all the citizens of Delaware to work toward the improvements that are necessary to RESCUE DELAWARE. Marilyn Booker, Chair Sussex County Republican Committee